Scenic Untersberg Loop

Four-day tour on the legendary Untersberg

Discover the stories behind the many myths and legends surrounding the Untersberg mountain–from Emperor Charlemagne in his rocky cave to the mysterious Untersberger Mandln—on this four-day hut-to-hut tour across the mountain.

Varied loop trails and welcoming mountain huts await you on the Bavarian and Salzburg sides of the high plateau, along with sweeping panoramic views that will leave you breathless.

To fully enjoy this tour, you should be sure-footed and comfortable with heights. Be sure to pack enough drinking water as well. The karst plateau of the Untersberg has very few springs, and the water sources mentioned along the route are not tested for drinking water quality.

Spend four days exploring the cave-riddled Untersberg—including a walk-through ice cave

Your hut-to-hut adventure begins in Maria Gern. From here, you climb to Berchtesgadener Hochthron and continue on to Stöhrhaus, where you’ll spend your first night in a mountain hut.

On day two, you hike across Mittagsscharte to Toni-Lenz-Hütte and Schellenberg Ice Cave before continuing to Schellenberger Sattel. From there, the trail leads you along Rosittensteig and Dopplersteig to Zeppezauerhaus.

Day three takes you over Salzburger Hochthron, back across Mittagsscharte, past Ochsenkopf and Mitterberg to Vierkaseralm. Via Zehnkaser, you return once more to Stöhrhaus.

On the fourth day, you descend via Gatterl to Scheibenkaser and continue down to Ettenberg. For the grand finale, your last stage leads through the Almbachklamm gorge to Kugelmühle — or all the way back to Maria Gern.

Arriving by train and bus

  • Take the train to Berchtesgaden, then take RVO bus line 837 (Berchtesgaden – Maria Gern – Hintergern) for 20 minutes to the Hintergern stop.

    Timetables available at:  www.rvo-bus.de

  • Take the train to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof (Salzburg central station). From there, ride bus number 5 to Makartplatz, then continue with bus number 21 to Glanegg Ortsmitte (center). Follow the road south for about 100 meters to reach the paid hiking parking lot at the start of Rosittensteig and Reitsteig.

    Timetables: www.salzburg-verkehr.at

  • During the summer season, the Untersberg cable car operates daily from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Bus line 5 provides a direct connection between the valley station of the Untersberg cable car and Salzburg Hauptbahnhof (Salzburg central station).