One day on the Eagle Walk in Austria Tirol

The Eagle Walk in Tirol is one of the simplest ways to enjoy nature and the mountains. (watch our video here:  Matt Carroll’s Hidden Austria – Episode 4: Eagle Walk in Tirol ) But let’s see what Andy – www.501places.com -says about it.

Whether visitors arrive in Tirol in western Austria by air or overland it doesn’t take long for them to recognise that they have arrived in an outdoor paradise. Although well known for its winter sports Tirol also offers some of Europe’s best hiking terrain; I was here to sample the delights of one of the region’s most spectacular trails.

As part of the Tirol Tourist Board’s efforts to attract summer visitors to the region, the Adlerweg, (Eagle Walk) was set up in 2005. It connects a series of routes from a pre-existing network of paths that criss-cross the region. While the main route is 280km long and broken neatly into 23 stages, there are 1480 km of trails to choose from.  In this way the Eagle Walk can accommodate both the serious hiker who is looking for a challenging long-distance trail, as well as the casual day tripper who is looking for a gentle walk in beautiful surroundings.

I fell into the day tripping category (I would have loved to stay longer but will just have to return another time). I met the Project Coordinator and my guide for the day, Georg Pawlata, in Innsbruck and we set off for the start point of section 16 of the Eagle Walk, some 30 km north-west of the city. We walked around 8km along a relatively flat path and having been blessed with unbroken sunshine I was able to enjoy the Alpine scenery at its most spectacular along this short section of the walk.

Many different species of wildlife can be spotted along the Eagle trail. Eagles are often seen, although mainly on those sections that are over 1500m above sea level. Equally spectacular is the sight of one of the 60 native pairs of alpine bearded vultures. Marmots are a common sight, while mountain goats and capricorns are also seen along the path. Lynx also wander through the higher regions, although a hiker is unlikely to have a big cat encounter here. Sadly on this occasion I left the Eagle Walk without a sighting of anything, large or small. 

So was the trail named so because of the sight of eagles flying above the path? Not so, explains Georg. “We wanted to connect together the most beautiful points of the region. We had to think very carefully where the trail went. Once a route was created we thought hard about the name. At one point one of our team stood back from the map, looked again at the line we’d drawn and said “Wow! It looks like an eagle!” From that point the name of the trail was obvious.”

We stopped for a break at the Gaistal-Alm alpine hut. There are many of these huts along the route, offering hikers accommodation (often including a shower) and a hot meal. We enjoyed a hearty home cooked lunch while looking out over the magnificent valley with its soaring peaks; if only I didn’t have a flight to catch that day, I could have lingered here all afternoon.

The Tirol Tourist Board have followed the lead of other long distance trails and created a reward system, where walkers can collect stamps in a booklet for each stage of the Eagle Walk that they complete. Prizes range from a bronze medal for 5 stages completed to a gold medal, T-shirt and a chance to win a Tirol weekend for two for those who complete all 23 stages.

The full Eagle Walk can only be attempted in the summer months, as the high elevation of some of the sections means that the winter snow does not clear until the end of June. Most visitors however will choose to walk one section of the walk and stay in a hotel nearby. Whichever way you choose to experience the Eagle Walk, you are guaranteed to be treated to some of the best Alpine landscapes along the route.




original on treasures.austria.info