Berchtesgadener Hochthron
1,972 m
Germany
- Elevation
- 1,972 m
- Prominence
- 1,278 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
NoticeReported 2 Nov 2026 · until 13 Dec 2026
The Untersbergbahn is closed for autumn maintenance from Monday 2 November 2026 to Sunday 13 December 2026 (end date provisional); until 1 November it runs 08:30–17:00 with the last descent at 17:00.
untersbergbahn.at
Routes
2The standard ascent from the Berchtesgaden side: from Maria Gern / Hintergern (about 800 m) up AV path 417, the Stöhrweg, in long switchbacks and then along the foot of the Almbachwand and over the Leiterl to the DAV Stöhrhaus (1,894 m), then 15 minutes up the broad west ridge to the summit. About 1,100–1,200 m of ascent and 3.5–4.5 hours up.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 8.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,324 m
- −141 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 1,972 m
- Time Up
- 5h 43m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 09m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the hikers' car park in Maria Gern or the Hintergern bus stop (about 800 m), served by RVO bus 837 from Berchtesgaden. AV path 417 climbs in switchbacks through mountain forest until it meets the original Stöhrweg coming up from Aschau near Bischofswiesen, then rises more gently along the base of the Almbachwand and over the Leiterl onto the edge of the Untersberg plateau and the Stöhrhaus (1,894 m). The hut gives 7.4 km, about 1,100 m of ascent and 3.5–4.5 hours; Wikipedia 3 hours from Hintergern and rates the route easy. The Berchtesgadener Hochthron, the highest point of the Untersberg, is the hut's own summit: about 470 m east of the hut along the broad west ridge, 80 m higher and 15–20 minutes away. The view takes in the Hochkalter, Watzmann, Steinernes Meer and Hoher Göll, and north over the Salzburg basin. Descend the same way (round trip about 16 km), or by one of the other paths from the hut: via the Zehnkaser to Hallthurm or Winkl on the B20, or via the Scheibenkaser to Ettenberg or through the Almbachklamm. Many walkers stay overnight at the Stöhrhaus for sunset and sunrise.
Start
Hintergern787 m
- RVO bus 837 from Berchtesgaden to Maria Gern and Hintergern (check the current timetable).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hintergern → Berchtesgadener Hochthron | 8.2 | 1,324 | 141 | 5h 43m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Hintergern787 m
- Feature: Leiterl1,890 m
Named passage on the Stöhrweg below the plateau edge
- Hut: Stöhrhaus1,890 m
not on route line
- Summit: Berchtesgadener Hochthron1,972 m
Key Passages
- Switchbacks to the junction with the original Stöhrweg
- Traverse below the Almbachwand
- Leiterl
- Broad west ridge from the Stöhrhaus
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest point of the Untersberg (1,972 m), the limestone massif on the border between Berchtesgaden and Salzburg. The DAV Stöhrhaus stands 15 minutes below the summit, reached by the Stöhrweg from Maria Gern in 3.5–4.5 hours or across the plateau from the Untersbergbahn.
The Untersberg is the northernmost massif of the Berchtesgaden Alps, a karst plateau of dwarf pine, sinkholes and caves bounded by steep walls, standing directly above Salzburg and Berchtesgaden. Its main summits line the plateau rim: the Salzburger Hochthron (1,853 m) above the cable car in the north-east, and the Berchtesgadener Hochthron (1,972 m), the highest point, in the south-west on German territory.
The Berchtesgadener Hochthron is the 'hut summit' of the Stöhrhaus (1,894 m), a DAV Berchtesgaden hut opened in 1901 and partly rebuilt in 2018/19. From the hut the summit is a short walk up a broad ridge, with views over the Hochkalter, Watzmann, Steinernes Meer and Hoher Göll and north across the Salzburg basin. The plateau is a nature reserve and an EU habitat site, with the Schellenberger Eishöhle, Germany's largest show ice cave, below the Mittagsscharte.
For walkers it is a long but technically easy day or a relaxed overnight trip. The paths from the Berchtesgaden valley climb about 1,100–1,250 m; the cable car from Grödig cuts the climb to about 650 m but adds a karst-plateau crossing.
Climbing Notes
The Stöhrweg from Maria Gern is a long mountain walk with about 1,100 m of ascent: 3.5–4.5 hours to the hut and 15–20 minutes more to the summit, no technical difficulties but steady climbing. Fit walkers can do it in a day; staying at the Stöhrhaus (58 places, book via alpsonline or by phone) allows sunset from the summit. From the Untersbergbahn the plateau crossing takes 3–4 hours each way and needs good navigation in fog and enough water; watch the last cable car down. The hut is usually open from late May to mid-October. Snow lies on the plateau well into spring, and the north-facing approaches can be icy in autumn. In winter the recommended ski tour goes from Winkl via the Zehnkaser.
History
The Stöhrhaus was proposed in 1896 by Paul Stöhr, who donated 6,000 marks; built by the Berchtesgaden section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club between 1898 and 1901, it opened on 23 June 1901 and has been extended several times.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut closed; ski tour from Winkl for experienced parties
- Feb
- Winter; avalanche risk on the approaches
- Mar
- Spring snow; ski touring only
- Apr
- Snow on the plateau
- May
- Hut opens late May; snowfields on the upper paths
- Jun
- Lingering snow in hollows on the plateau
- Jul
- Afternoon thunderstorms
- Sep
- Often clear, settled weather
- Oct
- Hut closes in October; Untersbergbahn runs until 1 November (2026)
- Nov
- Hut closed; Untersbergbahn closed for maintenance from 2 November (2026)
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Stöhrhaus (DAV Sektion Berchtesgaden): book via alpsonline.org, by phone +49 8652 7233 or by email (info@stoehrhaus.de).
- Fees
- Untersbergbahn: fare charged
- Hut overnight fees with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- The Untersberg plateau around the Stöhrhaus is a nature reserve and EU habitat (FFH) site: keep to the paths
- The plateau crossing from the Untersbergbahn crosses the Germany–Austria border (Schengen; no controls on foot)
- Getting There
Berchtesgaden
Salzburg Airport (SZG)
- RVO bus 837 from Berchtesgaden to Maria Gern and Hintergern (Stöhrweg); bus 841 between Berchtesgaden, Bischofswiesen and Bad Reichenhall for the Winkl and Hallthurm paths; bus 840 to Marktschellenberg
- Untersbergbahn from St. Leonhard near Grödig (Austria), just south of Salzburg, to the Geiereck top station (1,776 m)
- Car: hikers' car parks at Maria Gern, Hallthurm, Winkl, Hinterettenberg and the Almbachklamm
Hazards
- Weather
- Remoteness
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,894 m