Großer Höllkogel
1,862 m
Austria
- Elevation
- 1,862 m
- Prominence
- 1,295 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jun–Sep
- Routes
- 1
WorksReported 7 Oct 2026
The Rieder Hütte's kitchen was rebuilt and modernised in 2025; further work outside the hut is expected to continue over the next few years.
alpenverein.at
Routes
1The usual route: by cable car from Ebensee to the Feuerkogel (about 1,590 m), then a marked karst-plateau path (820) past the Heumahdgupf and through the Hinteres Edltal and doline-lined corridors, with one short cable-protected narrow spot, to the Rieder Hütte (1,765 m) and up to the summit cross at 1,862 m. About 2½ hours up, 270 m net height gain plus some up and down on the way.
About 1% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 1 check note
- ascent 517 m is 1.9× the net gain 277 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 5.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +517 m
- −245 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 1,862 m
- Time Up
- 2h 57m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 35m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the top station of the Feuerkogel cable car above Ebensee (about 1,590 m) follow the broad path past the guesthouses of the Feuerkogel and across the east flank of the Heumahdgupf on path 820 into the Hinteres Edltal, where the line of a dismantled ski lift is still visible. A short re-ascent in zigzags follows, then a harmless cable-protected narrow spot, and the path winds on through the dolines and dwarf-pine hummocks typical of the Höllengebirge plateau to a fork. Keep right to reach the Rieder Hütte (1,765 m) in a hollow, about 2 hours from the cable car. From the hut the summit of the Großer Höllkogel is about 30 minutes away (the Austrian Alpine Club allows 1 hour, 140 m of ascent); the last climb is steeper but technically easy. The summit gives a panorama from the Mühlviertel over the Traunstein, the Totes Gebirge and the Dachstein to the Niedere and Hohe Tauern. Return through the Höllkogelgrube (path 833) to rejoin the outward route back to the Feuerkogel, checking the last cable car descent. The karst is very rocky and full of sinkholes and shafts: stay on the marked path, especially in fog. Longer options are the descent via the Spitzalm to the Miesenbachmühle near Langwies (3½ hours from the summit) or the full traverse of the Höllengebirge to the Hochleckenhaus.
Start
Feuerkogel Bergstation1,585 m
- Feuerkogel cable car (Ebensee–Feuerkogel); check seasonal operating times and the last descent
- Train to Ebensee (Salzkammergutbahn); the Feuerkogel cable car valley station is in Ebensee.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feuerkogel Bergstation → Großer Höllkogel | 5.9 | 517 | 245 | 2h 57m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Feuerkogel Bergstation1,585 m
- Feature: Heumahdgupf1,672 m
The path crosses its east flank
- Feature: Hinteres Edltal1,516 m
- Hut: Rieder Hütte1,763 m
- Summit: Großer Höllkogel1,862 m
Key Passages
- Short cable-protected narrow spot beyond the Hinteres Edltal
- Doline corridors of the Höllengebirge plateau
- Steeper final climb from the Rieder Hütte
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest point (1,862 m) of the Höllengebirge, a karst limestone plateau between the Traunsee and the Attersee in the Salzkammergut. The Feuerkogel cable car from Ebensee makes it an easy half-day plateau walk via the Rieder Hütte.
The Höllengebirge is a long limestone plateau in the Salzkammergut, rising steeply above the Traunsee to the east and the Attersee to the west. Its top is a maze of dolines, shafts and dwarf-pine-covered knolls, and the Großer Höllkogel is the highest of these, with almost 1,300 m of prominence. From the summit the view reaches from the Mühlviertel over the Traunstein, the Totes Gebirge and the Dachstein to the Niedere and Hohe Tauern.
The Feuerkogel cable car from Ebensee lifts walkers to about 1,590 m, leaving only about 270 m of net ascent over 2½ hours of rough, rocky plateau walking. The Rieder Hütte, half an hour below the summit, is the only hut on the route. Longer options include the descent via the Spitzalm to Langwies and the full traverse of the Höllengebirge west to the Hochleckenhaus (about 7 hours from the Feuerkogel).
The walking is technically easy but the terrain is unforgiving: the karst is sharp and broken, and in fog the many hollows and side paths make navigation difficult.
Climbing Notes
Suitable for most fit hill walkers with sure footing; there is one short, harmless cable-protected spot. Good boots matter more than technique on the sharp, rocky karst. Use the cable car both ways for a half-day outing, or stay at the Rieder Hütte for sunset and sunrise. Check the last cable car descent before setting out.
In fog, stay strictly on the marked paths: the plateau is full of dolines and open shafts. Snow lingers in the hollows into early summer, and in winter the plateau is the domain of ski tourers and snowshoers.
History
On 8 April 1945 four Austrians working for the British, among them Albrecht Gaiswinkler of Bad Aussee, parachuted near the Rieder Hütte; they had been meant to land near Bad Aussee to arrest the Nazi propaganda minister Goebbels but were dropped over the Höllengebirge after the pilot lost his bearings in bad weather. They hid in the hut for two days before descending to Ebensee. The Rieder Hütte was first built in 1930 and rebuilt in 1976 after a fire.
Season
Best Jun–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Not advisable
- May: Possible
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter: ski touring and snowshoeing from the Feuerkogel for experienced parties
- Feb
- Winter conditions; avalanche and navigation hazards on the plateau
- Mar
- Late-winter touring
- Apr
- Spring snow, often poor conditions
- May
- Snow in the dolines; Rieder Hütte opens late May
- Jun
- Good walking conditions
- Jul
- Main season; thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season
- Sep
- Often clear, stable weather
- Oct
- Rieder Hütte closes late October; short days
- Nov
- Hut closed; early snow
- Dec
- Winter conditions; check cable car and hut winter opening
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Book the Rieder Hütte through the Austrian Alpine Club reservation system; the warden prefers e-mail or WhatsApp to phone calls.
- Fees
- Feuerkogel cable car ticket
- Rules
- Rieder Hütte: overnight stays with dogs only after prior arrangement by e-mail
- Getting There
Ebensee am Traunsee
Salzburg (SZG); Linz (LNZ)
- Train to Ebensee on the Salzkammergutbahn, or Postbus to Ebensee
- By car to Ebensee; park at the Feuerkogel cable car car park
- Walking alternative without the cable car: from Langwies/Steinkogel (about 450 m) to the Rieder Hütte in about 4 hours
Hazards
- Weather
- Remoteness
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,765 m
Rieder HütteHutStaffed
32 beds · Summer 22 May – 24 October 2026; winter opening for 2027 to be announced; winter room with 8 heated places locked with the Alpine Club key