Hochtor
2,369 m
Austria
Also known as ХохторAlso known as
Хохтор
- Elevation
- 2,369 m
- Prominence
- 1,520 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 6 check notes
- danger scan: Obere Koderalm → Gamsbrunnen: connector line 205 m (limit 200 m)
- ascent 1921 m vs net gain 1495 m (+28%)
- DIN time up 8.6 h vs published 5.5 h (+56%)
- DIN time down 6.61 h vs published 2.5 h (+164%)
- Untere Koderalm → Obere Koderalm: dem (unreachable, 1.3 km)
- Obere Koderalm → Gamsbrunnen: bridge (unreachable; one off-graph gap, 3.5 km)
Sources differ: I+ (de.wikipedia.org (after the AV guide Gesäuseberge, 1988))
The normal route up the highest peak of the Gesäuse: from the Kölblwirt in Johnsbach on the easy trail 601 past the Koderalm to the Hesshütte (1,699 m), then the Josefinensteig, a steep, exposed and only sparsely cabled line through dwarf pine, scree and rock with unprotected moves up to UIAA II, over the Gugl and the SE ridge to the summit. About 1,520 m of ascent.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 10.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,921 m
- −426 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,369 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 8h 36m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 6h 37m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park by the Gasthof Kölblwirt in Johnsbach (7 km up the side road from the B146), trail 601 passes the Wolfbauer waterfall and climbs through forest to the Untere and Obere Koderalm, then across the Stadlalm and past the Gamsbrunnen spring to the Hesshütte on the Ennseck saddle (1,699 m). This is an easy, well-made path; allow about 3 hours. Many parties sleep at the hut. From the hut the Josefinensteig (trail 664) heads west through a belt of dwarf pine and up a scree gully, then becomes steeper and rockier with increasing exposure. Steel cables protect only the hardest spots; between them you need to find the line and climb short unprotected passages up to UIAA II. The route gains the SE ridge over the Gugl (about 2,300 m), passes the Hochtor north-east summit (2,357 m) and continues along the partly secured ridge to the main summit. Allow about 2½ hours from the hut. Descend the same way, or by the Schneeloch route (UIAA II) on the south side, which rejoins trail 601 at the Untere Koderalm; it is steep and loose in places and demands sure-footedness. The Josefinensteig faces south and gets very hot in summer: aim to be off the ridge by midday, and turn back if thunderstorms build.
Start
Kölblwirt871 m
- Train to Gstatterboden or Admont; in summer the Gesäuse shared taxi (+43 3613 2100099) runs on demand to Johnsbach. Alternatively, Postbus to Kummerbrücke and the harder, cabled Wasserfallweg to the Hesshütte (3¾ h).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kölblwirt → Hesshütte | 8.5 | 1,224 | 404 | 5h 57m |
| 2 | Hesshütte → Hochtor | 2.3 | 693 | 22 | 2h 39m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Kölblwirt871 m
Elevation approximate (derived from the published 848 m ascent to the hut)
- Feature: Untere Koderalm1,345 m
- Feature: Obere Koderalm1,724 m
- Feature: Gamsbrunnen1,644 m
- Hut: Hesshütte1,697 m
- Shoulder: Gugl2,270 m
Top on the SE ridge reached by the Josefinensteig
- Shoulder: Hochtor Nordostgipfel2,244 m
not on route line
- Summit: Hochtor2,369 m
Key Passages
- Dwarf-pine belt and scree gully west of the Hesshütte
- Unprotected climbing passages up to UIAA II on the Josefinensteig
- Gugl and the partly secured SE ridge
- Hochtor north-east summit
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 70%Overview
The highest peak of the Ennstal Alps and the Gesäuse, rising almost 1,800 m above the Enns gorge in Gesäuse National Park, Styria. Every route to the top involves scrambling: the normal Josefinensteig from the Hesshütte is T5 with unprotected moves up to UIAA II.
The Hochtor (2,369 m) is the culmination of the Gesäuse, the wild limestone range where the Enns cuts a gorge between Admont and Hieflau. Built of Dachstein limestone, it shows a 900 m north-west face to the Haindlkar and a broken south side above Johnsbach. With 1,520 m of prominence it is one of Austria's ultra-prominent peaks, and from the summit the view runs from the Dachstein to the Buchstein group across the valley.
There is no walking route to the top. The normal route from the south-east, the Josefinensteig from the Hesshütte, is a steep scrambling line with only a few cables; the Schneeloch from Johnsbach (II) and the Peternpfad and Rosskuppe ridge from the Haindlkarhütte (II to II+) are harder and more serious. The approach to the Hesshütte from Johnsbach, by contrast, is an easy three-hour walk.
The Hochtor suits experienced mountain walkers who are confident on exposed limestone without continuous protection. Most combine it with a night at the Hesshütte, a national park partner hut on the Ennseck saddle, and many traverse it as a loop down the Schneeloch.
Climbing Notes
You need to be completely sure-footed, comfortable with exposure and able to find the line on rock with short unprotected moves up to UIAA II; less experienced walkers should go with a mountain guide or an experienced partner. Fitness for about 1,500 m of ascent is required if done in a day from Johnsbach (about 8 hours for the loop).
The usual plan is to walk up to the Hesshütte (3 hours from the Kölblwirt), climb the Hochtor early the next morning by the Josefinensteig (2½ hours), and descend the same way or by the Schneeloch. The south-facing route is very hot on summer days, so aim to be off the ridge by midday. Snow lingers in the gullies into June and makes the route considerably harder.
History
The first ascent is credited to hunters from Johnsbach, among them Fehringer, Kölbl and Wolfsbauer, around 1855. The Hesshütte was built in 1893 by the alpine club 'Die Ennstaler' and named after the Gesäuse pioneer Heinrich Heß; the Austria section of the Alpenverein took it over in 1930. The mountain lies in Gesäuse National Park, founded in 2002.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; serious mountaineering terrain, avalanche risk
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Snow on the route
- May
- Hesshütte opens late May (23 May in 2026); snow in the gullies
- Jun
- Snow patches possible early in the month
- Jul
- Main season; very hot on the south side; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season
- Sep
- Often stable and cooler
- Oct
- Hesshütte closes mid-October (11 October in 2026); early snow possible
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Hesshütte: online via hut-reservation.org or by phone (+43 664 430 80 60).
- Fees
- Parking at Johnsbach and Gstatterboden is paid
- Hut overnight fees, with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- The mountain lies in Gesäuse National Park; stay on marked paths
- Getting There
Johnsbach and Admont (Styria)
Graz (GRZ); Linz (LNZ)
- By car: B146 Gesäusestraße, turn off to Johnsbach and drive 7 km to the Gasthof Kölblwirt car park
- Train to Gstatterboden or Admont; in summer the Gesäuse shared taxi (+43 3613 2100099) runs on demand within the Gesäuse, including to Johnsbach
- Postbus to Kummerbrücke for the cabled Wasserfallweg to the Hesshütte
Hazards
- Exposure
- Rockfall
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,699 m
HesshütteHutStaffed
100 beds · 23 May – 11 October 2026; unlocked, heatable winter room with 6 places