Kreuzjoch
2,558 m
Austria
- Elevation
- 2,558 m
- Prominence
- 1,044 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: T2 (hikr.org reports of the summit (southern approach from Gmünd))
The usual way up the highest of the Kitzbühel Alps: the Rosenalmbahn from Zell am Ziller to 1,744 m, farm tracks through the Zillertal Arena ski area past the Legalalm and Kreuzjochalm, then a rocky, mildly exposed ridge path over the Übergangsjoch for the last 20 minutes. About 830 m of ascent and 2½ hours up.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 6.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +817 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,558 m
- Time Up
- 3h 35m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 32m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Take the Rosenalmbahn gondola from Zell am Ziller (580 m) to its top station at the Rosenalm (1,744 m). Trail no. 10 follows a service road briefly left to the first pastures, then branches right and climbs gently; at the fork keep left on the farm track to the Legalalm (s'Legal, 1,905 m) and on up the valley to the Kreuzjochalm (about 2,100 m). Just before the top station of the Hanser X-Press chairlift (about 2,246 m) leave the track and turn left onto the path that gains the ridge. The path crosses a ski piste and follows the ridge over the Übergangsjoch (about 2,500 m). From here the terrain is very rocky and the final section, roughly 20 minutes, is a narrow ridge walk where sure-footedness and a head for heights are needed; there are no fixed aids. The summit carries a cross and gives a wide view of the Zillertal Alps main ridge across the Gerlos valley. Descend the same way to the Rosenalm (allow a 5-hour round trip in total), or follow the black ski route and trail no. 1 east to the Isskogelbahn top station above Gerlos. The lower part of the route runs through lift infrastructure; the summit ridge itself is outside the pistes. Check the last descent of the Rosenalmbahn (16:30–17:15 depending on season) before setting off.
Start
Rosenalmbahn Bergstation1,737 m
- Rosenalmbahn, Zell am Ziller (580–1,744 m), summer 2026 23 May – 11 October, 09:00–17:00 (to 17:45 in July and August)
- Zillertalbahn train from Jenbach to Zell am Ziller, then a short walk or bus to the Rosenalmbahn valley station; Rosenalmbahn to the Rosenalm (summer 2026: 23 May – 11 October).
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosenalmbahn Bergstation → Kreuzjoch | 6.9 | 817 | 0 | 3h 35m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Rosenalmbahn Bergstation1,737 m
- Waypoint: s'Legal (Legalalm)1,904 m
Alpine restaurant on the farm track
- Waypoint: Kreuzjochalm2,074 m
Winter-only ski hut; listed as closed in summer
- Lift: Hanser X-Press Bergstation2,242 m
Leave the track just before the top station and turn left onto the ridge path
- Summit: Kreuzjoch2,558 m
Key Passages
- Leaving the farm track below the Hanser X-Press top station
- Rocky ridge over the Übergangsjoch
- Final 20 minutes of narrow ridge to the summit cross
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 70%Overview
The highest summit of the Kitzbühel Alps (2,558 m), a quartz-phyllite ridge top above Zell am Ziller and Gerlos. Lifts of the Zillertal Arena carry you to 1,744 m; from there a 2½-hour walk on tracks and a short rocky ridge leads to the summit cross.
The Kreuzjoch sits in the far south-western corner of the Kitzbühel Alps, between the Zillertal to the west and the Gerlos valley to the south-east. Its neighbours are the Torhelm (2,494 m) to the north-east and the Isskogel (2,264 m) to the east. Unlike the limestone ranges to the north, it is built of dark quartz phyllite, which gives rounded grassy slopes and a short, broken rocky crest at the top.
The mountain's southern and western slopes are part of the Zillertal Arena ski area, and chairlift top stations reach above 2,400 m on its flanks. In summer this makes the summit an easy half-day objective from the Rosenalmbahn above Zell am Ziller, but the walk passes through a good deal of lift infrastructure. The last section, over the Übergangsjoch, leaves the pistes and follows a rocky ridge that needs a sure step.
The reward is the view: the whole glaciated main ridge of the Zillertal Alps across the Gerlos valley, the Reichenspitze group and, to the north, the long grassy ridges of the Kitzbühel Alps. For a quieter day, the long southern approach from Gmünd in the Gerlos valley avoids the lifts almost entirely and, being south-facing, is often snow-free early and late in the season.
Climbing Notes
From the Rosenalm the ascent is about 830 m and 2½ hours, 5 hours for the round trip, well within the range of a regular hill walker. The final 20 minutes along the ridge are rocky and narrow in places; sure-footedness and a head for heights are needed, but there are no fixed aids or scrambling of note. In wet or snowy conditions the ridge path is more serious than the rest of the route.
Time the day around the lift: the Rosenalmbahn's last descent is 17:00 in the low season and 17:45 in July and August. The southern ascent from Gmünd (about 1,400 m) and the loop from Gerlos over the Isskogel (about 22 km and 1,300 m) are longer, full-day alternatives. In winter the summit is a ski tour, mostly along the pistes of the Zillertal Arena; follow the ski area's rules for uphill skiing and the avalanche bulletin for the final off-piste section.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- 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
- Ski area in operation; ski tour for experienced ski-mountaineers only
- Feb
- Winter; ski tour only
- Mar
- Ski tour along the pistes and the final ridge; check the avalanche bulletin
- Apr
- Spring snow; lifts closed between seasons
- May
- Rosenalmbahn opens late May (23 May in 2026); snow on the upper ridge
- Jun
- Snow patches possible on the ridge in early June
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; lift runs until 17:45
- Sep
- Often stable weather
- Oct
- Rosenalmbahn runs until mid-October (11 October in 2026); southern route from Gmünd usable until the first heavy snowfall
- Nov
- Early winter snow; lifts closed
- Dec
- Winter; ski area opens
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Rosenalmbahn lift ticket (included in some guest and hiking cards of the Zillertal Arena)
- Rules
- Uphill skiing on the Zillertal Arena pistes is subject to the ski area's rules
- Getting There
Zell am Ziller (also Gerlos)
Innsbruck Airport (INN)
- Train to Jenbach, then the Zillertalbahn to Zell am Ziller; the Rosenalmbahn valley station is in Zell
- Car: A12 Inn valley motorway, exit Zillertal, then the B169 to Zell am Ziller
- Line 4094 hiking bus Zell–Gerlos–Königsleiten–Krimml (free with the guest card in summer 2025) serves Gerlos and Gmünd for the alternative approaches
Hazards
- Weather
- Exposure