Zugspitze
2,962 m
Germany, Austria
Also known as Цугшпице, Τσούκσπίτσε, +2Also known as
Цугшпице · Τσούκσπίτσε · ცუგშპიცე · Цугшпитце
- Elevation
- 2,962 m
- Prominence
- 1,746 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: T4 (community rating for the cabled summit section above the Schneefernerhaus)
The easiest and longest way up Germany's highest mountain and the line of the first ascent in 1820: about 22 km and 2,200 m of ascent from the Olympic ski stadium through the Partnachklamm gorge and the Reintal valley to the Knorrhütte, across the Zugspitzplatt and up a short, cabled ridge to the summit. Usually two days.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 24.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,474 m
- −221 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,962 m
- Time Up
- 11h 44m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 8h 56m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Olympia-Skistadion in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (about 760 m) walk through the Partnachklamm gorge (entry fee) and follow the Partnach west on path 801 into the Reintal. The valley path is easy and long: about 2½ hours to the Bockhütte (1,052 m) and another 1½ hours, past the waterfall step, to the Reintalangerhütte (1,369 m). The Alpenverein gives 5¾ hours to the hut. Above the Reintalangerhütte the path climbs steeply out of the valley head (the 'Felsensteig' variant on the left is easier on ascent) to the Knorrhütte (2,052 m) in about 2½ hours; there is no shade and water only near the bottom. Most parties sleep at the Reintalangerhütte or the Knorrhütte. From the Knorrhütte, scree and the Weißes Tal lead up to the Zugspitzplatt (about 2,576 m, Sonnalpin restaurant and the glacier cable car) in 1½–2 hours; ignore the turn-off to the Jubiläumsgrat. From the Platt, take the right fork and climb steeply to the Schneefernerhaus, then follow a cabled path (easy via ferrata) up to the ridge on the German–Austrian border, about 1½ hours. Steel stairs lead past the summit buildings and the Münchner Haus, and a last short cabled section reaches the gilded cross on the east summit. The final 400 m can be avoided by taking the glacier cable car from the Platt. Most people descend by cable car or railway; walking back down the Reintal is a very long day.
Start
Olympia-Skistadion708 m
- Optional: Bayerische Zugspitzbahn (rack railway) to the Zugspitzplatt and glacier cable car to the summit; Seilbahn Zugspitze from the Eibsee.
- Train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, then bus line 1 or 2 to the Olympia-Skistadion. Return from the summit by Eibsee cable car or glacier cable car and Bayerische Zugspitzbahn to Garmisch.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olympia-Skistadion → Knorrhütte | 19.9 | 1,507 | 165 | 7h 50m |
| 2 | Knorrhütte → Zugspitze | 4.5 | 967 | 56 | 3h 53m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Olympia-Skistadion708 m
Bus lines 1 and 2 from Garmisch-Partenkirchen station
- Hut: Reintalangerhütte1,370 m
- Hut: Knorrhütte2,052 m
- Station: Sonnalpin2,588 m
Zugspitzplatt: rack railway, glacier cable car and restaurant
- Feature: Schneefernerhaus2,661 m
Start of the cabled section to the ridge
- Summit: Zugspitze2,962 m
Key Passages
- Partnachklamm gorge
- Steep climb from the Reintalangerhütte to the Knorrhütte
- Scree and the Weißes Tal to the Zugspitzplatt
- Cabled path from the Schneefernerhaus to the ridge
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
Germany's highest mountain (2,962 m), on the Austrian border in the Wetterstein range above Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Two cable cars and a rack railway reach the summit, but the walk up through the Reintal and the Höllental via ferrata are classic two-day ascents of 2,200 m.
The Zugspitze is the culminating point of the Wetterstein, a limestone range on the border between Bavaria and Tyrol. Its east summit, the only one still in its original form and entirely in Germany, carries a gilded cross; the middle and west summits were levelled for a cable car station and a planned building in 1930 and 1938. The summit ridge is crowded with cable car stations, terraces, the Münchner Haus and a weather station, and about half a million people a year come up by the Eibsee cable car and the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn.
Walkers and climbers have a different mountain. South of the summit the high karst plateau of the Zugspitzplatt holds the remains of the Schneeferner, Germany's largest glacier; to the north-east the Höllentalferner lies in a deep cirque below the summit. Three routes are popular: the long Reintal walk from Garmisch (T3, the easiest), the Höllental via ferrata with its glacier crossing (C), and the Stopselzieher via ferrata from Ehrwald on the Austrian side. The Jubiläumsgrat, an exposed ridge traverse to the Alpspitze, is a serious undertaking for experienced parties only.
Whatever the route, expect long days with 2,000 m or more of ascent, crowds near the top, and a summit that feels more like a station than a mountain. Most people walk up and ride down.
Climbing Notes
The Reintal route is technically easy but very long: about 22 km and 2,200 m to the summit, best split over two days with a night at the Reintalangerhütte or the Knorrhütte. It suits fit hill walkers who are sure-footed; the final cabled section above the Schneefernerhaus is short and easy but exposed. The Höllental route needs via ferrata experience, a head for heights, crampons and the ability to judge a crevassed glacier and a bergschrund; the Garmisch and Grainau mountain guide offices lead it regularly and are a good option for first-timers.
Start early. Thunderstorms build on most summer afternoons, and the cables, the Zugspitzplatt and the summit ridge are exposed to lightning. Snow can fall at any time of year above 2,500 m, and the Platt and summit ridge hold snow into June and again from October. Altitude is rarely an issue.
DAV huts on the routes fill quickly in July and August and must be booked online, usually from mid-December for the following summer. Check the last cable car times if you plan to ride down, and budget for the descent ticket (EUR 46 in 2026).
History
The first recorded ascent was made on 27 August 1820 by Lieutenant Josef Naus of the Bavarian survey with the mountain guide Johann Georg Tauschl and his assistant Maier, by way of the Reintal, the Schneeferner and the west ridge; a map of 1770 suggests local people had been up earlier. The Höllental route was first climbed on 26 September 1876 by Franz Tillmetz and Franz Johannes with the guides Johann and Joseph Dengg, and the path through the Höllentalklamm was built in 1902–1905. The first summit cross was put up in 1851, the Münchner Haus completed in 1897 and a weather station opened in 1900. The Tyrolean Zugspitzbahn cable car opened in 1926, and the rack railway reached its station at the Schneefernerhaus in 1930. The southern Schneeferner was declassified as a glacier in 2022.
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: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; ski area on the Zugspitzplatt, summit reached by cable car; routes for experienced winter mountaineers only
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions; avalanche risk in the Reintal and Höllental
- Apr
- Spring snow; avalanche risk
- May
- Huts and the Höllentalklamm open in mid-May (14 May in 2026); deep snow on the upper routes
- Jun
- Snow on the Platt and summit ridge; good conditions on the Höllentalferner
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms; glacier becomes icy
- Aug
- Main season; huts full; bare ice and a widening bergschrund in the Höllental
- Sep
- Often stable weather; fewer people
- Oct
- Huts close in early October; early snow and ice on cables
- Nov
- Winter conditions; Höllentalklamm closed
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Knorrhütte, Reintalangerhütte and Höllentalangerhütte (DAV Sektion München) are booked online only, through the Alpenverein München & Oberland pages and hut-reservation.org; booking for the next summer opens in mid-December. Places often free up 7–10 days before arrival.
- Fees
- Partnachklamm and Höllentalklamm entry fees (reduced for alpine club members)
- Descent by Eibsee cable car or rack railway: EUR 46 per person (2026)
- Parking at Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Skistadion) and Hammersbach
- Hut overnight fees with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- Hut sleeping bag compulsory in DAV huts; online booking only at the Knorrhütte, Reintalangerhütte and Höllentalangerhütte
- Höllentalklamm open only in summer (roughly mid-May to October)
- Getting There
Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Grainau (Germany); Ehrwald (Austria)
Munich (MUC); Innsbruck (INN)
- Train from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (about 1½ hours)
- Reintal: bus line 1 or 2 from Garmisch-Partenkirchen station to the Olympia-Skistadion
- Höllental: Bayerische Zugspitzbahn or bus to Hammersbach (Grainau)
- Return from the summit by the Seilbahn Zugspitze to the Eibsee, by the glacier cable car and rack railway to Garmisch, or by the Tiroler Zugspitzbahn to Ehrwald
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
3- 1,369 m
ReintalangerhütteHutStaffedBooking required
Late May to early October (until 8 October in 2026)
- 1,387 m
HöllentalangerhütteHutStaffedBooking required
Mid-May to early October (14 May – 3 October in 2026)
- 2,052 m
KnorrhütteHutStaffedBooking required
116 beds · Mid-May to early October (from 14 May in 2026)