Factsheet Eagle Walk Stage 13

Eagle Walk Stage 13
Innsbruck – Zirbenweg Trail – Innsbruck
On this walk your feet can still relax for a
little while as you first take a bus or tram
to Igls. From there, ride the gondola to
Patscherkofel Top Terminal. Zirbenweg
Trail has many easy ups and downs as it
meanders to the east and is lined by Stone
Pines, a species that is adapted to extreme
conditions imposed by elevation and altitude.
The broad path winds gently up to slightly
hidden Boscheben Alpine Pasture Hut. From
there, hikers can branch off to Meißnerhaus
Lodge in Viggartal Valley or to Tulfeinalm/
Halsmarterlift where you will ride the chair
lift down to Tulfes and get back to Igls and
Innsbruck again. However, if you are in
Tulfes, it is also recommended to visit the
beautiful and historic town of Hall in Tirol.
Starting Point
Innsbruck
Destination
Innsbruck
Distance
8 Kilometres
Elevation ↑
300m (Lift Ride not included)
Elevation ↓
200m (Lift Ride not included)
Hiking Time
5.5 Hours
Difficulty
Intermediate (red)
Eagle Alpine History
Patscherkofel – the Ski Area, the Cable Car and the Mountain. There is hardly any other
mountain steeped in so much ski sports history. The mountain was the venue for the men‘s
downhill race for the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics and has hosted numerous World
Cup Races since. As early as 1910, plans were made to build a cableway from Igls to the
top of Patscherkofel but then came the troubles in the Balkans and the First World War.
A project committee was newly founded in 1926, the “Patscherkofel Drahtseilbahn AG”,
which then saw the plans through. Building started on 15th May 1927 and the Patscherkofel
Cable Car was officially opened on 14th April 14, 1928. The financial risk and the work put
into the project were enormous, however, the Patscherkofel Cable Car was a great success.
©InnsbruckTourismus
Eagle View
Wildflowers galore! Turn your focus from the
beautiful scenery to your feet as you near the
Alpine Gardens next to Patscherkofel Top Terminal,
the highest-altitude botanical gardens in Austria
at an elevation of almost 2,000 metres, where you
will find rare and exotic Alpine wildflowers
and plants.
Tirolean Summer
in the Mountains
· www.tyrol.com/eagle-walk
Eagle Kick
Ampass Basin is home to what is considered
the oldest tree of Tirol, a 700 year old Stone
Pine, declared a Natural Monument in 1926.
The fragrance of Stone Pine Oil is said to have
soothing effects. You can also watch pine stone
wood balls roll through the world’s largest wooden
track at Kugelwald, literally “Ball Forest”, on
Glungezer Mountain, 1,560 m above sea level.
Tirol / Heart of the Alps
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2
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Trail Description
From Innsbruck Main Railroad Station
ride a bus or tram to Igls to the base of
Patscherkofel Gondola. Take the easy way
up in the Patscherkofel Gondola: From
the base in Igls enjoy a scenic gondola ride
up to Patscherkofelhaus Lodge. From the
top of the gondola (elev. 1,964m), access
signed “Zirbenweg” Trail (No. 350) that
heads eastward on a broad trail right above
Patscherkofelhaus Lodge. This is also the
trailhead of the Alpinist Association’s
Patscherkofel Nature Interpretive Trail. The
route undulates along and slightly above an
elevation of 2,000 metres above sea level.
Zirbenweg Trail is lined by Europe’s largest
and oldest stone pine populations (“Zirbe” in
German, giving the trail its name); some of
these trees are several hundred years old. Just
a few metres above timberline, yet not in
completely treeless terrain, the broad path
winds gently up to slightly hidden Boscheben
Alpine Pasture Hut (elev. 2,035m). From
there, hikers can branch off to Meißnerhaus Lodge in Viggartal Valley. This is the
point where the Interpretive Nature Trail
· www.tyrol.com/eagle-walk
along Zirbenweg Trail ends. Proceed from
Boscheben in the same direction, stay
beneath the small mountain peaks on the
northern side, and do not descend to the
valley. Follow the path over to Tulfeinalm
Alpine Pasture Hut and from there walk
a few metres up to Halsmarter Lift. Ride
a chair lift down to Tulfes. From Tulfes,
take a bus to Igls and from Igls get back to
Innsbruck by bus or tram. If you want to
walk to Patscherkofel Base Terminal, take
Speckbacherweg Path from the Glungezer
Gondola Base via the villages of Rinn and
Sistrans to Igls (walking time approx. 3
hours). The route from Patscherkofel/
Igls Base Terminal to Innsbruck leads
to Vill and across the forest to Polten
Hut. From Tantegert Terminal, the route
branches off towards Bretterkeller and
crosses the highway bridge. Then, the path
leads westward for around 200 metres to
Bierstindl Inn, Wilten Monastery, Leopold
Street, the subway of Olympia Bridge on the
right and via Südbahn Street to Innsbruck
Main Railroad Station (walking time
approx. 1½ hours).
· Innsbruck – Zirbenweg Trail – Innsbruck
Trailside Eateries &
Accommodations
1 Patscherkofelhaus Lodge
2 Boschebenalm Alpine Pasture Hut
3 Tulfeinalm Alpine Pasture Hut
Any questions?
Alpine Auskunft
Meinhardstraße 7-11
A-6020 Innsbruck
t +43.512.58 78 28
f +43.512.58 88 42
e info@alpine-auskunft.at
Tirol / Heart of the Alps