Hiking to Neue Alplhütte

11 July 2018

Post originally written in: English

Off to the starting point

Even after 6 years living in Innsbruck, I am still amazed by all the new locations that I keep discovering. That’s why when someone asks me what I recommend around the city, I always need a minute or two to think about it. There’s a plethora of hiking locations, based on virtually every need and preference. For this one, the destination is the Neue Alplhütte (or the New Alpl hut), located near the town of Telfs. First off, this is a very flexible and family-friendly hike with multiple “starting points”, meaning it can take you from 2.5 to 5 hours (just to go up), depending on where you start. You can start from Telfs or a little higher up. I would suggest the latter if you want to save some time and a change of clothes! The way I did it is 50% dirt road and 50% through the natural hiking path. So you get a bit of both:

First half of the hike – dirt road © Paul Pastourmatzis

The beginning of the hiking trail © Paul Pastourmatzis

The summits of Hochender and Rietzer Grieskogel © Paul Pastourmatzis

The great Tirolean outdoors © Paul Pastourmatzis

How to get there

Getting to Telfs is very easy with a car, but you can also take the bus or even the train. Innsbruck’s public transport system (IVB) provides mobility for guests without cars, thanks to the city’s bus and tram lines taking care of your travel needs around the clock. In addition, Innsbruck is the hub of an extensive regional bus and train network, provided by the VVT.

Another angle going up. Or going down? © Paul Pastourmatzis

Neue Alplhütte closer than ever © Paul Pastourmatzis

That’s me ! © Paul Pastourmatzis

Everybody knows how much I love trees © Paul Pastourmatzis

The way up

The distance from P1 to the Neue Alplhütte is 5.24km, so you will be doing a good 10km in total – which is not a bad distance, plus the hike is also not steep. There is a chance you might see some snow in late spring (this is the Alps after all). Don’t be afraid though: it doesn’t really block the way up, and the path is taken care of.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this hike (other than reaching the hut of course), is the magnificent views of the Inn valley and the surrounding mountain tops – in particular the Hohe Munde (the town of Telfs is located on its foot). And of course, the higher you go, the better it becomes. You could potentially catch yourself taking a photograph every 5 feet because of the diversity of the scenery. Wouldn’t recommend it though, because you have to keep a steady pace when hiking. At least, that’s what I always say to myself of course, but never really manage to do!

Another perspective © Paul Pastourmatzis

Nature always finds a way © Paul Pastourmatzis

See you out there! © Paul Pastourmatzis

The Neue Alplhütte

As tradition has it, all great hikes have to have an end goal. A reward of sorts. In this case, the goal was to reach the hut and have a cold beverage and some delicious food. The hut is situated in a very scenic location, surrounded by several peaks making the nature backdrop even more majestic. There’s plenty of space to go around and also a lot of sun beds right at the edge of the green. There’s nothing better than kicking back and putting your feet up after a couple of hours (or more) of hiking! I would definitely recommend a cold süß-Radler and Speckknodel, since I am a huge fan of speck (bacon). Of course you can go for the classic Schnitzel (which is also amazing there) but it might be to heavy on your way down!

Neue Alplhütte © Facebook

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