Krippenstein

Krippenstein is a peak above Obertraun near Lake Hallstatt and part of the UNESCO Hallstatt-Dachstein region. You can take a cable car up to an altitude of around 2,100 meters, so you can reach the summit without a demanding hike. Plenty of spots await you at the top and along the way: the 5 Fingers viewing platform, ice caves, panoramic viewpoints, and hiking loops.

There are three sections of the cable car leading to the summit, and a typical visitor will use the first two. The first section takes you from the valley in Obertraun to the Schönbergalm middle station, which is the starting point for the caves. The second section continues to the Krippenstein summit itself, where you’ll find the 5 Fingers, the Welterbespirale viewing platform, a mountain hut, and a shark statue. The third section heads further to the Gjaidalm station at an altitude of around 2,000 meters, which serves as a starting point for hikes across the Dachstein plateau and is mainly used by hikers. The cable car runs every 15 minutes.

There are two large caves near the Schönbergalm middle station: the Dachstein Ice Cave (Rieseneishöhle) and the Mammoth Cave (Mammuthöhle). Both can only be entered with a guide, and you register for a tour on-site at the cave ticket office. Temperatures in the ice cave stay around −2°C, so even in summer, it’s worth bringing warm clothes and sturdy shoes. The third cave, Koppenbrüller Cave, is located down in the valley near Obertraun and is reached on foot, not by cable car.

A trip to Krippenstein can easily be stretched into a full day if you combine the summit with one of the caves and a shorter hike nearby. Allow enough time for the return cable car and keep an eye on the last departures so you don’t have to rush on the way down.

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