Sölktaler Nature Park

The Sölktäler Nature Park is a nature reserve and recreation area in Styria, Austria. It extends over the municipalities of Großsölk, Kleinsölk and Sankt Nikolai im Sölktal.

The nature park, which covers an area of 277 km², was created between 1977 and 1983 and is one of the seven nature parks in Styria today.

• Starting point: St. Nikolai
• Duration: about 6-7 hours
• Altitude difference: approx. 1.100 m

From the starting point you go to the waterfall Kreuzsteg, from there through a dense fern forest the ascent to the Hohensee (1,543 m), half circling the lake, there is a steep step to the Schimpelrücken. After a short descent, the path begins through a ravine, then you reach the Breitenbachsee, which is adorned by an abundance of cotton grass. The ascent to the Schimpelsee and the last steep step leads to the highest point of this tour on the Schimpelscharte (2,273 m).

The descent first leads through a large boulder field and then lets us hike through a romantic larch and Swiss stone pine forest. Past the Rudolf Schober hut we reach the Etrachsee, which offers as a conclusion of this tour certainly once again a scenic highlight.

• Starting point: Kaltenbachkehre on the Sölkpass road (40 minutes by car from Hotel Gasthof Lercher)
• Duration: 5,5 hours
• Altitude meters: 850 m

First you drive to the Kaltenbachkehre and start your hike from there to the lower Kaltenbachsee. Then you continue to the middle Kaltenbachsee and then a bit steeper to the upper Kaltenbachsee. Via the Etrachboden and the Schafspitze you reach the summit of the Deneck.

This hike can be divided into stages and return the same way, so it is suitable for all levels of hikers. If you want to reach the top, a walking stick is certainly an advantage.

• Starting point: St. Nikolai
• Duration: 7 hours
• Altitude difference: approx. 1.200 m

The path to Hohensee is the same as the one from St. Nikolai to Etrachsee. At Hohensee we reach after some time a quiet high cirque, the so-called Melk, with two very romantically embedded mountain lakes - the Schwarzensee and the Grünsee. After a small altitude step we reach our lunch resting place before the last big ascent, the last altitude step leads us over various snow fields to the Seekarlscharte (approx. 2,300 m).

The descent is relatively steep to the Seekarlsee with a magnificent mountain panorama in the background. On the further descent you can already see the alpine huts of the Tuchmoaralm quite far away, from the Tuchmoar it is still a descent of about 40 minutes to the valley bus stop

• Starting point: Sölkpass chapel on the Sölkpass road (40 minutes by car from Hotel Gasthof Lercher)
• Duration: 3 hours
• Altitude meters: 478 m

The Sölkpass - the highest pass in Styria - is the starting point for this relatively short climb to a mountain peak in the Wölzer Tauern.

Directly at the Sölkpass chapel, the trail begins on the east side of the road. The trail initially crosses a slope and then leads along a ridge to the summit.