Hiking on the Rossbrand: your day between gondola and summit cross

The Papagenobahn takes you from the valley station to the top station at around 1,600 metres in seven minutes. From there you can reach the trails, the huts and the summit cross of the hiking area. In summer, however, it only runs on selected days: from mid-May to mid-October, usually on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and in high summer on Sundays too. You’ll find the exact days on the Operating Hours page. On those days it runs from 9:00 to 16:30.

So pick the day first, and only then the route. The calendar on the Operating Hours page shows which days are marked in the current season.

By car, take the Tauern motorway A10 to the Eben im Pongau exit; from there it’s another 7 km to Filzmoos. In summer, park at the Papagenobahn car park, right by the valley station.

Without a car, take the train to Eben im Pongau or Radstadt. Eben im Pongau station is 11 km from Filzmoos, Radstadt 18 km. From there, continue by Postbus or taxi.

Once you’re in Filzmoos, there’s also the Fidibus in summer: it runs as a hiking bus from May to October, daily in the main season from July to September, and with the Filzmoos Sommer Card you ride for free. You’ll find stops and timetables on the hiking bus page.

If kids are coming along, pick up the Moor Explorer Handbook right at the valley station. Up on the Moor Trail, the kids need it for the puzzles, and anyone who knows the answer word at the end gets a little surprise at the ticket office.

For a hiking day, the return trip is usually the right ticket. There are also single rides uphill or downhill only, a separate rate for children, and a dog ticket if your dog comes along. You’ll find the current prices on the Tickets & Prices page.

Check beforehand whether your ride is already included in a guest card. If you’re staying with a participating host in Filzmoos, the Filzmoos Sommer Card includes one return trip per operating day. The SalzburgerLand Card includes a single return trip. And with the family bonus, the third and every additional child born in 2011 or later rides free.

If you’re coming with 20 people or more, the group rate applies, and there’s one free place for every 20 people. What such a day looks like for a big group is described in the article on group trips to Filzmoos. The gondola takes your bike too – that’s what the bike transport is for. Everything else is covered in the article on mountain biking in Filzmoos.

From the top station you can reach hiking trails and mountain paths, but for your first day, three routes that start right there are the best bet. Which one suits you depends on who’s coming along.

The Panorama Trail leads up to the summit cross at 1,768 metres in around 90 minutes. It’s pushchair-friendly, so it’s your pick if you’re bringing a pushchair. Along the way, the Panorama Bend opens up the view of the Bischofsmütze, and at the summit cross you can see around 150 peaks. The Panorama Trail page shows you what you can see where.

The Moor Trail stays in the raised bog around the top station: eleven adventure stations in around 90 minutes, and with the handbook from the valley it turns into a puzzle trail. At around 30 minutes, the Picture Book Loop is the shortest. It leads to seven stations with stamps, is designed for children aged four to seven and ends at the playground just below the Schörgialm. Neither trail is suitable for pushchairs, so it’s better to carry a baby in a carrier here.

How to turn it into a full day with kids is explained in our article on hiking with kids in Filzmoos.

Seven mountain huts, lodges and snack stops are spread around the hiking area. For a day with the gondola, two of them are especially handy: the Schörgialm is right by the top station, and the Radstädter Hütte right by the summit cross, at the end of the Panorama Trail.

The Schörgialm is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9:00 to 16:30 – every weekday on which the gondola runs all season long. On Sundays it’s only open from July to September: if you go up on a Sunday in May or June, plan your stop elsewhere or pack a snack. The Radstädter Hütte is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00; the kitchen closes at 16:00.

Moosalm and Steinalm sit lower, at around 1,330 metres, and are open on every day the gondola runs. From the top station it’s about 50 minutes to either of them, and you should allow the same time to walk back to the gondola. You’ll reach the Karhütte in about an hour along the high-level trail, and it takes just as long to get back. It only opens in dry weather. The exact opening times of all the huts are on their own pages.

A grey morning is no reason to call off your hiking day: the Papagenobahn runs in the rain too. Operations may be restricted or suspended if high winds, thunderstorms or heavy snowfall make it necessary for safety reasons. So check the weather page the evening before: it shows the forecast for the next seven days, with the risk of precipitation and values for 6:00, 9:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 18:00. In the morning, the webcam at the top station shows you what it’s like up there right now.

On a wet day, you also choose your destination according to the weather. The Karhütte only opens when it’s dry, and the Radstädter Hütte may close at short notice in extremely bad weather. The Steinalm, on the other hand, is easy to reach in any weather.

The hiking map shows hiking trails and mountain paths separately. If the ground is wet, you’re better off sticking to the hiking trails. And however the day goes, the gondola stops running at 16:30. Keep that time in mind and the day is in your hands.