The Seebergrunde - one of my favorite hikes
The Seeberg. The mountain that rises on the other side of the valley opposite the Tannerhof. Thereasonfor only four to five hours of sunshine in winter. The mountain whose name has puzzled me since childhood, because where is the lake? The mountain whose reputation was not helped by the fact that we had to climb it in elementary school.
That's different now. When I return to Bayrischzell after a long absence, the Seeberg is one of the first mountains I like to climb. To say hello, I'm back, to get an overview, to take stock of what's new, what's the same, are all the mountains where they belong?
The trail starts at the minigolf course,
Follow the signs to Seeberg. From the door of the Tannerhof you can walk there in a quarter of an hour, or if you have made an appointment and are running late, you can also go by bike or car. There is a parking lot for hikers (5 €/day, free with the guest card).
I climb the first part of the hike directly above Bayrischzell. When the view is clear, I keep catching glimpses of the valley through the trees as I make good elevation gains on the path. After about half an hour, I leave the shady northern flank to the east behind me and Bayrischzell disappears from view. Now with the Kleiner and Großer Traithen to my left, I follow the path through relatively young forest in places where a severe storm decades ago had mowed down whole sections; past the place where our class teacher showed us the huckleberry as primary school children and taught us about its poisonousness, past the sparsely trickling St. Joseph Delicius spring, I finally reach the gate to the pasture and know that the Neuhütte is not far away.
I could look here forever
When I reach the hut, I take a short break at the "Auf der Wacht" menhir and the bench in front of it. A plaque on the stone commemorates the mountain marksmen during the military conflict between Tyrol and Bavaria in 1805-1809. It is easy to imagine that they had a guard post stationed here. The original valley stretches out in front of me: with the bright winding road, the lush green meadows and the calming dark forest that stretches up the slopes, the tapered mountain foothills that intertwine until they reach the vanishing point. I could look here forever. And yet I have to go on. The Seeberg is calling.
From the Neuhütte, I follow the blue-marked path, which runs along the south side of the mountain with a pleasant incline. In the distance, I can briefly see the high plateau with the Niederhofer and Klarer Alm, over which my hike will take me. Shrouded in cloud, sometimes clearly visible, sometimes outlined, Ruchenköpfe, Rotwand and Hochmiesing offer me a spectacle as I walk briskly to the Seebergalmen.
There I keep to the right after the little stone wall. The path gradually becomes steeper again, more wooded and rooted. I can see the sky through the trees like a promise that will soon be fulfilled. After two hours of walking and 800 meters in altitude, it lies before me: the bare crown of the Seebergkopf. A few more meters to the summit cross, where I breathe in the view.
Here in the valley, the view is clear, with wisps of cloud clinging to a few slopes.
The Wendelstein rises directly opposite. To the east, you get an idea of the mountains behind the mountains. And of the mountains behind the mountains behind the mountains. A bird's eye view of Bayrischzell. There is the Tannerhof. The roof of the Alte Tann and the towers shine, and the Badeharpfe nestles against the slope as a new addition. My eyes follow the roads, the familiar paths through the village, which seem laughably short from up here. I follow the Alpine road to Osterhofen and Geitau until it disappears in the direction of Schliersee and Fischbachau. Cars as small and busy as ants. Clouds gather over the flatlands. I nod contentedly, everything is there.
Next.
When I reach the hut, I take a short break at the "Auf der Wacht" menhir and the bench in front of it. A plaque on the stone commemorates the mountain marksmen during the military conflict between Tyrol and Bavaria in 1805-1809. It is easy to imagine that they had a guard post stationed here. The original valley stretches out in front of me: with the bright winding road, the lush green meadows and the calming dark forest that stretches up the slopes, the tapered mountain foothills that intertwine until they reach the vanishing point. I could look here forever. And yet I have to go on. The Seeberg is calling.
From the Neuhütte, I follow the blue-marked path, which runs along the south side of the mountain at a pleasant gradient. In the distance, I can briefly see the plateau with the Niederhofer and Klarer Alm, over which my hike will take me. Shrouded in cloud, sometimes clearly visible, sometimes outlined, Ruchenköpfe, Rotwand and Hochmiesing offer me a spectacle as I walk briskly to the Seebergalmen.
The descent initially follows the same route to the Seebergalmen. There I keep to the right coming from the mountain and pass in front of the alpine pastures. As the path here is not obvious at first, there are plenty of blue dots scattered as breadcrumbs. It goes downhill. Down through sparse spruce and larch trees until the path ends on a forest road. We continue downhill on this road, while the view of the plateau, which I had already seen on the ascent to the Seebergalmen, opens up on the left.
The road describes a wide bend, and past the Klarer Alm I come to a crossroads. Turning right down to Geitau, I turn left and through the gate. I can see along the Wackbach valley. Two old friends greet me in the distance: the Kleine and Große Traithen. I stay on the forest path for a few hundred meters, but before I reach the Niederhoferalm, I cross the meadow to the right, where a narrower path leads me further on. I soon leave the plain behind me and turn through the damp forest until I cross the small metal bridge over the Wackbach stream.
The path narrows to a path. The valley also becomes narrower, to the left it climbs steeply upwards, where somewhere the Neuhütte hut watches over the Ursprungtal valley. To the right, the path descends steeply, where the stream and time have washed pools into the mountain. Its roar will accompany me all the way down. I enjoy the wild atmosphere in the valley, sometimes looking up, sometimes down, while the mountains get higher with every step. And as the Wackbach eventually meets the Sillbach and they become the Aubach, which then becomes the Leitzach, my path eventually runs out and meets the wider hiking trail, which I follow towards Bayrischzell. The last section is a hatchet job, as the unwritten law of hiking says: as strenuous as the ascent may have been, the last section of the trail is the most tiring. It's like the hangover the next day, it's always down to the last beer.
But even the walk comes to an end and I reach the Kneipp pool and the milking parlor. Now I can decide whether to take the path directly to the Tannerhof or continue along the Aubach, which only really carries water after heavy rainfall or after melting, along the foot of the Seeberg to the parking lot. The sight makes my legs feel lighter.
I am delighted. That was a great day.
Frame data of the tour
- Length - approx. 15-16 km
- Altitude - approx. 740 m
- Starting altitude - approx. 800 m above sea level
- Seebergkopf - 1538 m above sea level
- Time - approx. 4.5-5.5 hours
Good physical condition, good footwear, sure-footedness and a head for heights required.
The mountain pastures mentioned are not always open, so either ask the municipality of Bayrischzell in advance or bring your own food and drink.
The tour is accessible in both directions.
Markings
- Access - Neuhütte: trail B2, signposted Seeberg, red-white-red markings
- Neuhütte - Seebergkopf: Seeberg signposting, blue markings
- Seebergkopf - Niederhofer-Alm: signposting Niederhofer-Alm, blue markings
- Niederhoferalm - Bayrischzell: signposted Bayrischzell (via Ursprungtal)
