In Kals, different ways of exploring the area come together: a long valley circuit can be divided into shorter sections, hiking trails in Dorfertal lead through a varied landscape, and a historical walking tour in the village centre tells the story of Kals’s past. The route you choose depends mainly on how much time you plan to spend hiking and whether you want to focus on nature or culture.

Choose hikes by duration and theme

The valley circuit is 19.5 kilometres long and takes around six hours. If you do not want to complete the entire circuit, you can choose individual stages or take shortcuts. This gives you several ways to adjust the duration of the hike without having to plan the entire circuit.

Another hike in Dorfertal starts at Hotel Tauerwirt. It follows the stream through the Dabaklamm gorge to the Kalser Tauernhaus and is suitable for families. In the summer months, the Dorfertal can be reached by the National Park hiking bus. The Dorfertal History Trail takes a different approach: listening trees play audio stories about life in the valley, told by dairymaids, mountain farmers, mountain guides, hut hosts and other knowledgeable people from Kals.

Longer tours can also be considered in stages. The Glocknerkrone is hiked over five daily stages spanning around 60 kilometres; each stage allows for an ascent and descent, so the stages can also be done as day hikes. On the GlocknerRunde, hikers can descend to Kals and stay overnight after completing an individual stage. When planning, it therefore makes a difference whether you have a single day hike, several stages or an overnight stay after one stage in mind.

For a wheelchair-accessible outing, the easy Rollitour in the Kalser Ködnitztal follows an accessible hiking trail towards the Großglockner and on to the end of the valley. An all-terrain SwissTrac is available to use free of charge at the Glocknerwinkel car park. Tour conditions may vary by season, so check availability and conditions before your visit.

Discover Kalser history and crafts

The Ködnitz Cultural Trail is a historical walking tour through the village centre of Ködnitz, in the centre of Kals. It complements the hikes with a village walk focused on the history of the village. Historical buildings include St. George’s Church, the oldest church in Kals. It was also built as a fortified church—the name thus refers to the building’s defensive character as well as its religious function. The ruins of St. Peter’s Church are a religious building dating from the 16th century, built by members of the Görz dynasty.

At the Kalser Stockmühlen mills, miller Johann demonstrates how grain is made into flour. The Glockner Exhibition is an interactive exhibition at the Kalser Glocknerhaus. Together with the cultural trail and churches, these attractions offer different ways to explore the history, crafts and culture of Kals.

The Schotterfluren recreation area includes a barbecue area and a fishpond. It offers a different experience from the historical village walks and exhibitions. If you are planning a stay that does not revolve solely around longer hikes, you can choose from Kals’s attractions according to their different themes: village history in the centre, crafts at the Stockmühlen mills, and recreation in the Schotterfluren area.

National park, Großglockner and winter activities

Dorfertal in Hohe Tauern National Park is home to waterfalls, gravel plains, moors, larch forests, flower-filled meadows, glaciers, lakes and alpine wildlife. The Großglockner panorama offers views of the 3,798-metre-high Großglockner. The exhibition there presents information about the national park’s BIG FIVE: ibex, chamois, marmot, golden eagle and bearded vulture.

Climbing and mountaineering are also among the activities described. The climbing garden has 32 climbing routes and five multi-pitch routes, graded from 3+ to 8-. The climbing park is accessible from the Lucknerhaus car park in summer. From the Ködnitztal, the Großglockner can be climbed via the Lucknerhütte and Stüdlhütte huts; the routes mentioned continue via the Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte hut or the Stüdlgrat ridge.

In winter, the Großglockner Resort Kals-Matrei lists 44.6 kilometres of pistes and 4.6 kilometres of ski routes. These published figures may change from one season to the next; check the figures for the season of your trip.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Innergschlöß, Niedermauern, Huben in the Ötztal, Oberrotte, Dölsach, Abfaltersbach, Thurn, Gaimberg.

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