I would like to explore Pinzgau in the Salzburger Land with my family, Peter and Jonas – my eight-year-old son - for a weekend tour with luggage transfer. Adventure hiking in the Austrian Alps – sounds very promising. Our dog Bakana of course also comes along too.
We arrive in Maishofen in the late afternoon. We quickly find our hotel, where we will be staying for the next three days, the ‘Hotel Schloss Kammer’. From the outside, the castle looks more like a hunting lodge, it probably once was a hunting lodge.
Alois Neumayer greets us at the entrance and gives us a warm welcome. Our room is on the 2nd floor, but that’s no problem as the hotel has a lift. Bakana is of course allowed to stay in our room, dogs are welcome in this hotel. A living room with cosy seating area and traditional wood burning oven and two bedrooms are our domain for the next three days. The view from the window looks inviting, the mountains are within our grasp.
We’re already looking forward to our first tour tomorrow. But first let’s eat! The tables in the garden are full, a small brass band will give a concert later, until then the guests can spend time eating delicious food and drinks. We go into the dining room, which is very cosy and decorated with hunting memorabilia. The food is tasty, soup, main course and dessert, the portions are big and the waitress is very quick and friendly.
Before we go to bed, we explore the area, there are enough hiking trails leaving directly from the castle. It’s wonderfully quiet. After a good hour the dusk sets in, we go back and enjoy our first night in Schloss Kammer.
The perfect active breakfast is available from 7am. When we enter the breakfast room at 8am there is already a lot of activity. Guests from home and abroad are on holiday here in Maishofen. There is a rich breakfast buffet, eggs in any form and freshly prepared. The day can start. The sun is shining and we’re looking forward to hiking.
We head in the direction of Saalbach by car. Our tour starts right at the end of the valley in Saalbach/Hinterglemm. Our dog Bakana can’t wait! The hiking trails are well signposted. We walk past beautiful meadows and many small mountain streams and after about two hours we reach the Forsthofalm.
This alpine hut sits at 1,510m and is a few hundred years old. A dairymaid runs this hut and looks after a few cows. Over a glass of fresh, homemade buttermilk, she tells us a few anecdotes from her days working on the alpine pastures, then shows us around the hut. It really is remarkable to be able to spend the whole summer without electricity and running water.
Our hike continues. We hike up the mountain for a good hour, from then the trail heads in the direction of Baumzipfelweg. The bridge to Baumzipfelweg, also called the Golden Gate Bridge of the Alps, can be already be seen in the distance, it can hardly be missed because of its size. When we arrive at the beginning of the Baumzipfelweg, some goats are already waiting for us.
Unfortunately, Bakana can’t accompany us as it’s mainly made of grating. She stays with Peter and the goats and practices life as a herding dog. It’s funny to look at Peter with his walking stick next to the goats and dog. You’d think he was a shepherd. So I start hiking with Jonas, over the bridge to the hiking trail. The bridge is up to 42 metres high, an incredible feeling to walk along it and the view is breathtaking. Then we continue along a fun, and above all educational hiking trail with interactive display boards and a few play stations. This makes hiking with children really fun. Last but not least, there is a small parkour for climbing and balancing. A lot of fun for Jonas. Back with the man and his dog, we continue to walk along a small water playground and to ‘Schnitza’s Wood Park’ where Jonas can carve a walking stick. Already a little tired we make our way back to the hotel. For dinner there are delicious Kasnocken. We look forward to tomorrow!
After another delicious breakfast, today we take the car to Zell am See then take the areitXpress cable car up to the Schmitten ‘Schmidolin’s World’ waits for us. Schmidolin is the name of the little dragon that accompanies visitors on the hiking trail and asks questions and gives exciting tasks. In addition, you get an adventure pass at the cable car valley station. Jonas has a lot of fun helping Schmidolin grow up and get his fire.
It’s already afternoon when we leave Schmidolin and head to the reservoir. There we take a break and have a snack.
Then it’s off into the valley and to the hotel. In the in-house swimming pond we treat ourselves to a swim, but only briefly, because the pond is fed by a spring, so the water is cool, but crystal clear and very clean. We rest for an hour in the sun before dinner is served. As on the previous two days, the evening menu is very tasty. We relax a little while taking an evening walk with Bakana and then fall tired into bed.
The sun wakes us early today, and unfortunately, it’s our last day. After breakfast we check out and senior manager Gertraud is at the reception, an extremely friendly lady. Always near in a dirndl, even when she’s in the kitchen, because when time allows, she likes to sit down and chat to guests. I thank her for the very nice time at Schloss Kammer and drive back towards Saalbach.
We take the Kohlmaisbahn up to the Kohlmais summit. Jonas is again equipped with a game pass he got at the valley station and is excited about what awaits him today.
The family hike is about the story of a clown named Montelino who lost is smile because he neglected his friends and toys, which one day disappears and Montelino’s toybox was empty.
The hiking trail goes from the mountain station to the middle station of the Kohlmaisbahn over alpine meadows and through wooded areas, numerous play stations have been set up where children help Montelino find his friends and toys. The hike goes by in a creative flash. We even pass an enclosure with wild animals. When you arrive at the middle station, there is time for a snack. Today we take the train back to the valley.
Now it’s time to say goodbye to Pinzgau and head home
The days were wonderful, and Jonas had a lot of fun. The Schloss Kammer is highly recommended, with and without a dog. The hikes are exciting and interesting for children, and time goes by quickly. That was definitely not our last hiking holiday for families with Eurohike. We look forward to the next one!
