Stubai High Trail hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Stubai High Trail (Stubaier Höhenweg) is a hut-to-hut loop high above the Stubai Valley in Tyrol, Austria, about 25 km south-west of Innsbruck. It links eight Alpine Club huts, from the Starkenburger Hütte below the limestone peaks of the Kalkkögel to the Innsbrucker Hütte at the foot of the Habicht, and circles the head of the valley past glaciers, lakes and 3,000 m peaks. The tourist board gives about 80 km and just under 6,000 m of climbing, and splits the hut part into 7 stages. The trail is a black (difficult) mountain path, carries the Tyrolean mountain-path quality seal and is one of the Great Walks of Tirol. No glacier is crossed.

The route

This guide walks the loop clockwise, as most hikers do, and splits it into 9 stages, about 9.0 km each: the climb from Neustift to the Starkenburger Hütte, the 7 official hut stages, and the descent from the Innsbrucker Hütte through the Pinnistal to Neder, a part of Neustift. That makes 9 walking days and 8 nights in huts.

From the Starkenburger Hütte (2,237 m) the trail crosses scree under the Kalkkögel to the Seejöchl (2,518 m), drops steeply with cables from the Sendersjöchl and traverses past the Seducker Hochalm into the Oberbergtal and the Franz-Senn-Hütte. The short next day climbs over the Schrimmennieder, with its view of the main Stubai ridge, to the Neue Regensburger Hütte. The longest day follows: up to the Grawagrubennieder, at almost 2,900 m the highest point of the trail, under the Grawawand glacier and down to the Dresdner Hütte by the middle station of the Stubai Glacier cable car. A short, cabled climb over the Peiljoch (2,676 m) leads to the Sulzenau Hütte; then the trail passes the Grünausee and crosses the Niederl (or the Mairspitze) to the Nürnberger Hütte. Ice-polished slabs and the "Paradies" lead to the Simmingjöchl (2,754 m) and the small Bremer Hütte. The last hut stage, to the Innsbrucker Hütte, is the hardest: three climbs, boulder fields and cables on the Wasenwand. On the last day you walk down to the Karalm and through the Pinnistal to Neder.

Highlights

• Kalkkögel and Seejöchl: pale limestone towers, the "Dolomites of the Stubai", meet the dark crystalline rock of the main range
• Grawagrubennieder: the highest pass, with glaciers close above you
• Grünausee and the Blaue Lacke: turquoise glacial lakes near the Sulzenau Hütte (the Blaue Lacke is a short side trip)
• The "Paradies" and Simmingjöchl: huge ice-polished slabs between the Nürnberger and Bremer huts
• The Habicht (3,277 m): the great peak above the Innsbrucker Hütte

When to walk the Stubai High Trail

The official season is mid-June to the end of September, depending on snow. In 2026 the huts opened between 4 June (Starkenburger) and 26 June (Dresdner) and closed between 21 September (Nürnberger, Bremer) and early October. Early in the season expect steep old snowfields on the passes; July to mid-September is the safest window. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, so start early. For 2027 the huts publish their dates in winter and spring; the Innsbrucker Hütte has announced it reopens on 18 June 2027.

How many days do you need?

Most people take 8 or 9 days. Every hut can also be reached from the valley, and the official site says you can join or leave the loop at any hut, which helps when one hut is full. Stages 5 and 6 are short, so fit hikers can join them (Dresdner to Nürnberger, about 10 km). Bad weather days are common, so keep a spare day.

Getting there and logistics

Fly or take the train to Innsbruck. Bus 590 runs from Innsbruck station to Fulpmes, Neustift and the Mutterberg glacier station, and the Stubaitalbahn tram runs to Fulpmes. Guests who stay overnight in the Stubai Valley, in the valley or on the mountain, get a voucher for one free ride from Innsbruck and one back, on bus 590 or the tram. Hikers' car parks with multi-day tickets are at Bachertal in Neustift (for the Starkenburger Hütte) and Zegger in Neder (for the Innsbrucker Hütte).

The climb from Neustift to the Starkenburger Hütte is about 1,200 m (3.5 to 4 hours). Many people save it by taking the Kreuzjoch gondola of Schlick 2000 from Fulpmes and walking the Panoramaweg to the hut in about 1.5 to 2 hours. At the end, a shared taxi runs through the Pinnistal from the Karalm to Neder, and the Elfer gondola links the Elferhütte with Neustift. Near the Dresdner Hütte, the Stubai Glacier cable car is a bad-weather exit to Mutterberg and bus 590.

Book every hut ahead, especially in July and August. Most huts take bookings only online (hut-reservation.org or their own system), and bookings are binding; read each hut's cancellation rules. Some huts offer rucksack transport, for example from the Bremer to the Innsbrucker Hütte for 15 euros.

Money, phone and what to pack

Austria uses the euro. Bring enough cash: there are no shops or ATMs between the first and last hut, and card payment is not guaranteed. A dorm bed costs roughly 14 to 26 euros (cheaper for Alpine Club members) and half board about 40 to 50 euros more. Joining an Alpine Club gives discounts and rescue insurance. Mobile signal is patchy on passes and in side valleys; without signal you cannot call for help, so move to a better spot and try 112.

The tourist board's list: ankle-high boots, rain and cold-weather clothing, gloves and hat, sun protection, map, phone, first-aid kit with a foil blanket, head torch, one bivvy bag per group, water and snacks. A hut sleeping bag is compulsory. Early in the season, microspikes and an ice axe help on snow. A harness and via ferrata set "can be helpful" on the cabled sections.

Difficulty and safety

This is a demanding alpine route for sure-footed hikers with a head for heights and several years of mountain experience. Paths are narrow and rocky, and many passages are secured with cables and iron rungs; they are short, like easy via ferrata. Put your poles away on them. The main ones are the descent from the Sendersjöchl, the climb to the Peiljoch, the descent to the Nürnberger Hütte and several on the stage from the Bremer to the Innsbrucker Hütte. Below the Bremer Hütte a cabled chimney towards the Lauterer See can be avoided on the easier "Normalweg". In rain, snow or fog the route becomes much harder.

In an emergency call 140 (Alpine emergency) or 112. The free SOS EU ALP app sends your position to the Tyrol rescue centre. Dogs must be on a lead on the whole trail, and wild camping is not allowed in Tyrol.