Trekking in Austria's Zillertal Alps: The Zillertal Rucksack Route, South Tirol Tour, Peter Habeler and Olperer Runde

Experience the wild beauty of Austria’s Zillertal Alps, where dramatic snowcapped peaks, sweeping ridges, and lush alpine valleys form the backdrop to some of Europe’s finest hut-to-hut trekking. Highlights include the crossing of high passes, panoramic views from the Berliner Höhenweg, and the chance to summit the mighty Hochfeiler, the region’s highest peak at 3510m. Charming Mayrhofen, welcoming mountain huts, and a network of scenic trails make the Zillertal a true classic for mountain lovers.

Ideal for experienced trekkers with good fitness, this comprehensive Cicerone guidebook features four outstanding multi-day hut-to-hut routes: the iconic 80km Zillertal Rucksack Route (also known as the Berliner Höhenweg), the 54km Peter Habeler Runde, the 45km Olperer Runde, and the 61km Zillertal South Tirol Tour. Each trek reveals the region’s spectacular mountain scenery and offers optional ascents to neighbouring peaks, some of which involve glacier travel and require mountaineering skills.

• Includes four classic hut-to-hut treks in the Zillertal Alps, with routes ranging from 45km to 80km, suitable for those able to walk 6–7 hours per day carrying a full rucksack.
• The Zillertal Rucksack Route is presented in 9 stages, the Peter Habeler Runde in 7, the Olperer Runde in 6, and the Zillertal South Tirol Tour in 7.
• Also included are optional ascents of neighbouring peaks, including the region’s highest, Hochfeiler (3510m), some of which may require specialist equipment, mountaineering skills, and experience of glacier crossing.
• Explore highlights such as the Hochfeiler and Grosser Möseler, and enjoy overnight stays in more than a dozen quality mountain huts.
• Each trek in the Zillertal Alps is accompanied by clear 1:50,000 mapping, downloadable GPX files, elevation profiles, and at-a-glance information summarising daily challenges and potential hazards.
• Comprehensive hut directory with details of facilities and season dates for the Zillertal Alps’ mountain huts (mid-June to late September), ensuring you make the most of the region’s legendary hut-to-hut hospitality.
• Practical advice specific to the Zillertal Alps on weather conditions, getting there and back (including access to Mayrhofen and surrounding valleys), local transport options, what to pack for alpine conditions, safety in the mountains, and tips for enjoying the unique experience of Tyrolean hut life.

Whether you’re seeking classic traverses or ambitious summit days, this definitive Cicerone guidebook will help you plan a memorable journey through one of Austria’s most celebrated mountain regions.

An engineer by profession, Allan Hartley spent the majority of his working life overseas engaged on major construction projects. Throughout this time, however, he maintained his close links with Austria, which he discovered totally by accident in the early 1970s while trying to avoid atrocious weather conditions in the higher mountains of the western Alps. He believes that Austria and the Dolomites of neighbouring Italy remain one of mountaineering's best-kept secrets, with their heady mix of superb scenery, good huts and first-class food, and that they are areas better suited to the average mountaineer than the higher mountains to the west.

In addition to Austria and the Alps, Allan has climbed in east Africa, the Falkland Islands and the Greater Ranges in Nepal and Pakistan, as well as in lesser-known areas such as the Zagros mountains of Iran and, more recently, the Hajr mountains of the Arabian peninsula. Allan is a long-term member of the Austrian Alpine Club, as well of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild, an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society and a holder of the International Mountain Leaders Award. His home is on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.