In Lungötz, follow the main road for a while to the left. Just after the bridge and the sign indicating the exit from Lungötz, an inconspicuous but well marked track leads upwards through the lovely beech/mixed mountain woodland. You will reach a meadow after just a short time, at which you must head left uphill along the outskirts of the wood and pass the wayside shrine, through the Merlegg farmstead and arriving on the road. Follow the asphalt road for a short while, although a meadow path branches off after just several metres, and follow it through the cattle gate. At the fork in the road, keep to the left and follow the red-white-red markings or the white point ringed in red. The trail soon becomes narrower and takes a turn to the right. You will reach a turnstile and a little road via an open area with rampant successional flora. Follow this road to the right and then turn onto the road leading leftward. At the farm, follow the signposting for "Karalm" (not for "St. Martin"). The route continues along the edge of the wood now on a pleasant meadow path. At the next fork in the road, keep to the left again and follow the path up through the woods. Finally, you will reach a cattlefield, cross it and follow the forest road further uphill. At the crossroads, take the right-hand road that prohibits access for private vehicles. After several hairpin bends and a left turn, you will reach the Karalm meadow after approx. 2h 20min, which is very popular with mountain bikers. Pass the Karalm and continue along the roadway until a track turns right to the "Koreinalm". This track starts off on an almost even course through the wood, but soon becomes steeper. The Koreinalm meadow is private and uncultivated, but is in a very beautiful setting (approx. 40min from the Karalm meadow). Still following the little track, the Hochalm meadow can be reached within another 20min. This is where the ridge path begins, which winds its way along the sloping ridge in lovely surroundings, through larches, spruces and pines. Then follow the turnoff downhill to the left before reaching the H.-Hackel-Hut, alternating on road and track. A very steep path leads downward from the refuge. It becomes wider and flatter lower down before arriving at the lovely village of Wengerau. Once on the road, follow it for a short while before a path leads to the right across the stream, on whose right-hand side you can walk comfortably in the shade of the trees towards Werfenweng. Follow the signposting to reach the village centre, then pass the tourist office and the houses before reaching the woodland path down to Pfarrwerfen. Cross the train tracks and go right along the main road before the path branches off uphill to the left towards "Höll" and "Rattenberg". Go right uphill, then left on the woodland path and again right on the gravel path, with the Burg Hohenwerfen castle in sight. The trail again leads you downhill to the main road, which you must follow for one last distance into the centre of Werfen.
After a short stretch along the road in the direction of Pfarrwerfen, a little road soon leads steeply uphill to the right, taking a rather high course into the town of Imlau. There, you will come back again to the main road, which you must cross, also crossing the railway tracks and turning right after passing the little grocery store in Pfarrwerfen.
(Christina Schwann, OeAV)
 

The Tennengebirge range is an imposing limestone high plateau at the district border between Tennengau and Pongau in the province of Salzburg. The area above the timberline, or the areas above 2,000m in altitude, are under nature protection due to the diverse aboveground and subterranean karst forms and the limestone flora such as gentians and orchids. The aim is to preserve the largely natural state of this romantically wild landscape and to offer the animal and plant species that occur here a retreat. In Werfenweng, an alpine farming theme trail has been dedicated to the ancient tradition of alpine farming, which dates back to the Bronze Age (1900 to 900 B.C.). In addition to the history and the various farming forms, particular emphasis is laid on the positive and negative effects of the alpine farming economy. Owing to a fall in the numbers of workers who looked after the grazing cattle and carried out the necessary pastureland maintenance measures, certain areas soon became overgrown. This meant that the remaining pastureland areas were overexploited, which led to over-grazing. In the last two centuries, it has been possible to stem this trend with the help of subsidisation. The maintenance of the alpine pastureland as a distinctive and unmistable image of our cultural landscape is a major concern for the European Union. On the descent via the H.-Hackel Hut and the lush high plateau of Werfenweng, it becomes apparent that Pfarrwerfen and Werfen are practically encircled by mountains. Even the Romans used this protected space as a stopover on their transalpine road over the Radstädter Tauern mountains. The curious rock boulder at a bend in the Salzach river, which falls away steeply on all sides, soon aroused the interest of the Prince Archbishops of Salzburg, who were more interested in the strategic use of this unusual natural occurrence. In the Middle Ages, they erected an absolutely impregnable fort on the rock, which on the one hand was to secure the trade path and on the other serve as a detention centre for sentenced criminals. Today, Hohenwerfen fort is one of the top attractions in the province of Salzburg. Each year, this fascinating fort welcomes over 130,000 visitors. The Salzburg falconry centre with the 1st Austrian falconry museum, special exhibitions and the “Burgschänke” (castle inn) provide additional entertainment.
(Christina Schwann, OeAV, Georg Schrofner, Salzburger Land Tourismus)