Riemannhaus–Wimbachbrücke Alpine Traverse

This is a 22.5 km (about 14 mile) one-way alpine traverse from Riemannhaus to Wimbachbrücke. It crosses the bare limestone of the Steinernes Meer, works over the rocky basins below Großer Hundstod to Hundstodgatterl, then drops past Trischübel into Wimbachtal. Published stage times add to about 10½ hours of walking, before stops. Expect roughly 800 m of ascent and 2,350 m of cumulative descent over rough ground. The route starts at a high mountain hut, not a valley trailhead, and the approach to Riemannhaus is not included.

From Riemannhaus, the Eichstätter Weg traverses open limestone toward Ingolstädter Haus. Pale slabs and broken karst give the Steinernes Meer its name: from above, the rolling ridges look like waves frozen into rock. It is a big, exposed landscape, and fog can make the route hard to follow; lingering or summer snow can cover parts of the rocky plateau.

Beyond Ingolstädter Haus, the way climbs steeply over rough limestone to Hundstodgatterl (2,188 m). The high route then dips and climbs across several basins beneath Großer Hundstod before a short counter-climb and a descent along a pine-covered ridge to Trischübelpass (1,764 m). The route changes character at the pass: turn around for the best view back into Wimbachtal, where a broad pale gravel floor runs between dark pine and steep rock walls.

Below Trischübel, a steep scree crossing and gully bring you to the valley floor. The lower route is longer and broader, winding between gravel channels and mountain-pine woodland. The Wimbachgries is a huge debris stream; the valley's gravel deposits are described as reaching 300 m in thickness. Near the upper valley, Wimbachgrieshütte is an on-route seasonal hut. Farther down, the route passes Wimbachschloss before reaching Wimbachbrücke.

Ingolstädter Haus and Wimbachgrieshütte are staffed seasonally, so check opening dates before relying on food or shelter. The Wimbachgrieshütte stands on the site of the older Griesalm, documented from 1546; the present hut was built in 1922 and opened in 1924. Wimbachschloss is another stop along the valley, but its service dates aren't established here. Wimbachklamm is a separate, fee-charging walk entered from below at the valley end, not a passage through this high route. The traverse ends at Wimbachbrücke, where parking and bus service make the one-way logistics possible.