Parking
Wanderparkplatz Hammerstiel is the route’s starting lot; parking is paid. Lot capacity and facilities were not established.
Overview
About SalzAlpenTour Schönau
Why go
- Archenkanzel’s high Königssee panorama
- A true loop linking forest, alpine clearings and pasture
Heads up
- Steep, sustained climb to Grünstein
- Long downhill return after the high points
SalzAlpenTour Schönau is an 8.1-mile (13.1 km) loop from Wanderparkplatz Hammerstiel, up over Grünstein and Kührointalm, out to Archenkanzel, then back by a different line through Schapbachalm. The total includes the out-and-back spur to Archenkanzel. The official estimate is 740 m (2,428 ft) of ascent and five hours; allow five to six if you want time at the huts and viewpoints. It’s a hard mountain walk, with a steep forest climb and a long descent. I’d choose it for a full day of changing scenery and the Königssee panorama, not as a quick viewpoint walk.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Berchtesgaden map
Full mapElevation764–1,415 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Berchtesgaden alerts
- ClosureKlausbachtal trails closed for bridge and flood-protection workAvoid the closed Klausbachtal trail sections; the Klausbach cannot be crossed at the affected bridges. - Trail No.Official details
- ClosureKönigsbach Waterfall Gumpen area closedDo not enter the area around the “Gumpen” pools at the Königsbach Waterfall on Königssee.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Berchtesgaden Tour Guide
Your drive to SalzAlpenTour Schönau, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Berchtesgaden National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Hammerstiel: Grünstein and a Hut Meal0:00 / 0:25
“Hammerstiel is coming up, the trailhead for a steep walk to Grünstein's views of Königssee and the Watzmann.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Berchtesgaden Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Marmot’s Winter Fuel
- A Songbird Underwater
- Wimbachbrücke and the Waterfall Gorge
- Liquid Salt over the Mountains
- 25 audio storiesacross Berchtesgaden’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bearded Vulture, Golden Eagle, Red Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 71 trails, 57 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking SalzAlpenTour Schönau
The climb to GrünsteinFrom Hammerstiel, the route climbs a forest path and switchbacks to Grünsteinhaus.
From Hammerstiel, the route climbs a forest path and switchbacks to Grünsteinhaus. Here the first view of Königssee opens up, before the trail heads south along Weiße Wand. Take the early climb steadily; this is where most of the effort begins. The route is graded hard but has a low technical difficulty, so the challenge is sustained uphill walking and overall distance, not a technical scramble.
Across Weiße Wand to KührointalmPast Weiße Wand, the path joins a gravel road to Kührointalm, below the Kleine Watzmann.
Past Weiße Wand, the path joins a gravel road to Kührointalm, below the Kleine Watzmann. The clearing feels like a reset after the steep climb: alpine meadow, huts, chapel and a mountain backdrop. A managed hut sits on the route, but service and opening are seasonal; check before relying on a meal.
Make time for ArchenkanzelFrom Kühroint, Archenkanzel is roughly 20 minutes away on a side path.
From Kühroint, Archenkanzel is roughly 20 minutes away on a side path. The wooded lookout sits high over Königssee and St. Bartholomä; the Archenwand falls sharply toward the lake. This is the walk’s best payoff, and the route returns to Kühroint afterward. If the view is clear, include the curve of the lake and St. Bartholomä peninsula in your photo; the trees at the edge give you a natural foreground and show how high the lookout is.
The different way backThe descent heads west from Kühroint on a narrow forest trail to a broad forest road.
The descent heads west from Kühroint on a narrow forest trail to a broad forest road. Follow it toward Schapbachalm and alongside a short stretch of Schapbach stream, then turn right onto a trail through lighter forest to return to Hammerstiel. The finish isn’t a repeat of the ascent, though your legs still have a long way downhill after the main climb.
Huts and the startStart at the paid Wanderparkplatz Hammerstiel.
Start at the paid Wanderparkplatz Hammerstiel. Grünsteinhütte and Kühroint-Hütte are both on the route, but their seasonal openings change; check before counting on food. Toilets and drinking water aren’t established at the parking area, so carry enough water for the full walk. Dog access for this exact loop couldn’t be confirmed; check park rules before bringing a pet.
The SalzAlpen connectionSalzAlpenTour is part of a broader route network themed around the region’s salt history.
SalzAlpenTour is part of a broader route network themed around the region’s salt history. On this loop, the alpine route is the story: first the lake view from Grünstein, then the full drop to the water from Archenkanzel, then pasture and forest on the return. The changing angles are why I’d do the whole circuit, even though the climb to Grünstein is the hardest part.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Berchtesgaden
14 sightingsBearded VultureMost seen around noonSighting map
29 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around noonSighting map
22 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
131 sightingsAlpine ChamoisMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
65 sightingsAlpine SalamanderMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
63 sightingsAlpine MarmotMost seen around 9 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Berchtesgaden. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
