General description
Hiking through Passeier Valley
The E5 (Constance – Bozen – Venice) is one of the special European routes. Almost all of the route is an Alpine route and is marked most of the way as E5. This part of the route describes the part from the Austrian / Italian border at the Timmelsjoch through the Passeier Valley to Bozen.
The way is marked always well and crosses a nature protected zone of full fascinations. This way was already committed by the smugglers.
Route description
ROUTE: Timmelsjoch – Moos – St. Leonhard
Starting at Timmelsjoch, on the north side of the Nature Park Texelgroup, you follow a wide path and then turn right onto the E5 which descends steeply into the Timmels Valley until the bridge "Timmelsbrücke", directly on the road. Carry on along the right hand side of the valley until you reach the place Schönau and then the village of Rabenstein. Keep on the right hand side for another 20 minutes and then cross over to the other side. Repeat this two more times. From Rabenstein to Moos, the main village in the Hinterpasseier, it will take you about 2 hours. From Moos follow the path no. 10A via the chapel of Antonius, which will take you to the hamlet of Stuls in about 1 hour and 20 minutes. After the Silberhütthöhe (1283m), a prehistoric find, the path goes on down to Glaiten. The E5 goes directly into the centre of St. Leonhard in Passeier.
Day Tour – total walking time: approx. 7 hours
St. Leonhard (693m) – Pfandler Alm (1345m) – Hirzer Hütte (2050m)
From St. Leonhard in the Passeier Valley the E5 goes to the Sarntaler Alps. Follow the signs for the Pfandler Alm. Go past the primary school and the shield farm Happerg on the Andreas Hofer path until the E5 turns off half left at a resting place. After about half an hour you come to Fartleisbach stream that cross over to reach the St. Martin road and the Pfandlerhof. At the shrine turn left onto path 1, which after a few minutes, crosses over the road to the right. Cross over the road again near the Gruberhof to reach the hamlet of Prantach. The path goes through a meadow, past a small chapel until it reaches the Pfandlerhof. The path now goes steeply through the wood, on the left is a stone wall. Carry on until you reach the Pfandler Alm, and then on further to step pastures and a wood. Keep to the left on the south face of the Riffelspitze. Now the E5 turns to the south and carries on along the west slopes of the Prantagokogels and the Kreuzjoch, through stream, alongside a wood and on to the Mahdalm. On the other side of the Grafeisenbaches (stream) you can get to the Hinteregg Alm and then on to the Hirzer Hütte (2050m) in about half an hour.
Day Tour – total walking time: approx. 6 hours
Hirzer Hütte (2050m) – Kratzberger Lake (2119m) – Meraner Hütte (1960m)
Starting at the Hirzer Hütte go on to the Tallner Alm through grass. Follow path 4 and on up to Hochkar. At the top of Hochkars through the Blockwerk and then on a rocky path up to the Hirzerscharte (2600m). It is possible to climb to the top of the Hirzer (2781m). From the Hirzerscharte, a narrow path goes down to the right until you come to a marking. Here the Hirzer route diverts off from the E5 path. Follow path 4 to the KratzbergerLake (2119m) and then along a slope with wonderful views to Missensteiner Joch (2128m). From here you go down into the hollow of Merano 2000 and then on to the Meraner Hütte (1960m).
Day Tour – total walking time: approx. 5-6 hours