Hohe Tauern, Austria
Day 7 - Thursday 21st June 2018
Dorfertal Gorge and Valley
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A beautiful gorge precedes the open and attractive Dorfertal Valley. The extension to the Dorfersee is well worth the effort.
Grade: Easy/Mod - Long
Distance: 18 km (11 miles)
Ascent/Descent: 400m
Time: 4 - 6 hours
Distance to Start: 30 minutes
Terrain: Good well marked vehicle tracks and footpaths. Some easy rocky terrain on the section between the Tauernhaus and Dorfersee.
Getting There: From Matrei, follow the main road south to Huben. Soon after the turn-off right to the Defereggental, turn left for Kals am Grossglockner. Pass through Kals and take a turn off right,
sign posted Tauernwirt, Moaralm, Dorfertal and Kalsers Glocknerstrasse. At the next junction turn insted of taking the for the Kalsers Glocknerstrasse, keep left and continue along the road towards the Tauernwirt and Dorfertal. Where the road forks, keep left again and park shortly after in the Dorfertal car park.
Map ref: www.goo.gl/maps/vhzycnJmABB2
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| Day |
To |
Distance |
Time |
Elevation in meters |
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Km |
Elapsed
Hrs-Mins |
Moving
Hrs-Mins |
Gain |
Loss |
Min |
Max |
| 7 |
Dorfersee Gorge and Valley |
19 |
5H05 |
3H42 |
470 |
470 |
1,492 |
1,962 |
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Dorfertal parking ....... just outside of the village
| From the parking area follow the road past the Tauernwirt Hotel and cross the bridge. Immediately after, at the yellow signposts keep left, following the 711 sign posted to the Kalser Tauernhaus and the Dorfertal. This track leads through a vehicle access barrier and continues to reach the narrow gorge of the Dorfertal. |
Rare Lady's Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium calceolus)
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A wonderful sight in full flower, this exquisite orchid has deeply veined, elliptical leaves sheathing flower stems from which plump buds unfurl to reveal flowers of dramatic beauty. A twisted maroon-brown crucifix sits behind a large yellow slipper-shaped lip. patterned inside with lines of orange dots. Lives in shady clearings in rocky woodland, on limestone. By no means common, but once seen never forgotten. |
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Into the gorge
| The access track runs all the way to the Kalser Tauernhaus, with a couple of deviations where the footpath keeps to the left to avoid tunnels through the rock. The valley opens up to attractive and rugged mountain scenery, reaching the Tauernhaus in about 2 hours. |
| To continue carry on along the 711 sign posted towards the Dorfersee, an attractive mountain lake nestled below the peaks. The path from the Kalser Tauernhaus is more alpine here, taking the form of a footpath before crossing huge green rock slabs. The route is well-marked with red and white markers and reaches the Dorfertal in about an hour. |
Dorfersee
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