The Grade 1 Scrambler

Guide to hiking the Seegrube-Hafelekar-Gleirschjöchl-Seegrube high mountain loop on the Nordkette above Innsbruck.  Summary: a moderately challenging hike with excellent views in good weather

Route in: take the Hungerburgbahn funicular railway from Innsbruck to Hungerburg; and then the cable car to Seegrube

Hiking route: east from Seegrube cable car station then north to Hafelekar summit, then east to Gleirschjöchl, then south-west back to Seegrube

Route out: take the cable car and funicular back from Seegrube to Innsbruck

Map link: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/custom-routes/innsbruck-hafelekar-mountain-hike-bddeb56

Time: the overall loop took me 2.5 hours

Grading: this is a hike, not a scramble, though you will probably need to use your hands in a couple of places for balance. What some guides describe as ‘via ferrata’ is actually a hand-hold cable; in the dry, still conditions shown in the video, I did not need to use it

Note: many guides recommend doing the loop anti-clockwise: ascending via Gleirschjöchl and then descending steeply and directly from Hafelekar to Seegrube.  I recommend the opposite, clockwise approach which I found easier and safer because it avoids descending the steep section directly from Hafelekar to Seegrube

Warning: I hiked in dry, sunny weather with little wind; if rock surfaces are wet or winds are high it would need a lot more care.  You don’t need much head for heights but check the video to understand the kind of drops below paths

Gear: standard high-mountain hiking gear, including good hiking footwear

Verdict: a far better way to get to Hafelekar from Seegrube than taking the cable car and provides for a challenging but not dangerous (in good weather) half-day hike with fabulous views

Category: Hike

Score: 7/10

Video:

Map:

Map image/data from OpenStreetMap via AllTrails