Walk to Umhausen

0.0 km – With the church in front of you, TURN LEFT and walk on the path beside the main road.

0.2 km – After the bridge, TURN LEFT onto a gravel road and walk parallel to the river.

0.8 km – At the bridge at the mouth of the river, TURN RIGHT. When you reach the next bridge after a few metres, TURN LEFT and cross over the river. Then TURN RIGHT and continue STRAIGHT ON. Follow the signs for Winklen and the red and white markings of the Ötztaler Urweg.

1.8 km – When you reach the main road, cross over it and continue STRAIGHT ON.

2.6 km – When you reach the village of Lehner Au, BEAR RIGHT and continue parallel to the river.

4.0 km – At the fork, TURN LEFT. Follow the signs for Winkelbergsee/Wurzbergalm and the red and white markings of the Ötztaler Urweg. Cross the main road and continue STRAIGHT ON.

4.6 km – At the fork with the memorial, TURN RIGHT and cross over the bridge. Follow the asphalt road until it reaches a car park and turns into a gravel road. Follow this road STRAIGHT ON and uphill.

5.6 km – You can make a detour to Lake Winkelbergsee here (see photo). The easy walk to the lake takes around five minutes. The route is identical there and back.

5.9 km – At the fork with the wayside cross and a bench, TURN LEFT onto the walking path and follow the signs for Wurzbergalm. Ignore the path immediately to your right leading steeply uphill.

7.2 km – When the path turns into a gravel road, TURN RIGHT and follow the signs until you reach Wurzbergalm (see photo). You have reached the highest point on today’s hike.

8.6 km – From the Wurzbergalm, continue STRAIGHT ON through the metal gate to head downhill on the gravel road.

9.3 km – At the fork at the hunting lodge, KEEP LEFT and pass the green and white barriers. Continue to follow the signs for Umhausen and the red and white markings of the Ötztaler Urweg.

10.6 km – At the fork, continue on the asphalt road to descend into the village of Köfels. At the next fork in the road in Köfels, KEEP RIGHT and follow the road downhill out of the village.

11.2 km – At the fork marked with sign no. 3/0114, TURN LEFT onto a steep downhill forest path. Follow the signs for Umhausen and the red and white markings of the Ötztaler Urweg.

11.7 km – Cross the gravel road and continue to follow the steep path downhill.

12.0 km – When the path turns into an asphalt road, TURN LEFT and follow the road downhill for approximately 500 m until you reach the river. Watch out for traffic, as there is no footpath. Follow the signs for Umhausen and the red and white markings of the Ötztaler Urweg.

12.5 km – When you reach the river, TURN LEFT onto the gravel road that runs parallel to the river. Follow the red and white markings of the Ötztaler Urweg. Ignore the signs for Umhausen that point straight over the bridge. For the next 2 kilometres, ignore paths that branch off to the left and right parallel to the river.

14.3 km – At the large junction with the Elsa Pflug wayside cross, TURN RIGHT towards the river. You are now leaving the Ötztaler Urweg. Follow the signs for Umhausen over the river, then TURN LEFT. At the next fork, KEEP RIGHT and head uphill towards Umhausen.

14.8 km – When you reach the village, BEAR RIGHT onto Antoniusweg and follow the road through the village.

15.0 km – At the roundabout, keep BEAR LEFT and walk down the road “Neudorf”. Continue to follow the road until you reach the bus stop. You’ll pass under the main road.

15.3 km – At the fork with “Neudorf” bus stop, TURN RIGHT and walk towards the church.

15.5 km – You’ve reached Umhausen church, your destination for today.

To find your way to the Explorer Hotel, walk back a few metres and TURN LEFT before Gasthof Andreas Hofer into Hintere Gasse. Follow the cycle path markings on the road until you’ve crossed under the main road. Then TURN LEFT. From here, you can see the hotel on your right.