Last summer, my family and I had a visit from dear friends from Germany. This was not only a great time of reunion, but also offered me the perfect opportunity for a change of perspective: Normally I work for the Zauchensee Lift Company - in this case I was able to discover, test and enjoy our hiking paradise myself with family and friends.Today I'm taking you with me to Zauchensee. Experience a family holiday in the mountains with me, my family and our friends, where hiking fun is guaranteed for young and old! My tip: It's even more fun with a look at our panorama webcams! Let's go!
Our friends can easily reach the hiking paradise of Zauchensee in summer via the A10 Tauern motorway. They exit at Altenmarkt and after a picturesque drive through the forest along the Zauchbach, they reach their destination. In Zauchensee, fresh mountain air and the breathtaking view of green alpine meadows and sunny mountain peaks await the family of four. My family and I meet our friends after checking in at their hotel, which is the perfect starting point for our mountain adventures. After a big "hello", we walk with all the kids to the Zauchensee World Cup Arena. Our destination is the Gamskogel Chairlift, which also operates in summer - a comfortable ascent for everyone and an adventure highlight for our kids. The lift ride with a convertible feeling not only spares the calves for further metres in altitude, but also offers a great view of the surrounding peaks and the grazing alpine animals.Tip: In the summer of 2023, the Gamskogel Chairlift is open daily from 16th June to mid-September (except when it rains) from 9 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 4 pm. Every Saturday in July and August our "Cabrio-lift " runs from 7:30 am.
Sliding down the hump of a cow, outdoing an eagle in a target flight, being as nimble as a squirrel or discovering masterfully camouflaged ptarmigans - our kids can let off steam in the Alpine Animals MasterCup around the Gamskogel Hut.My children, Felix and Clara, are twelve and nine years old, and our friends' children, Elias and Hanna, are ten and seven. Our young testers get to know the animal professionals and their favourite discipline at the tricky stations in the adventure playground, the "Champions Cup Arena", and along the three Champions Cup trails. They can discover and test their own talents at the various adventure stations. What's particularly exciting is that new play stations will be added this summer. Find out where and which ones here. At the Gamskogel Chairlift ticket office, we received the new Champions Cup game passes together with the lift tickets, which guide our young explorers through the stations and tasks. The children can also record their successes. Once they have mastered all the tasks, they exchange their full pass for a small reward at the Gamskogel Hut (or at the lift ticket office in the World Cup Arena).Tip for older kids: In the meantime, we adults bask in the sun and enjoy delicacies from the kitchen of the mountain restaurant on the terrace of the Gamskogel Hut. We keep an eye on our kids at the adventure playground, but Germknödel (yeast dumplings), ice cream sundaes and the like are all ours for a change.
The next day we will be heading high up: the 4 Summit Tour is on the programme. As the name suggests, we will hike four mountain peaks around Zauchensee on this round tour: Gamskogel, Schwarzkopf, Tagweidegg and Arche.To save energy for the 4.5-hour hike, we take the Gamskogel Lift up the first few metres and enjoy the warm morning sun. At the lift ticket office, when we bought our tickets, we received the 4-Summit Tour Pass, in which we can place a marker on each of the four summits - as proof that we have reached the summit.The mountain station of the Gamskogel Chairlift is the starting point for the 4-summit tour. We hike past the Gamskogel Hut up to the Arche (2,060 m), the first summit. After the summit photos, the tour continues via the Seekarsattel to Tagweidegg (2,135 m), where we enjoy the magnificent view. Here we go our separate ways: my wife descends again with the two girls (seven and nine years old) towards the Gamskogel Hut, my twelve-year-old son Felix and ten-year-old Elias continue the 4-summit tour with us.Next, we climb the Schwarzkopf (2,263 m). We pay particular attention to the two boys, because surefootedness is required here. Then we reach the fourth and last peak of our circular hike, the Gamskogel (2,186 m). In winter, this is the venue for the Alpine Ski World Cup races, which will take place in Zauchensee again in January 2024. But now we enjoy the warm summer temperatures and descend over lush green alpine meadows to the Gamskogel Hut. There we meet my wife and the two girls again, who have explored the nearby Seekarsee Lake in the meantime.
My wife, Clara and Emma reached the Seekarsee Lake after their descent via the Seekarscharte. They walked around the glittering mountain lake and tried out activities for relaxing and recharging their batteries at the hands-on stations along the lakeshore. Their highlights, however, were the hammocks and the XXL sun lounger for snacking and relaxing.Our ladies were chauffeured to the Gamskogel Hut: The colourful slow train "Zauchi" took them past grazing cows and whistling marmots back to the Gamskogel Hut. The "Zauchi" goes back and forth between Seekarsee Lake and Gamskogel Hut every day during the main holiday season (except when it rains).At the Gamskogel Hut we all deserve a snack: a snack platter, Kaiserschmarrn (chopped pancake dish) and cool drinks taste even better after the hike!
On the third day, it was early in the morning: Rise and shine! At first it was a bit difficult to get our children out of their cosy beds, but the prospect of an adventure quickly made them forget the early hour.At dawn, we take the Gamskogel Lift, which is in operation extra early today, up to 1,800 metres. At the mountain station, campfires await us and we occasionally discover other early risers. Suddenly we hear atmospheric melodies played on alpine musical instruments. The quiet conversations fade away and we gaze spellbound towards the east, where it is getting brighter and brighter behind the mountain peaks. Suddenly the first rays of sunlight burst forth and then the time has come: the sun rises glowing red above the mountains. A breathtaking sight that gives us all goose bumps!As the sun bathes the surrounding mountain peaks in warm light, which we climbed ourselves the day before, we look into the astonished eyes of our children: For us parents, the second highlight of this morning! Almost too soon the sun is bright in the sky - but now a hearty mountain breakfast is ready in the Gamskogel Hut. With coffee, tea, fruit juice, fresh bread and pastries, fruit and muesli, cheese specialities, fine delicacies and everything that goes with it.
Freshly invigorated, we set off for a family hike after breakfast. From the Gamskogel Hut we hike comfortably over the Seekarscharte between Arche and Tagweidegg to the summit of the Rosskopf (1,929 m). Here we enjoy the wonderful view towards the Kitzsteinhorn, Grossglockner and Hochkönig. Via the Höchalm and the Unterbergalm our route leads us back to Zauchensee. The entire tour takes about two hours and is easily manageable even for younger children.
Unfortunately, the next day it's time to say goodbye again, as our friends are heading back home. We all agree: our hiking holiday together in Zauchensee was an unforgettable experience. For us parents and even more so for our children. The unique mountain landscape, the great hikes, the shared moments of enjoyment and the adventure highlights have brought us even closer together. We are already looking forward to the next time!
Did you also enjoy our adventures? Then discover the mountain summer in Zauchensee now!