A stunning landscape and both easy and intermediate hikes to choose from. Hike to the Augstsee and the top of the Loserberg in Austria.
At times I like to go on easy hikes. When I don’t have enough time or the circumstances aren’t right for a challenging all-day hike, I want to reach beautiful scenery in a short time. For that, the Loserberg (Loser mountain) is an ideal destination.
Loserberg
The Loserberg is an 1838 meters high mountain in Ausseerland in Austria. It is a place that is well-known as a ski resort, but – among tourists – less as a place to go hiking. I only found out about it because I was staying at a comfortable holiday home in Lichtersberg near the entrance of the toll road to the summit of the Loserberg.
Hiking trails overview
There are plenty of short and longer hikes available. Some of the shorter hikes can be combined into one long hike and there is also plenty of space to simply wander.
If you are looking for a short hike, then the Augstsee roundtrip, the Bräuning Alm roundtrip, and the path to the Loserfenster are perfect for you. I’ll discuss two of them below.
If you are looking for the full experience, then you can hike up the Loserberg and take the 255 hiking trail back to the parking lot for a roundtrip of four and a half hours. You can find a hiking map at the Loser Altaussee website.
Starting your hike
Loser Panoramastraße
You can start all hikes from the parking lot of the Loser Alm restaurant at 1600 meters. To get there, follow the Loser Panoramastraße; a zigzagging toll road of 9 km from Lichtersberg near Altaussee. The panorama road is only open for private cars, bikes, and motorcycles in summer (it opened May 1st in 2020), so make sure to check out the opening times before you go.
Bergrestaurant Loser Alm
After reaching the end of the scenic toll road, you can park your car (or bike) at the Loser-Alm restaurant. The restaurant doesn’t open early, especially late or early in the season, but it is a good place to have a drink after your hike. I don’t recommend this place for a meal. Also, make sure to bring cash.
Location: Fischerndorf 181, 8992 Fischerndorf, Austria
Augstsee hike
This beautiful mountain lake is very close to the parking lot. After only a fifteen minutes’ walk, you will get your first view of the Augstsee. A roundtrip takes about 45 minutes. This is the shortest trail you can take. Originally, this is the trail I was planning to do, but I had to laugh at how close it was to the start. So on to the Loserfenster we went.
Loserfenster
The Loserfenster (Loser Window) is a natural rock gate that shows you a view of the other side of the mountain. From the restaurant, you can reach the Loserfenster in less than an hour. The road there is a grassy slope with a total height difference of 186 meters from the parking lot. The Loserfenster itself didn’t impress me very much, but the road there – and especially the view of the Augstsee from above – did.
Also fun to visit nearby: Hallstatt, Dachstein mountains, and St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut.
Loserberg summit
From the Loserfenster, you follow the marked path to the top of the Loserberg. The road starts rocky but you will soon reach the plateau after which the path will be more pleasant again. On this hiking trail, you get a nice panoramic view of the Salzkammergut mountains. My favorite part on this trail is just after the rocky part where you can see the top of the Loserberg and the path leading you onwards from there.Â
The hike to the top takes about an hour and a half from the parking lot (a height difference of 238 meters). From the top, you can follow another path back to the Loser Alm restaurant.
Lunch at Blaa Alm
The Blaa Alm is a much better choice for a meal! To get there from the Loser Alm parking lot, you go down the Loser Panoramastraße and take a side road after exiting the toll road. The Blaa Alm is a restaurant surrounded by forest and grass fields with a relaxing outdoor seating area and a playground for kids.
Location: Lichtersberg 73, 8992 Altaussee, Austria
Altaussee
The nearest village is Altaussee, situated at the shore of the Altaussee Lake and the Loser Plateau. If you have time, you can take a walk around the village and see the lake. The view of the wooden houses along the small river leading to the lake is nice to see.
Altaussee is also known for its Salt Mine, which you can visit in summer (roughly from June until September).
How to get to Loserberg?
You can access the Loser hiking trails by taking the Loser Panoramastraße toll road to the Loser Alm parking lot. Access to the toll road costs 18 EUR for a car (in 2020). The start of the Panoramastraße is at a five minutes’ drive from Altaussee. You can get there from Salzburg in an hour and a half.
Location Loser Alm parking lot: Fischerndorf 181, 8992 Fischerndorf, Austria
