Smugglers' trail

The program at a glance

Tag 1: individuelle Anreise nach Tirol
Anreise nach St. Jodok am Brenner in Tirol. Wir empfehlen die öffentliche Anreise mit der Bahn (S-Bahn ab Innsbruck und Brenner in der Wipptal Card inkludiert, gib vorher bei uns Bescheid, dass wir dir einen Anreise-Voucher ausstellen können). Vom Bahnhof gelangst du in ca. 5 Minuten zu Fuß zum Gasthof. Die Informationen zu öffentlichen Verkehrsmitteln findest du im Internet unter www.vvt.at oder lade dir die SmartRide-App des VVT auf dein Handy.
Abendessen und Übernachtung im Gasthof.

Day 2: St. Jodok (1,130m) - Vals Touristenrast (1,345m) - Geraer Hütte (2,324m)
Walking time: approx. 3.5 hours, distance: 7 km, 1,000 m difference in altitude ↑
Breakfast at the inn. If you would like a packed lunch (extra charge), let the innkeepers know the evening before.
From St. Jodok, take the public bus (exit Touristenrast) or your car (large parking lot "Nockeralm" / parking lot Geraer Hütte) to the starting point.
From the Touristenrast, follow the farm road no. 502 to the Geraer Hütte material cable car. From here, a trail (no. 502) leads in numerous and well laid out hairpin bends first through forest and later over open terrain up to the Geraer Hütte (2,324 m).
Dinner and overnight stay in the camp.

Alternative: you can start on foot directly in St. Jodok and reach the tourist rest area after a good 2 hours' walk and 200 m ascent (hiking trails no. 82 and no. 85).

Day 3: Geraer Hütte (2,324m) - Pfitscherjochhaus (2,276m)
Walking time: 5.5-6 hours, distance: 10 km, 800 m ↑, 850 m ↓
After breakfast at the hut in spectacular surroundings, trail no. 502 takes you south-east through a wide gravel cirque. With a bit of luck, you might spot a few ibex early in the morning. You will be framed by the mighty and imposing rock faces of Fußstein and Schrammacher. Gradually you get closer to the iron scaffolding of the former molybdenum mine, visible from afar. The first small challenge awaits you above the dilapidated barracks and the barred tunnel entrance. The path now leads through steeper terrain of slippery and fine scree before you reach the Alpeiner Scharte. The view from here is simply magnificent. You can see far down into the Wipptal valley, where you started the day before, and the view of the Tux Alps gives you a taste of what awaits you.
You now follow the path down into the Zillertal in pleasant serpentines. This section is a paradise for rock collectors. Follow the trail markings 528 (please ask the hut warden at the Geraer Hütte about the composition of the trail and the ideal variant, there are several options here) through scenic highlights to the Pfitscherjochhaus. The trail leads around two mountains at approx. 2,400 m and crosses two larger streams, dropping slightly before you tackle the final ascent to your destination today.
Dinner a`la carte (not included) and overnight stay in a shared room.

Option 1: below the Alpeiner Scharte, an inconspicuous path branches off over to the Riepenkopf. This leads you along the unknown side of the Olperer past a hidden glacier lake and a waterfall edge before you reach the recently erected cross of the Riepenkopf (2,905 m) through a steep gully. Return the same way and follow the description towards Pfitscherjochhaus.
Total: walking time: 7 hours, distance: 14 km, 1,100 m difference in altitude ↑, 1,150 m difference in altitude ↓

Day 4: Pfitscherjochhaus (2,276m) - St. Jakob, Pfitsch (1,449m)
Walking time: 5 hours, distance: 11 km, 250 m elevation gain ↑, 1,075 m elevation gain ↓
When you arrived at the Pfitscherjochhaus the day before, you probably found yourself in a real hustle and bustle of e-bikers, hikers and Alpine crossers and rightly wondered at the self-service counter whether you were in the right place. The evening, night and breakfast must have gone all the more peacefully before you have to say goodbye with a heavy heart to an extremely charming host family. Follow the path back to the former border crossing and turn off here towards Landshuter Europa-Hütte. After just a few meters, you will feel like you are in another world. Without any technical challenges, you hike through a Mediterranean landscape, surrounded by a wonderful scent and the chirping of crickets. Gradually, the landscape becomes more rugged again and you cross a few streams that flow peacefully into a moorland below you. Before the final ascent to the Europahütte (which is expected to be completely rebuilt in 2025/2026(https://modusarchitects.com/portfolio-item/mountain-lodge/ ), you descend to St. Jakob in the Pfitschtal valley to your destination for the day.
Dinner and overnight stay at the inn.

Option 1: deposit your large luggage at the Pfitscherjochhaus and follow the signposts to the Rotbachlspitze (2,895 m). After an ascent (partly steep ascent) of approx. 670 m you can enjoy an incomparable view from the summit, which gave its name to the red stream far below you.
Total: walking time: 8 hours, distance: 17 km, 900 m ↑, 1,700 m ↓

Option 2: before you descend to St. Jakob, you can take the last ascent to the Europahütte and take a look at the new building under construction. From the Friedrichshöhe you then hike down to St. Jakob on the initially somewhat steeper path.
Total: walking time: 7.5 hours, distance: 16 km, 600 m elevation gain ↑, 1,405 m elevation gain ↓

Day 5: St. Jakob, Pfitsch (1,449m) - Sattelbergalm (1,637m)
Walking time: 5.5 hours, distance: 11 km, 850 m ↑, 575 m ↓ (plus transfer time)
You leave the Pfitschtal valley by public transport and travel via Sterzing up to the Brenner Pass (both routes included in the guest card, individual transfer can be booked for a fee of €90)
A beautiful path starts in the center of Brennero/Brenner and leads you up to a small plateau in steep hairpin bends. From here, follow the now flatter path through the Steinalm area. Between Kreuzjoch and Steinjoch you reach the mountain bike route on the Brenner border ridge. Here you can follow the forest path or the gentle ups and downs of the Tiroler Höhenweg to the summit of the Sattelberg.
At the Sattelberg, at 2,115 m, both routes come together and you have reached your last intermediate destination for today. The summit of the Sattelberg lies exactly on the border between Austria and Italy. Before you hike down to the cozy Sattelbergalm (Jubiläumssteig #4, keep a little to the right from the summit until you see the first markings), you can enjoy a wonderful view of the Zillertal and Stubai Alps, and with a bit of luck you might even spot one or two Dolomite peaks. You will end your smuggler's tour at the Sattelbergalm, where you will spend the last night.
Dinner and overnight stay in a shared room or camp.

Alternative: as soon as you have reached the small high plateau from the center of Brenner after the steeper climb, you can also follow the forest path directly to the Sattelbergalm. This variant is suitable, for example, on a bad weather day or if you have made a stop in Sterzing or Brenner.
Walking time: 2 hours, distance: 4.5 km, 350 m elevation gain ↑, 75 m elevation gain ↓

Day 6: Individual departure
Walking time: 2 hours, distance: 4 km, 95 HM ↑, 475 HM ↓
After a hearty Wipptal mountain breakfast at the Sattelbergalm, you can comfortably descend to Gries and from here take the S-Bahn back to St. Jodok to your starting point.