Meraner Land · ItalyMeraner Höhenweg
Around the Texelgruppe above Merano
About Meraner Höhenweg
The Meraner Höhenweg is trail number 24, a 90-kilometre loop with just over 6,400 metres of climbing around the Texelgruppe above Meran. Laid out by AVS mountain guides and opened in 1985, it is one of the classic Alpine routes. Its two halves feel like two different holidays: the south side runs through chestnut woods and orchards with views over Meran, while the north side is genuinely high alpine, with the Eisjöchl at 2,895 metres as the high point.
Most hikers walk clockwise from Giggelberg or Unterstell, saving the climb to the Eisjöchl for the gentler Pfossental side. Several exposed passages are cable-secured and demand sure feet; anyone prone to vertigo should allow extra time there. The route is waymarked throughout as number 24. The Stettiner Hütte below the Eisjöchl has been a day stop only since the 2014 avalanche, and there is a rockfall detour between Katharinaberg and the Pfossental.
Nights range from guesthouses to centuries-old farms and mountain huts. The south side walks well all year; the north side only from June to the end of September.
Practical. The long days sit in the middle, the first and last are short. Cable cars from Partschins, Naturns, Algund and Dorf Tirol link the route to the valleys, so it is easy to shorten or split. Book huts and farms ahead, especially in July and August. The route is easiest to reach by train to Meran, then bus or cable car to the start.
Stages Meraner Höhenweg
The Meraner Höhenweg is split here into 8 stages of 5 to 18 km, 91 km in total, a loop hike from and to Giggelberg. The stages below are a sample itinerary: in the planner you put together your own days and choose where you sleep.
Giggelberg - Unterstell
From the Berggasthaus Giggelberg the route crosses the dry Vinschgau sun slopes, with views over the Etschtal towards the Ortler. The trail cuts through the gorge of the thousand steps, then stays high above Naturns on old farm paths to the Linthof, finishing at the Gasthaus Unterstell near the cable car station, with the entire Vinschgau spread out below.
Unterstell - Vorderkaser
Through scattered mountain farms the trail enters the Schnalstal, with a grand view of Schloss Juval on the opposite slope. You pass the marked village of Katharinaberg, Bronze Age settlement site, and turn into the Pfossental, a side valley that quickly turns wild. The day ends at the Vorderkaser Alm at the end of the public road, with the 3,000-metre peaks of the valley head already in sight.
Vorderkaser - Eishof
A short but spectacular day into the high mountains. The trail climbs gently through the upper Pfossental, past old alm huts, to the Eishof at 2,076 metres, once the highest year-round farm in old Tyrol. The Hohe Weiße and other 3,000-metre peaks of the Texelgruppe close the valley in like a natural amphitheatre.
Eishof - Zeppichl
The royal stage. A military path climbs steadily to the Eisjöchl at 2,895 metres, the highest point of the route, with the Hohe Wilde and Hohe Weiße towering on either side. The Stettiner Hütte just below the pass serves day visitors only. The long descent leads past the Lazinser Alm down to the Zeppichl farm group above Pfelders.
Zeppichl - Matatz
From Zeppichl the trail drops to Pfelders and follows the valley down through Inner- and Außerhütt. At the Krössbichl bridge the north and south parts of the Höhenweg meet. Through quiet farm country on the sunny side of the Passeier the route reaches the scattered hamlet of Matatz above St. Martin, with views towards the Jaufen pass.
Matatz - Muthöfe
A day of farms and balconies above the Passeier valley. From Matatz the trail drops to the Kalmbach at 820 metres, the lowest point of the route, climbs back to Magdfeld and Vernuer, and then follows the old irrigation path of the Spronser Tal up to the Longfallhof. The day ends at the historic Muthöfe farms high above Dorf Tirol and Merano.
Muthöfe - Hochganghaus
Past the Gasthof Hochmuth the route follows the Hans-Frieden-Weg westwards to the Leiteralm and climbs steadily to the Hochganghaus at 1,839 metres, the highest point of the southern flank. Below, the Meraner Kessel opens up completely: Dorf Tirol, Merano and the entire Etschtal in one sweep.
Hochganghaus - Giggelberg
The last stage runs along the stony Tablander Alm in an easy descent to the Zielbach and the Nassereith-Hütte. Just below stands the Partschinser Wasserfall, at 98 metres the tallest waterfall in South Tyrol. A short climb through shady forest brings you back to the Giggelberg, where the Texelbahn cable car waits for the return to the valley.
FAQ
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