Hut to Hut in the Austrian Alps Extended Version HHT6-7

Accommodation

Accommodation for the Hut to Hut Light in Austria is in traditional mountain huts, most of them run by local alpine clubs. 

There are some huts that offer private rooms, which we will book when available for customers who book our Classic Package. However, not all huts have private rooms, which means it’s not possible to do the full tour in private rooms. Our Comfort Package is not available on this tour, due to the rustic nature of the huts that are located on the route.

Meals

Half-pension is included at every hut. This includes a multi-course set menu for dinner (usually with a vegetarian and non-vegetarian option) and a breakfast that is based around bread, often with cheese and cold cuts. Drinks are not included (except for coffee at breakfast).

Read about dietary restrictions at the huts

For lunches, there are two options. We recommend planning a combination of these:

1. Huts offer sack lunches that you can bring with you on the trail. We find these to be overpriced, repetitive to breakfast, and this option generates a lot of trash. The huts do not include sack lunches in their reservation process, which is why we are unable to book these in advance for you. Sack lunches should be requested immediately upon arrival at the hut for the next day. Huts are generally not very flexible in honoring dietary restrictions with their sack lunches.

1. The second option, and our favorite option, is to bring your own food. There are not any grocery stores along the route, so it is necessary to do all the shopping before starting the hike.

The Hut to Hut Light in the AustrianAlps tour is likely to have the best conditions between mid-July and the end of the August. Huts are generally open from mid-June until mid-September, which defines the hiking season for this route.

Here's what conditions to expect at different times of year:

Late June: Huts are open and routes from the valleys to the huts are clear. Problematic snow is likely on the passes and at high elevations. Even if the passes are clear in time for your hike, they usually clear at the very last minute, and June hikers always have a couple of stressful weeks leading up to their hike as they eagerly wait for the snow to melt in time for their hike. In almost every year, it is not possible to predict what trails are going to be like in June until one or two weeks before. This is true even after a winter with low snowfall.

July and August: Problematic snow can remain on the passes through the second week of July, but it is less likely than in June. Summer settles in and days are usually mostly sunny with an afternoon thunderstorm or two. These thunderstorms rarely interfere with hiking itineraries and are not usually problematic. Of course, thunderstorm safety should be practiced. The wildflowers at the higher elevations should be all out by mid-July. Hiking conditions during this time are often favorable, and it’s a great time to be on the trail.

Early September: The first snow of the winter usually falls in the first week of September. The snow rarely sticks around for more than a day, but the visibility can be very low, making navigation problematic, and maybe even impossible, on this one day. Most days in early September are beautiful and perfect, and the thunderstorms are less, but there is a higher risk of snowstorms and conditions that may prevent you from completing your hike during this time. Many hikers have incredible weather in September, but some do not. It’s simply a matter of luck. The later you push into September, the higher the risk that unfavorable conditions (usually snow, but sometimes extremely cold temperatures) can interfere with your hiking itinerary. We notice that customers who are on the trail beyond September 15^th are much more likely to quit their hike early due to conditions. In early September, the wildflower season is mostly over, with the exception of brilliant bursts of fireweed that mark the end of summer.

In all months, it’s reasonable to expect 1 to 2 rainy days on the trail.

To research more detailed information about average temperatures, precipitation, etc., we recommend checking Meteoblue (go to “History & Climate” and then “Climate (modelled)”) for Lüsens and for Längenthaleralm.

Read more about Understanding the hut-to-hut hiking season in the Alps.