Hiking in mineral-rich Habachtal
A valley with unique emerald deposits
The unspoilt Habachtal area in the Hohe Tauern near Bramberg am Wildkogel is world-renowned, particularly due to its emerald deposits and abundance of minerals which are one-of-a-kind in Europe. If you would like to know more, you definitely ought to hike along the Emerald Trail which provides more information for you and your children about the mineralogy and geology in Habachtal, in a fun way too. You even get to be an emerald prospector yourself.
Summits
- Hohe Fürleg (3243 m)
- Plattiger Habach (3207 m)
- Schwarzkopf (2996 m)
- Kratzenberg (3022 m)
- Larmkogel (3017 m)
Crossings
- via Larmkogelscharte (2933 m) to Neue Fürther Hütte
- via Schwarzkopfscharte (2861 m) to Neue Prager Hütte
- via Habachscharte (2915 m) to East Tyrol
Emerald prospecting in Habachtal
From mid/end May until the start/mid October, guided emerald excursions take place twice a week.
Take the "Smaragdexpress" from Habachtal car park into Habachtal and on to Almgasthof Alpenrose. Look out and pan for a wide selection of minerals there, emeralds in particular. At 14:00 hike "mineral-rich" together with our hiking guide along the educational ‘Smaragdweg’ trail back to the starting point, or take the Smaragdexpress out of the valley again.
’Smaragdweg’ trail
Starting from Habachtal car park, the "’Smaragdweg’ trail" proceeds along the mist-enshrouded River Habach. Boredom is not an option here, since there are lots of exciting stations along the trail for children to explore. Pass "Grüner Boden (Green Meadow)" and the myth-enshrouded ‘Venedigermandln’ (Venetian Dwarfs) through the "abundant streams" up to the steep, towering Fazenwand. Here a mythical figure recounts the "legend of the Fazenwand". With a bit of luck you might even spot marmots in the Alpine meadows around Enzianhütte (1313 m – approx. 1 ½ hours). The highlight of the Smaragdweg trail is at Almgasthof Alpenrose (1384 m – approx. 2 hours). The romantic Moa Alm (1410 m – approx. 2 ¼ hours) marks the end of the Smaragdweg trail, with its unique mountain backdrop. There is the option of taking the Wandertaxi for the return leg of your journey.
National Park exhibition "Emeralds & Crystals" in Bramberg Museum
Crystalline gems from the Hohe Tauern enchant visitors; the aesthetics and variety of forms of these local minerals cannot be experienced like this anywhere else. The secrets of how minerals originated and the formation of crevasses are vividly explained, selected emeralds, the biggest smoky quartz in the East Alps, strange epidotes, a huge skeletal quartz, rock crystals, titanite and fluorite reveal the variety of local minerals. Films and animations show how minerals occur in nature and how they used to be mined.
