Easy, but wonderfully scenic mountain hike, that requires a bit of stamina. If you would rather take it very gently, you could always stay overnight at the hospitable Arthur von Schmid House. Nowhere on the whole length of the route will you encounter any difficult stretches from a mountaineering perspective.

Travel to Mallnitz; turn off at the railway station and take the motor road to the Dösen valley, as far as the Dösen Valley National Park car park.

Dösen Valley National Park car park (1,448m)

From the car park take the footpath (no. E10), past the lovingly renovated Venetian sawmill, along the flat valley bottom, as far as the picturesque Konradlacke pool (1,616m). Here, there is a conspicuous scarp and, with several hairpin bends; the path takes you up above the tree line to the gorgeous Lackenboden. The walk along the thundering Dösenbach stream will soon bring you to the next scarp. You will be over it sooner than you might think, and a breathtaking view of the terrific "Hochkar" (high cirque landscape) will reveal itself. The crystal-clear waters of the Dösen lake (2,270m) mirror the rocky pinnacle of the Säuleck (3,086m), and the silhouette of the extremely comfortable Arthur von Schmid House (2,275m, 3 hours from the car park). The tour destination, the Dösen block glacier, is really discernible only at second glance, another half an hour away from the refuge hut. The stream comes surging impressively down towards the valley from the scree and the ice, releasing water that is as cold as you could ever get in the great outdoors! The descent is by the same route as the ascent. Tip: we recommend staying overnight at Arthur von Schmid House and attempting the Säuleck, one of the Hohen Tauern's "Seven Summits", on the following day.