The best hiking routes in Upper Austria

Upper Austria offers a sharp division between the flat, agricultural plains of the north and the limestone massifs of the south. Walkers must choose between the dense, rolling woodlands along the Czech border and the steep, rocky terrain of the alpine edge. Underfoot, the northern forests feature soft pine needle paths and damp peat, while the southern limestone zones present hard, gravelly tracks and exposed karst rock.

For a forested, undulating walk, the northern borderlands connect with Národní park Šumava, where the trails wind through dark spruce woods and peat bogs. In contrast, the southern limestone Alps demand more effort. Nationalpark Kalkalpen protects a vast area of dense beech forests and deep ravines, where you walk on gravel forestry roads and narrow, rocky paths. Nearby, the Totes Gebirge mit Altausseer See offers high-altitude karst plateaus where the soil thins out entirely, leaving walkers on bare, white limestone.

This landscape is shaped by its geology and forestry. In the north, the gentle granite hills are covered in managed timber forests, meaning you will often pass active logging tracks. In the south, the limestone has been carved by water, creating dry valleys where surface water disappears into sinkholes, leaving the high paths dry and exposed. June is a notable month to visit the alpine meadows of the southern parks, as the snow has cleared to reveal alpine wildflowers directly beside the stony paths.