The hub of a splendid network of hiking trails
The Kreuzeck cable car is the ideal starting point for hikes replete with adventure. From a gentle mountain experience to a wild gorge hike, on Kreuzeck you will experience the full diversity of the Werdenfels mountain world.
Kreuzeck is the adventure park for young and old alike. Enjoy the alpine pastures and gentle slopes, perhaps on the short hike to the Hochalm lodge – within view the whole time: Beautifully shaped Alpspitze and the imposing limestone giants of the Wetterstein massif. Easy hikes take you through the high-alpine world above Garmisch-Partenkirchen and bid you to stop in for a bite to eat and drink. Kreuzeckhaus, Kreuzjochhaus and Kreuzalm spoil you with hearty platters of cold cuts ("Brotzeit") and let you recharge with typical Bavarian alpine-lodge meals.
On Kreuzeck, though, it isn't just nature that casts its spell on you: In the Kreuzeck mountain station, a small exhibit takes you back into the past of the historic Kreuzeck cable car – the first aerial cable car to be built in Bavaria, in 1926. Admire the support towers where the cars enter the station and curious exhibits and historic photographs from the pioneering times of aerial cable car construction.
Kreuzeck is the trailhead for a multitude of exciting hikes. You might like to try these two especially beautiful hiking trails:
From the Kreuzeck mountain station to the Osterfelderkopf station
From here, you walk towards the Hochalm lodge and take the first turn-off to the right, passing under the Längenfelder cable car. At the fork in the trail, continue toward Hupfleite, passing beneath the Alpspitze cable car, and then climb up the switch-backs to the Hupfleitenjoch col. Here, a spectacular view toward the Höllental gorge and the Zugspitze mountain awaits you. From here, you take a steep and narrow trail to the top of the Osterfelderkopf mountain. Your first option for the descent is to take the Alpspitze cable car into the valley from the Osterfelderkopf mountain station. The alpine variation descends through the Höllentalklamm gorge. You can also take the same trail back that you came up on. Then, from the Kreuzeck station, continue down the steep and narrow Jägersteig that takes you to the village of Hammersbach.
Kreuzeck tour through the Partnachklamm gorge
This time, we start at the Olympic Ski Stadium in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and follow the road in the direction of the Partnachklamm gorge. The well-maintained trail through the gorge is protected by stable railings and offers breathtaking natural spectacles for both young and old. At the end of the gorge, steel planks lead to the Partnachalm mountain pasture lodge. From there, alpinists follow the hiking trail toward the Bayernhaus lodge and then head toward the Kreuzeck mountain station. After an imposing hike up the mountain and through the gorge, the mountain enthusiasts can descend leisurely into the valley by taking the Kreuzeck cable car and then chill out in the Kandahar CaféBar. Of course, you can also start at the Kreuzeck mountain station and go in the opposite direction.
