Brandenberg Alps 
T2
Alpengasthof Schneeberg (960 m) – Pendling (1563 m) – Pendlinghaus (1537 m) – Heimkehrerkreuz (1460 m) – Kalaalm (1360 m) – Alpengasthof Schneeberg (960 m)
Overall a moderately difficult mountain hike, leading along wide tracks and small, partly stony and also steep paths. The detour to the Heimkehrerkreuz requires a bit of a sense of direction, as the path is faint in places. Sure-footedness is necessary for the described route.
Motorway Munich – Innsbruck, Kufstein Nord exit. After the exit, head towards Thiersee and the town centre. After the Inn bridge, turn right onto Thierseestraße and drive up to Thiersee. In the village, turn left towards Hinterthiersee (signposted) and after 1.8 kilometres turn left towards Schneeberg/Kalaalm. Drive up several hairpin bends to the pay-and-display car park at the Alpengasthof Schneeberg (€4 parking fee, as of 2023).
By train from Munich via Rosenheim or from Innsbruck to Kufstein. From Kufstein station, continue on bus route 4046 towards Hinterthiersee to the Thiersee Pfarrwirt-Mitterland stop (for timetable information). Then walk uphill for 35 minutes to the Alpengasthof Schneeberg (an additional 170 metres in altitude).
47.58015893, 12.09330797
Anzeige
The rugged rock face of the Pendling towers over the Inn Valley near Kufstein. As forbidding as it appears from the south, it presents a much gentler face from the north. As part of a fairly short hike, the Pendling can be climbed without any significant difficulty from the Gasthof Schneeberg in Thiersee. In theory, one could even ascend entirely via a track to the Pendlinghaus, which lies a little below the summit. Naturally, it is more appealing to keep the track section to a minimum and take the small hiking trails instead. At the Pendlinghaus, you are greeted by a fantastic panoramic view across the Inn Valley to the Kaiser Mountains and the Hohe Tauern. For the descent, we choose the route via the Heimkehrerkreuz and the Kalaalm. This takes us past a second beautiful viewpoint and, at the Kalaalm, another place to stop for refreshments.
From the large car park at the Alpengasthof Schneeberg (960 m), we follow the tarmac road southwards uphill. Later, we reach a sparse copse and, after the last buildings, pass a barrier. Immediately after the barrier, the path forks. We now take the left-hand fork (signposted ‘Pendling’) and thus remain on the toboggan run. The wide path then winds its way uphill through the mountain forest. We ignore all unsigned turnings and always follow the signs towards Pendling. After a total walking time of just under 30 minutes, we come to a junction with a signpost at a sharp right-hand bend. We now leave the wide track, keeping to the left, and turn onto the path towards Pendling and Dreibrunnenjoch.
A stony path leads us eastwards into the mountain forest. After a right-hand bend, we reach a wide cross-path and keep diagonally to the left there. We thus cross the forest track and continue the hike along the small forest path. Immediately afterwards, our path turns left and we pass a tree with a sign reading ‘In the footsteps of Ludwig Steub’. In the 19th century, the writer travelled through the Bavarian and Tyrolean border mountains to gather material for his works. A long straight stretch follows, leading us uphill in an easterly direction. After a clearing with a rugged slope, we re-enter the forest and come to a steeply sloping rock face. At the foot of the face, our path takes a sharp right turn.
A short while later, we reach a clearing and look out over the Schmiedtal valley and its surrounding mountains. In the clearing, our path turns left again and we return to the mountain forest. The trail, now partly stepped, becomes slightly steeper and leads us into increasingly rocky terrain. The hairpin bends also become shorter and shorter, and we finally climb up to the saddle between the Pendling and the Mittagskogel. There we rejoin the wide track, which we cross keeping to the left (signpost ‘Pendling via footpath’). Through a sparse copse, we hike uphill over the ridge in a north-easterly direction. The ground becomes increasingly stony and we gain altitude rapidly in short hairpin bends.
Finally, we reach the rugged plateau on which the old summit cross on the Pendling (1563 m) stands. At this point, we have also reached the actual summit and thus the highest point of the hike. Maintaining the general direction, we continue along the path towards the north-east. We pass through a sparse woodland. Finally, after a short climb, we reach the new summit cross, which towers over Kufstein at the edge of the Inn Valley. From here, there is a lovely view over the rooftops of the town towards the Kaiser Mountains. We have almost made it now, and it is not far to the terrace of the Pendlinghaus. We pass the viewpoint adorned with a cross and, after a short descent, reach the Pendlinghaus (1,537 m, 1¾ hours from the Alpengasthof Schneeberg).
There are now two options for the return journey from the Pendlinghaus: the most scenic route is to retrace the same path via the two summit crosses. Alternatively, you can take the wide track, which begins on the left-hand side of the Pendlinghaus, facing the hut entrance. Both routes involve a slight climb. The summit path at the start, the track at the end before the saddle. Back at the saddle between Pendling and Mittagskogel, we continue straight on towards Kalaalm. The wide track leads us uphill and, after a left and a right-hand bend, brings us to a signposted junction. Here we turn diagonally right onto the path to the Heimkehrerkreuz. After another uphill stretch, the narrow path leads us into the mountain forest.
Now we need to pay attention: on a flat section, we continue straight ahead, climb over a flat rock barrier and then follow the clear path, keeping to the left, uphill in a south-westerly direction. Shortly afterwards, the terrain levels out again and we walk slightly downhill through the mountain forest. Before a rise marked with a red-and-white sign, we turn right and descend via a rocky section of the path to a grassy plateau. Ahead of us, we can already see the Heimkehrerkreuz. We reach a signpost, keep diagonally to the right there and climb off-trail up to the rugged summit, which is adorned with the Heimkehrerkreuz (1,460 m). From the wooden cross, we return to the signpost and head diagonally to the right.
In a right-hand bend, we head across the grassy area towards a hollow between two meadow hills. At its end, we come across a distinct path and descend in a north-westerly direction via switchbacks. As soon as we reach the edge of the forest, we can see the Kalaalm below us. We walk down to a cart track, turn left onto it and, after a right-hand bend, reach the Kalaalm (1,360 m). For the direct descent, we walk along the fence and rejoin the track. We continue straight ahead and follow the wide track downhill in a south-westerly direction. After a left-hand bend and a sharp right-hand bend, our path turns north-west. A short while later, we cross a clearing via the winding track.
After the clearing, the track curves to the right. This is followed by a short left-hand bend and a right-hand bend. We then reach a signposted junction. Here we can leave the wide track and turn sharply left onto the path towards Schneeberg and Hinterthiersee. At the start, the path descends quite steeply through the forest. After a right-hand bend, the terrain levels out slightly and we walk down to a cart track. We cross this and continue our descent along the forest path, ignoring the subsequent junction to Hinterthiersee on the left. We maintain our general direction and later our path joins a forest track. This takes us back to the barrier, where we meet our ascent route. We follow this down to the Alpengasthof Schneeberg (960 m, 1¾ hours from the Pendlinghaus).
| Elevation | Time | Total | Destination | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 960 m | - 1563 m | + 1:35 | 1:35 | Pendling |
 | 1563 m | - 1537 m | + 0:10 | 1:45 | Pendlinghaus |
| 1537 m | - 1460 m | + 0:40 | 2:25 | Heimkehrerkreuz |
| 1460 m | - 1360 m | + 0:15 | 2:40 | Kalaalm |
| 1360 m | - 960 m | + 0:50 | 3:30 | Alpengasthof Schneeberg |
