The Stubai High Trail (Stubaier Höhenweg) is one of the great hut-to-hut circuits of the Eastern Alps: roughly 80 km and around 4,400 m of ascent in a huge horseshoe around the Stubai valley in Tyrol, linking eight staffed mountain huts and staying almost continuously above 2,000 m. It is high, rocky, occasionally cable-protected and consistently spectacular — glaciers on one side, the jagged Kalkkögel on the other, and a warm bed with hot food waiting at the end of every stage. This guide covers the seven stages in their classic order, how hard the route really is, how to get there from Innsbruck, when to go, and how to book the huts before they fill up.

What the route actually is

The Stubaier Höhenweg is a circuit of seven hut-to-hut stages connecting eight huts: Starkenburger, Franz Senn, Neue Regensburger, Dresdner, Sulzenau, Nürnberger, Bremer and Innsbrucker. Add the approach from the valley on day one and the final descent, and most hikers plan eight to nine days for the full loop.

Because it is a horseshoe around a single valley, it has two properties that make planning flexible. First, it can be walked in either direction — the classic way is clockwise from the Starkenburger Hütte to the Innsbrucker Hütte, which saves the hardest stage for last, when you are fittest. Second, every hut has its own access path (and in two cases a cable car) from the Stubai valley floor, so you can join or bail at any stage. Few long routes in Austria are this easy to shorten, split across two holidays, or escape from if the weather turns.

How hard is it, honestly?

This is not a beginner route. The Stubai valley grades the Höhenweg as a black (difficult) mountain trail, and it earns it: long stages of up to seven hours, repeated climbs to passes near or above 2,800 m, sustained rocky terrain, and several exposed sections secured with steel cables and iron rungs — most notably at the Niederl, the Grawagrubennieder and the Simmingjöchl. Snowfields linger on the high crossings well into July.

You do not need climbing gear or via ferrata equipment, but you do need sure-footedness, a genuine head for heights, and the fitness to walk seven hours with 1,000 m of ascent at altitude, several days in a row. If you have only walked well-graded valley paths, build up first; if you already enjoy scrambly, secured terrain — the kind covered in our via ferrata guide to Austria and Slovenia — you will find the protected passages exciting rather than frightening. There is no glacier travel on the standard route, and waymarking is excellent throughout.

The seven stages, hut to hut

Stage 1: Starkenburger Hütte to Franz-Senn-Hütte

15 km, about 7 hours, 690 m of ascent. From the Starkenburger Hütte (2,237 m), the longest stage by distance is a grand balcony traverse beneath the pale towers of the Kalkkögel — often called the Dolomites of North Tyrol — over the Seejöchl and then a long, undulating contour into the Oberbergtal. It is a big first day, but mostly on good path, ending at the Franz-Senn-Hütte (2,147 m), the largest and liveliest hut on the circuit.

Stage 2: Franz-Senn-Hütte to Neue Regensburger Hütte

9 km, about 4 hours, 603 m of ascent. A shorter day crossing the Schrimmennieder at around 2,700 m, with steep switchbacks and some secured ground on the descent. The early finish at the cosy Neue Regensburger Hütte (2,286 m) leaves the afternoon free — a deliberate breather before the biggest day of the trek.

Stage 3: Neue Regensburger Hütte to Dresdner Hütte

13 km, about 7 hours, 1,033 m of ascent. The queen stage. After the hanging meadows of the Hohes Moos, the trail climbs steeply — steel cables in places, and often a snowfield to cross — to the Grawagrubennieder (2,880 m), the highest point of the entire Höhenweg. The long, wild descent passes the Mutterberger See before a final pull up to the Dresdner Hütte (2,308 m), which sits beside the Stubai Glacier lift and feels almost luxurious after two nights of remoteness, with showers and glacier views.

Stage 4: Dresdner Hütte to Sulzenauhütte

5 km, about 3 hours, 419 m of ascent. Short but memorable, crossing the Peiljoch (2,672 m), a pass crowned by a strange forest of stone cairns and a front-row view of the Sulzenauferner glacier. Strong parties can take the harder variant over the Grosser Trögler for one of the best panoramas of the trek. The Sulzenauhütte (2,191 m) sits above a waterfall in one of the prettiest corries in the Stubai Alps.

Stage 5: Sulzenauhütte to Nürnberger Hütte

4.4 km, about 4 hours, 461 m of ascent. Don't be fooled by the tiny distance. The trail climbs past the improbably turquoise Blaue Lacke to the Niederl (2,629 m), where cables and iron rungs bolted into the rock protect the steep, exposed step over the saddle. Take it slowly and it is fine; in wet weather it demands real care. A rocky descent leads to the granite slabs around the Nürnberger Hütte (2,278 m).

Stage 6: Nürnberger Hütte to Bremer Hütte

6 km, about 4 hours, 642 m of ascent. A stage of boulders and glacier-polished slabs, crossing the Simmingjöchl (2,754 m) with cable-secured scrambling on both sides of the saddle. The reward is the Bremer Hütte (2,413 m), the highest, smallest and most atmospheric hut on the circuit — no showers, limited electricity, and a genuine end-of-the-world feel beneath the ice of the inner Stubai.

Stage 7: Bremer Hütte to Innsbrucker Hütte

9.5 km, about 7 hours, 839 m of ascent. The final stage is widely considered the most demanding of the whole Höhenweg: a long, rugged traverse across ribs and gullies with three separate steep climbs of 200–300 m each, several secured passages, and no bail-out options along the way. Start early and carry plenty of water. The finish at the Innsbrucker Hütte (2,369 m), directly beneath the great pyramid of the Habicht (3,277 m), is a worthy climax. Next morning, descend through the Pinnistal via the Karalm to Neder — around two and a half hours — and catch the bus back.

Getting there and away

The circuit is genuinely car-free friendly. From Innsbruck main station, bus 590 runs into the Stubai valley roughly every half hour, reaching Fulpmes and Neustift in about 50 minutes. For the classic start, ride the Schlick 2000 gondola from Fulpmes to the Kreuzjoch top station, from where a gently rising panoramic path reaches the Starkenburger Hütte in around 1.5 to 2 hours — or walk up directly from Neustift, a stiff climb of roughly 1,200 vertical metres. At the far end, the Pinnistal descent from the Innsbrucker Hütte returns you to Neder, one bus stop from Neustift. Mid-route, the Stubai Glacier gondola serves the Dresdner Hütte from the Mutterberg valley station, which is what makes shorter variants so practical. If you are spending a day or two in the city before or after, our Innsbruck hiking guide covers what to do with it.

When to go

The season is short: roughly late June to mid-September, dictated by hut opening dates and snow on the passes. In late June and early July expect old snowfields on the Grawagrubennieder, the Niederl and the Simmingjöchl — check conditions with the hut wardens before committing. Mid-July to early September is the most reliable window; September brings quieter huts, crisper air and the first dustings of fresh snow up high. A few Stubai huts linger into early October in good years — see our guide to Alpine huts open in October — but the full circuit should not be relied on outside the core season.

Booking the huts

All eight huts belong to sections of the German and Austrian Alpine Clubs (DAV/ÖAV) — several are still named after the German cities whose club sections built them, from Dresden to Nuremberg to Bremen — and all take reservations through the clubs' central hut-reservation.org platform. For July and August, book weeks ahead — eight to twelve weeks for weekend nights on the popular middle section — because the route's fixed stage structure means everyone needs the same beds on the same nights. Alpine club members get discounted rates and priority in the sleeping quarters, and the membership often pays for itself over seven nights. If a hut you need shows no availability for your dates, set a free bed alert on its HutLists page and you'll get an email the moment a cancellation opens a bed — here's how that works. Half board is the norm and worth taking everywhere; bring cash, as not every hut takes cards.

Short on time? The three-day taster

The best compressed version of the Höhenweg uses the Stubai Glacier lift to skip straight into the finest scenery:

Day 1: Bus to Mutterberg, gondola towards the glacier, and a short walk to the Dresdner Hütte; cross the cairn-studded Peiljoch to sleep at the Sulzenauhütte (about 3 hours).
Day 2: Over the cable-protected Niederl past the Blaue Lacke to the Nürnberger Hütte (about 4 hours) — the single best sampler of what this trail is about.
Day 3: Descend the Langental to the valley bus stop below the Nürnberger Hütte (about 2 hours) and ride back to Neustift.

You get glaciers, secured passes, a mountain lake and two of the circuit's most charming huts, with modest daily times — though the Niederl still demands sure feet.

What to pack

Travel light: everything you carry goes over seven passes. Beyond the standard hut kit — sleeping bag liner (mandatory in DAV/ÖAV huts), headtorch, cash, earplugs — the Höhenweg specifically rewards stiff-soled boots with real grip for the block fields, lightweight gloves for the fixed cables, trekking poles for the long descents, and full waterproofs plus a warm layer, because storms arrive fast at 2,800 m even in August. Aim for under 10 kg all-in. Our complete Alpine hut packing list covers the rest, and the official Stubai High Trail site posts current trail conditions each season.

Plan carefully, book early, and the Stubaier Höhenweg delivers something rare: a full week above the treeline where the logistics run on Austrian rails and every evening ends with dumplings, a bunk and a glacier out the window.

Stubai High Trail (Stubaier Höhenweg): Hut-to-Hut Guide