Kaisersäule: Hiking through Tirol's history!

Approaching mid-November, with the Sun already standing quite low and many north-facing mountain slopes in deep shadow (and some snow above ~2.200 m), it becomes increasingly hard to find nice hikes with great landscapes. The trees have mostly shed their leaves, and the ground looks ready to receive its layer of snow. However, whoever searches, finds something.

Heading into the northern part of the Inntal valley above the village of Thaur, you’ll discover a very interesting hike — both historically and in view! A thousand vertical meters above the village looms the Kaisersäule, a massive stone pyramid reaching 11 meters in height, built in 1839 as a memorial for Franz I’s visit here in October 1815. Apparently he hiked to the spot to have a good overview of the Tyrolean troop movements during the Tyrolean war of independence!

The viewpoint from this plateau, looking out over the wider basin of Innsbruck, is simply breathtaking; the bold shape of the pyramid makes it both unconventional and very picturesque.

Continuing on the same slope, a few hundred meters higher up, you reach one of the two summits of the hike, the Thaurer Zunterkopf (1.918 m). Then, after half an hour of a beautiful ridge walk through Latschen, you arrive at the main summit, the Haller Zunterkopf (1.966 m). Because the entire hike lies on the mountain’s southern aspect, most of the hike can be snowfree until very late in the year. In fact, the area is so dry that just a few years ago it was the site of one of the very few wildfires in Tirol.

From the summit, you can either retrace your steps or descend via the very steep but direct slope back to Thaur.

All in all: a beautiful hike, likely one of the last of the season before switching to skis! Enjoy the hike!


Subscribe our channel for more adventures!🤠
🏔️YouTube:    / @adventuresniffers  
🏔️Instagram:   / adventure_sniffers  
🏔️TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adventure_sni...
🎶1st track: https://pixabay.com/users/runamiraimu...