Most beautiful hiking routes

Hiking tour in the heart of the Klostertal

There is plenty to see on this leisurely hike.

(Bild: Bergauer Rubina)

Rugged rocks, steep forests and natural meadow slopes characterize this valley. A leisurely walk through Dalaas gives you an impression of this varied landscape.

The small village of Dalaas lies in the middle of the Klostertal and is the starting point for various hiking and biking tours. The entire hinterland of the Walgau used to be a mining area. One focus of this activity was on the northern slope of the Kristberg in Dalaas around 1355. As a result, the village developed from a mining settlement that already existed around 1300. The town's coat of arms therefore depicts a black, crossed pair of mining hammers as a reference to its origins.

Information about the hike

Type: extended walk
Duration: one and a half to three quarters of an hour
Starting point: parking lot at the Kristbergsaal, Dalaas
Equipment: walking shoes with good tread soles, clothing suitable for the weather
Refreshment stops at the swimming pool and in Dalaas
Public transport: Bus route 720s (from Bludenz train station to Dalaas Kristbergsaal)

Varied area
In the north of the Dalaas area are the Lechquellgebirge mountains, in the south parts of the Verwall group. The landscape is characterized by rocks, waterfalls, deep gorges and steep forests with plenty of dead wood as well as rough pastures. These highly structured natural areas are home to a wide variety of plants and animals. Numerous rare and sometimes protected species thrive on the flower-rich meadow slopes. The living conditions in the inaccessible mountain forests benefit a wide variety of bird species, especially woodpeckers and owls. The best way to gain an impression of this varied area is on a short tour.

Botany

The lesser summercress is also known as clover shrike and is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows to a height of ten to 50 centimetres. The stem is reddish-yellow to violet-purple and slender. It flowers from June to July. The plant is a complete parasite, which mainly parasitizes meadow clover (hence the name cloverworm), and more rarely also alfalfa or sowing asparagus. The small summer root cannot photosynthesize itself and is therefore completely dependent on its hosts for nutrition. Its rapid growth is made possible by the reserve substances stored in the root tuber. The plant prefers fresh meadows and grows on roadsides and roadsides, on fallow fields and clover fields at warm altitudes up to around 800 meters.

Lesser summer orchid

(Bild: Bergauer Rubina)

The starting point is the parking lot opposite the Kristbergsaal in Dalaas. First follow the footpath a short distance out of the valley and then turn right towards the swimming pool. Behind the kiosk, several hairpin bends lead uphill towards "Gaues" or "Marias". For a short time, you climb in the shade of the trees before the route ends on a narrow road. Keep left and you will soon pass the parish church of St. Oswald. Now follow the signpost to "Mason". You soon cross the tracks of the Arlbergbahn on a bridge. Wald am Arlberg station, which belongs to Dalaas, was closed years ago and now only serves as an alternative and crossing point for the single-track railroad line.

The station building was rebuilt after the avalanche disaster of 1954. In the accident, the masses of snow hurled a 120-ton locomotive and several wagons off the track. The locomotive came to rest in front of the building, which also housed an apartment, and formed a protective barrier. However, those parts that were not shielded by the vehicle were swept away. Ten people lost their lives in the disaster. Another avalanche in the 1970s did not cause any serious damage.

Zoology

The field cricket loves warm, sunny and dry slopes, meadows, gravel pits and heaths as well as sparse pine forests. The animals dig tubes ten to 20 centimetres deep and around two centimetres wide into the ground as their home. The field cricket is omnivorous, but mainly feeds on plants. From time to time, however, small ground animals or their carcasses are also on the menu. The animals have highly developed acoustic communication, which is based on differentiated sound and hearing organs. Only the sexually mature males are capable of vocalizations known as singing, chirping or stridulation. They are mainly heard in the afternoon and evening. The sounds are produced by rubbing parts of the forewings together. Female crickets cannot stridulate as they have no sound-producing structures on their wings. The males produce the characteristic chirping sound to attract females and keep rivals at a distance. Due to increasing habitat loss, the cricket population has declined in many regions in recent years. In some areas, they have even disappeared completely.

Field cricket

(Bild: Bergauer Rubina)

View of one of the highest waterfalls
After crossing the bridge over the tracks, the trail leads past natural meadows and a few houses to the Mason district at an altitude of 1030 meters. Here you have a beautiful view down into the valley and of the impressive Fallbach stream on the opposite side, one of the highest waterfalls in the country. You return via the same route.