Most beautiful hiking routes

Through the wild Marul valley to the Fuchswaldalpe

The hike along the Marulbach stream offers pleasant cooling on hot days.

(Bild: Bergauer Rubina)

A narrow, shady path leads along the Marulbach stream to the Fuchswaldalpe in the Großes Walsertal. The forces of ice and water have shaped the Marul valley since the last ice age.

Marul is a district of the municipality of Raggal in the Großes Walsertal with around 200 inhabitants. The small settlement is characterized by the Lasanggabach (also known as Marulbach), which separates Marul from the rest of the municipality. Several hiking trails start in the small village and lead to the Hohe Fraßen (approx. three hours), over the Laguzalpen to the Freiburger Hütte (five and a half hours) or to the rocky Kellaspitze (a good five hours).

Tips and information

Type: Circular tour
Starting point: Marul hiking parking lot (three euros daily fee)
Duration: just under three hours
Equipment: shoes with good tread soles, daypack with drink and snack, clothing suitable for the weather, sun protection
Public transport: Bus route 575 (from Thüringen Busplatz or Ludesch) to Marul church
Refreshment stops: unfortunately there are none
Tip: there is a vending machine at the hiking parking lot with products from the region, including sweets from the Raggal cookie factory and cheese from the Marul organic dairy

A shady route leads along the Marulbach stream to the Fuchswaldalpe and is perfect for hot days. The starting point is at the hiking parking lot at the entrance to the village. From there, the trail first descends into the wild and romantic Marul valley and then continues along the varied forest adventure trail. A harsh climate, high snow levels in winter, avalanches and the bubbling torrent characterize this narrow mountain valley. Nevertheless, a number of wild animals and plants find habitats and retreats here. Among others, deer, chamois, black grouse, eagles and eagle owls can be found here.

The forest adventure trail has a lot to offer.

(Bild: Bergauer Rubina)

The spectacular waterfall on the way to the Fuchswaldalpe.

(Bild: Bergauer Rubina)

The harsher the environmental conditions are, the more sensitive nature reacts to disturbances. Although the Marul Valley still has a high proportion of near-natural landscapes, human influence is also noticeable there. It is therefore important that wild animals are not only provided with large rest areas by hunters, but also that hikers stay on the marked paths. The forest nature trail already offers many exciting stations that invite you to try out and discover, so the temptation to leave the path is not too great. Highlights on this section include the water clock, the waterfall and the barbecue area by the small lake, which is equipped with numerous hammocks.

Impressive evidence of the last ice age
Leaving this beautiful rest area behind you, follow the path further into the valley and soon cross a scree field. There, on the opposite side, the Marulbach stream erodes the slope, exposing a wall surface. A line drawn with a ruler runs through the middle of this. Numerous springs emerge from its upper side. This is water-permeable slope debris that lies on a ground moraine from the last ice age. The type of deposit in the lower half of the wall indicates that this moraine only formed slowly during the melting of the ice. The action of the Marulbach stream has brought these millennia-old glacial traces back to the surface. After crossing the scree field, the trail continues a little way through the shady forest.

Stonecrop saxifrage.

(Bild: Bergauer Rubina)

Stonecrop saxifrage

The saxifrage belongs to the saxifrage genus and is also known as brook saxifrage or spring saxifrage (also known as chamois in Tyrol), which refers to its preference for damp locations. The saxifrage is a richly branched, turf-forming and perennial plant that grows to a height of between five and 20 centimetres. It has loosely leafy, glandular-hairy stems. The foliage leaves are usually dark green to reddish in color and fleshy, which makes the species similar in its vegetative state to the genus of stonecrop or stonecrop. Two to twelve flowers stand together in a loose cluster. Their petals are yellow to dark orange with dark dots. In addition to flying insects, ants are also attracted to them. The flowering period extends from June to September. This saxifrage species prefers waterlogged, mostly calcareous, stony-gravelly clay or marl soils and is found at altitudes between 600 and 3000 meters. The saxifrage is considered endangered in Austria, at least in the northern foothills of the Alps .

The irrepressible forces of nature
Soon afterwards, a bridge leads over the narrow "Enge" gorge. This too was probably formed towards the end of the last ice age, when the mighty glaciers slowly melted and the Marulbach stream washed debris and fine sediments down the valley. These eroded the relatively soft rock that filled the edge of the terrain at this point - and this is how the "Enge" was formed. From the suspension bridge, you can see how deep the water has carved into the rock over time. After the bridge, walk past the information board for the "Faludriga Nova" nature reserve and follow the signpost towards Fuchswaldalpe. The walking time from this point is 45 minutes. A narrow path follows the course of the Marulbach stream and you cross several small bridges. Shortly before the Fuchswaldalpe, the route leads across a meadow up to the goods road. Along this path, you can finally hike back out of the valley towards Marul. However, many sections of this route are in the sun - if you prefer the shade, take the route along the stream again and return via the forest nature trail.