Hohe Tauern National Park: Austria's Largest Protected Area

Around Austria's highest peak, the Grossglockner, stretches Hohe Tauern National Park, the largest contiguous protected area in the Alps. Across three Austrian states, the park safeguards a high mountain landscape of glaciers, peaks above 3,000 meters, and waterfalls such as the Krimml Waterfalls.

Glaciers, Peaks, and Waterfalls

The national park covers nearly 1,900 square kilometers, with more than 300 peaks over 3,000 meters and the largest glacier areas in the Eastern Alps. The Pasterze at the foot of the Grossglockner, once Austria's largest glacier, shows the retreat of alpine ice more clearly than almost anywhere else, while further down the valley, waterfalls like the Krimml Waterfalls reveal the power of the meltwater.

Three States, One Protected Area

The national park spans Salzburg, Tyrol, and Carinthia and was designated in stages during the 1980s and 1990s, a rare example of cross-state nature conservation in Austria. Visitor centers such as the one in Mittersill convey the geology, flora, and fauna of the area and serve as starting points for guided tours.

Hiking in the Alps' Largest National Park

Hundreds of kilometers of marked trails open up the park, from easy alpine meadow walks to demanding high mountain routes across glaciers and ridges. Ibex, chamois, marmots, and the bearded vulture, successfully reintroduced after its extinction in the 20th century, count among the defining residents of this alpine wilderness.