Tips for staying safe while hiking
Exploring the outdoors is a great way to take a break from everyday life and connect with nature. To ensure that your hiking or mountain adventure goes smoothly, we ask that you follow the guidelines, be considerate of others, and know what to do in an emergency. Want to collect your hiking pins digitally? We'll show you how.
In addition to uniform signposting and waymarking, trails are divided into hiking paths, mountain trails and alpine routes according to the hiking and mountain trail system of the province of Tirol. Visit maps.achensee.com to view all routes and difficulty levels.
- Hiking paths are considered easy, which means they do not require any mountain experience, only suitable footwear and weather appropriate clothing.
- Moderately difficult ("red") mountain trails are mostly narrow and steep and require sure-footedness and experience in alpine terrain.
- Difficult ("black") mountain trails are narrow, steep and exposed. These trails require sure-footedness, a head for heights, experience in alpine terrain and mountaineering equipment.
- Alpine routes run through high alpine terrain and are neither built nor maintained. Mountaineers need (climbing) experience in high alpine terrain.
- Honestly assess your fitness level. If you’re hiking with children, make sure you go at their pace.
- All hikes require good planning. Think about how many kilometres and hours you’re comfortable hiking. Keep in mind that the amount of elevation gain is one factor that determines the difficulty. Always check the weather forecast and where to stop for refreshments during the hike! Take breaks!
- Good hiking equipment is essential, including sturdy hiking boots, warm and windproof clothing, a weatherproof rucksack, sun protection, a small first aid kit, hiking maps, a mobile phone, small snacks, and plenty to drink.
- Let your accommodation provider, family, or friends know where you are going and when you plan to be back. Also, sign hut and summit books, which can be very helpful in an emergency! Avoid hiking in the dark!
- Stay on marked hiking trails!
- Avoid any contact with grazing cattle, do not feed them and keep your distance! Close pasture fences! If you’re hiking with your dog, keep your four-legged friend on a short leash! Mother cows protecting their calves feel threatened by a dog, and in case of an attack, immediately unleash your dog!
- Respect nature! In our Facebook campaign "Taktvoll" (being respectful), we share tips on environmentally conscious behaviour and how we all can take responsibility for our environment.
SummitLynx is a mobile mountaineering and hiking app that allows users around the world to record mountain peaks and hiking routes via GPS and share their victories on social networks. The app also lets you collect the traditional and popular hiking pins from Lake Achensee on your smartphone.
In case of an emergency
- Emergency numbers: 144 (ambulance), 140 (emergency number for alpine accidents in Austria), 112 (European emergency number)
- Emergency app „SOS EU Alp“: This app shares your GPS coordinates with local emergency response teams, reducing the time between alert and rescue considerably. The app is a valuable addition to the official alpine emergency number 140.
- The wayfinding signs along the trails have so-called “rescue point markers” which can be helpful in an emergency. The stickers list alpine emergency numbers and the current position, which helps local rescue services in case of an accident or other emergency.
TIROLEAN SEAL OF QUALITY FOR THE HIGH STANDARD OF TRAILS
Every five years, the state of Tirol awards a seal of quality to regions whose mountain trails meet certain criteria, such as proper difficulty ratings, ensuring that trails are kept safe and useable, uniform marking of trails complete with signposts, as well as information provided at the starting points of trails. The Achensee region has again earned this award in 2022. Our special thanks go to the Achensee Hiking Trail Association for their tireless efforts to keep the hiking trails in Tirol’s Sports and Vitality Park safe and well-maintained.
