The Kaisergebirge (a nature reserve), familiarly known merely as the "Kaiser", rears its mighty and precipitous walls and towers directly out of the extensive foreland region. Covered with forest and Alpine meadows, it lies to the north of the Kitzbühel Alps and east of the Inn (see Inn Valley), which turns north at Kufstein towards Bavaria. The towering peaks with their majestic silhouettes, separated by gloomy gorges, are of incomparable force and beauty. This wild and rugged massif is a paradise for mountaineers and rock-climbers, and the tourist center of the region is the charmingly situated little town of Hinterbärenbad (831m/2,727ft).
Smaller than the Walchsee, but of rare beauty, is the Hintersteiner See south of the Wilder Kaiser. To the southeast of Kufstein a road winds along the valley of the Weissache at the foot of the Wilder Kaiser to St Johann in Tirol (see Kitzbühel, Surroundings). From this road a footpath leads via the Steinerne Stiege (one hour) to the picturesque Hintersteiner See (alt. 892m/2,927ft), which can also be reached along a 4km/2.5mi road from Scheffau am Wilden Kaiser. The rock walls of the Scheffauer (2,113m/6,933ft) can be seen mirrored in the clear waters of the lake.
The deep Kaisertal which joins the Inn valley at Kufstein and continues eastward as the Kaiserbachtal, separates the northern part of the mountain range, the Zahmer Kaiser ("Tame Emperor") or Hinterer Kaiser, with the Vorderer Kesselschneid and the magnificent Pyramidenspitze (1,997m/6,554ft) from the Wilder Kaiser ("Wild Emperor") or Vorderer Kaiser to the south.
The Walchsee, with the village of the same name, in an open landscape of forest and Alpine meadows, is one of Tirol's larger lakes (1 sq.km/0.6 sq. mi). The village of Walchsee, with its painted houses, is a favorite place for winter sports (lifts).
Address: Walchsee Tourist Office, Dorfplatz 10, A-6344 Walchsee, Austria
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Meadow in the Wilder Kaiser Mountains.
Village in Alps Wilder Kaiser.
