Reutte Attractions
Reutte, in a wide basin in the valley of the Lech, is the chief town of the Ausserfern district, to the north of the Fernpass, and an important traffic junction between Füssen and Pfronten in Germany, the Fernpass, the upper Lech valley (Hochtannberg Pass and Flexen Road) and the Tannheimer Tal (Oberjoch and Gaicht Pass).
Reutte possesses some handsome 18th C. burghers' houses with painted facades, gables and oriel windows (e.g. the Zeillerhaus in the Untermarkt). The 17th C. parish church in the Breitenwang district has some beautiful ceiling painting and Baroque relief medallions of the Dance of Death in the mortuary chapel. The local museum is also of interest.
Reutte possesses some handsome 18th C. burghers' houses with painted facades, gables and oriel windows (e.g. the Zeillerhaus in the Untermarkt). The 17th C. parish church in the Breitenwang district has some beautiful ceiling painting and Baroque relief medallions of the Dance of Death in the mortuary chapel. The local museum is also of interest.
Gaichtpass
From Weissenbach the road, partly blasted from the rock, climbs to the Gaicht pass (1,093m/3,586ft), a beautifully wooded defile. To the north rises the Gaichtspitze (1,988m/6,523ft), which can be climbed in three hours from the village of Gaicht.
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Hochvogel
A road leads southwest from Stanzach to Vorderhornbach (973m/3,192ft) and Hinterhornbach (1,101m/3,612ft), from which the Hochvogel (2,593m/8,508ft) rearing up to the north can be climbed in six hours.
Bach, Austria
(Near Reutte)
Bach (1,060m/3,478ft; painted house facades) lies at the mouth of the gorge-like Madau valley. To the south of Madau (1,310m/4,298ft) the Memminger Hütte (2,242m/7,356ft) can be reached in about five hours.
Berwang, Austria
(Near Reutte)
From Bichlbach a side road leads to Berwang (1,336m/4,383ft; pop. 500), a favorite winter sports resort on a mountain saddle, with chairlifts to the Hochalm (1,626m/5,335ft), the Hochbichl (1,392m/4,567ft) and the Rastkopf (1,640m/5,381ft). From Bichlbach it is another 10km/6mi to Lermoos.
Bichlbach, Austria
(Near Reutte)
The road from Reutte to Lermoos (see under entry for Zugspitze) and the Fernpass traverses a narrow defile, the Ehrenberger Klause (946m/3,104ft), which was the scene of bitter fighting in the 16th and 17th C., and after passing through Heiterwang comes in 12km/7.5mi to Bichlbach (1,075m/3,527ft), in a wider part of the valley (chairlift to the Heiterwanger Alm, 1,622m/5,322ft).
Bschlaber Tal
To the southeast of Elmen stretches the Bschlaber Tal, with a road running via Bschlabs (1,314m/4,311ft) to Boden (1,357m/4,452ft). 2.5 hours south of Boden lies the Hanauer Hütte (1,918m/6,293ft; accommodation), a good base for climbs in the Parzinn group. The road then continues from Boden over the Hahntennjoch (1,884m/6,181ft) to Imst in the Inn valley.
Haselgehr, Austria
(Near Reutte)
Holzgau
Farther up the Lech valley beyond Bach lies Holzgau, and to its north is the Höhenbachschlucht (gorge) with a waterfall (half an hour's walk).
Lechleiten
The road continues from Steeg up the wooded Lech valley, which becomes steadily narrower. After 11km/7mi the village of Lechleiten (1,540m/5,053ft) comes into view on the right.
Namloser Tal
From Stanzach a mountain road 9km/5.5mi long climbs the wooded Namloser Tal to Namlos (1,263m/4,144ft), a skiing village between the Knittelkarspitze (2,738m/7,802ft) to the north and the Namloser Wetterspitze (2,551m/8,370ft; five hours' climb, extensive views) to the south.
Nesselwängle
Beyond Gaicht lies the village of Nesselwängle (1,147m/3,763ft; chairlift), to the north of which rears the Tannheim massif, over 2,000m/6,500ft high (Köllenspitze, 2,240m/7,349ft, climbed in 3.5 hours by way of the Tannheimer Hütte). After passing the Haldensee (1,124m/3,688ft) the road passes through Grän (1,134m/3,721ft; chairlift to the Füssener Jöchl, 1,815m/5,955ft) and thence to Tannheim, the principal place in the valley.
Reutte into the Tannheimer Tal Driving Tour
From Reutte into the Tannheimer Tal
(28km/17mi to the Schattwald).
(28km/17mi to the Schattwald).
Reutte through the Lech Valley to Warth
The Lech valley winds southwestward from Reutte towards the Arlberg between the Allgäu Alps in the north and the Lechtal Alps in the south. In the meadowland on the floor of the valley are dotted many villages popular with summer visitors and winter sports enthusiasts alike. A number of lateral valleys, mostly narrow and gorge-like, lead to quiet little mountain villages which are good bases for climbers and mountain walkers.
Stanzach
The road from Reutte first passes through Höfen (cableway to the Höfener Alm) to Weissenbach, from which a side road runs northwestward into the Tannheimer Tal. 10km/6mi farther up the Lech valley lies the summer resort of Stanzach (940m/3,084ft; carpet weaving).
Steeg, Austria
(Near Reutte)
From Steeg (1,122m/3,681ft), in the Lech valley, a steep road runs 4km/2.5mi to the south above the Kaisertal to Kaisers (1,522m/4,994ft), with the beautifully situated Edelweisshütte, in a good skiing area. North of Steeg lies the hamlet of Ellenbogen, from which the Hohes Licht (2,651m/8,698ft) can be climbed.
Tannheim, Austria
(Near Reutte)
In Tannheim (1,097m/3,599ft; pop. 700) stands the handsome parish church of St Nicholas (1722-28). There is a chairlift up the Neunerköpfle (1,864m/6,116ft).
Tannheim Mountain Treks
4km/2.5mi south of Tannheim lies the beautiful Vilsalpsee (1,168m/3,832ft), from which there are good climbs: westward, three to four hours to the Geisshorn (2,249m/7,379ft); southward, two and a half hours via the Traualpsee (1,630m/5,348ft) to the Landsberger Hütte (1,810m/5,939ft; accommodation), the starting point for the ascent (one hour) of the Schochenspitze (2,069m/6,788ft), a commanding viewpoint.
Warth am Arlberg
Beyond Lechleiten lies Warth am Arlberg (1,500m/4,920ft), a summer and winter sports resort on an open plateau of Alpine meadows. There is a chairlift to the Steffialpe (1,950m/6,398ft) and several ski lifts. From here the road leads southward to the Arlberg and northwestward to the Hochtannberg pass.
Weissenbach, Austria
(Near Reutte)
First of all follow the road for 8km/5mi from Reutte up the Lech valley to Weissenbach (887m/2,910ft; pop. 1,100), where the road into the Tannheimer Tal branches off to the northwest. The Tannheimer Tal is a high valley with large expanses of Alpine meadows, popular both with summer visitors and winter sports enthusiasts; chairlifts and ski lifts to the neighboring slopes. The old salt road from Tirol to Lake Constance goes up the valley and over the Gaicht pass to the Oberjoch.
