Hike from the Schlegeis reservoir to the Olpererhütte
This reservoir is probably one of the most famous in the whole of Tyrol, if not in the whole of Austria. Even if the reservoir itself means nothing to you, you are sure to know the photos with View of the reservoir from the Olpererhütte or the still more famous suspension bridge be made.
We also want to visit the reservoir and start from Mayrhofen. The route goes along a toll road, for which you have to pay a whopping €14. You also have to expect to wait at the toll booth if there is oncoming traffic coming from the other direction. The road is mostly single-lane.
We have to wait 8 minutes until we are allowed through. Finally, at around 9:00 am, we arrive at the parking lot opposite the Zamsereck. The “Schlegeis Stausee parking lot” is easy to find on Google Maps. In the morning, the spaces are mostly empty, provided you arrive early enough.
The way up
The hike to the Olpererhütte begins right at this sign. By the way, we have our one-year-old son with us in a backpack on our backs. The path initially leads uphill through a forest on switchbacks. As it has rained repeatedly in the last few days, the path is wet, and small waterfalls and streams cross the path in places. However, you can still easily avoid them or jump over them.
As you climb higher, you will have a wonderful view of the reservoir. From the forest, the path continues on a rocky path. Sure-footedness is required and hiking boots are highly recommended! (We keep seeing Instagram posers along the way wearing sandals and ankle-high trainers)
Arrived at the top of the hut
Although it is never dangerous or exposed, the switchbacks are still strenuous. The path actually runs like this all the way up to the Olperer Hut. After about 1 hour 45 minutes we arrive at the hut pretty sweaty - after all, we still had to carry the little one. And after the forest section you are constantly exposed to the sun. A hat can definitely help in summer.
The famous bridge is a little further on, about 3 minutes up the mountain from the hut. When we arrive there are only a few people here, but we still have to queue for a photo. Nevertheless, we get into position and there is even time for a short drone flight. But since the next person is already waiting, we have to hurry. There is no relaxation here.
I'm not really happy with the results, so I want to go to the bridge again to take some better photos. However, I have to give up my plan after a few meters. Even from a distance I can see that at least 15 people are already waiting at the bridge to get into position...
I turn around and am satisfied with what we have. It's not the best photo, but it's a very nice memory.
We begin the descent, which is not much shorter than the ascent. The reason for this is the heavy traffic. More and more people are coming up the path, so we have to move out of the way to let them pass. We don't even want to imagine what it must look like at the bridge by now. We've heard from others that at peak times there are 40-50 people queuing. At least on the way down the sun comes out nicely.
Exhausted, we arrive back at the parking lot around 2:00 p.m.
More information about the reservoir and other beautiful reservoirs in the Zillertal can be found here
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