Europahütte / Friedrichshöhe
Description
The tour begins in Sterzing and meanders along the Pfitscherbach stream towards Sankt Jakob and then continues north along the hamlet of Stein towards the Austrian border. From the Rieder Stausee reservoir, the valley becomes relatively wide and there is a wonderful view of the Zillertal and Tux Alps as well as the Pflersch Group to the south. The section through the Pfitschertal valley is ideally covered by a shuttle, as otherwise the tour to the Europahütte would be extremely long. This saves around 20 kilometers of distance and 750 meters of altitude difference. From the hamlet of Stein, a military road from the Second World War winds its way up from the Vallo Alpino barrage to the Pfitscherjochhaus, at which point the moderate gradient and enjoyable ride are over. Those with an e-bike will laugh a little more; those with an organic bike will get a few drops of sweat on their foreheads. We continue on the Tiroler Höhenweg, along the Italian/Austrian border. This trail is also a historic path and you can't help but be amazed. Stone slabs have been laid here to perfection and almost endless work has been done. The magnificent panorama makes up for the exertions until you finally reach the Europahütte or Friedrichshöhe at 2713 meters above sea level. Situated right on the Austrian-Italian border, the view of the mountain landscape is just as stunning and you can enjoy a delicious snack or cool down in liquid form at the hut.
After stopping for refreshments, take trail 3A southwards. From difficulty S2-S4, an endless single trail leads towards the square on the valley floor. Hairpin bends, as well as enduro-heavy stages and mule tracks alternate and make the heart of the ambitious biker beat faster. For the valley floor, use the cycle path to get to the Rieder Stausee reservoir, but keep your eyes peeled here, as one lost place after another awaits. From the Rieder Stausee reservoir, the route runs on trail and road in sections, as if on rails all the way to Sterzing. That's how it should be, because enjoying the old town of Sterzing with a cappuccino and strudel di mele is the perfect way to finish. All in all, a very great and exceptionally impressive tour.
Map & GPX-Track
The map is only available to Ride subscribers.
The Ride-Subscription is available at ride-mtb.com/abo
.
Details of the tour
40 km
1350 m
1930 m
942 above sea level
2682 above sea level
1 day
Sterzing
Sterzing
1966
well suited
More information
More tours nearby
User comments (3)
About the author: Martin Depauli
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
A wonderful tour with a great trail. The S4 sections come right at the beginning, but the trail then gets easier and easier until it levels off at S2 after a while and doesn't get any more difficult. The Europahütte is currently (October 2025) a construction site, and passing the hut, which is necessary for the descent, is not officially permitted due to the restricted zone. I snuck through, the workers present didn't notice me. I therefore don't know to what extent this would be tolerated.
A very nice variant that I have done is the ascent to the Pfitscher Joch via the Zillertal. You can use public transport to Ginzling and, in summer, even further to the Schlegeis reservoir, and bikes can be taken on the bus to a limited extent. From Sterzing you can then return by train via the Brenner Pass. An overnight stay in the very unspoilt Pfitsch Valley is also worthwhile. Then you can add a tour on the second day, for example via Schlüsseljoch directly to the Brenner Pass and then make a mini-transalp over the main ridge.
Rode the trail today! i would say without an ebike the loop is pointless as otherwise you have to push a lot! with an ebike almost everything is rideable up to the europahütte.
downhill trail at the top a bit unrideable due to big boulders.
but otherwise a top tour!
We did the tour on July 9, 2022 - you should know that the Tiroler Höhenweg is far more than 50% pushing distance for non-e-bikers through a scree field with partly waist-high rocks.