Kleinsölk: Hiking, Nature Park and Marble

When looking for a hotel in Kleinsölk, you can first decide whether you want your stay to focus more on a hike, a summer marble tour or local cultural history. These themes differ in their destinations, starting points and seasons.

Hiking and Nature Park

The Sölktäler Nature Park extends across the municipalities of Großsölk, Kleinsölk and St. Nikolai im Sölktal and is a nature conservation and recreation area. Its span across three municipalities makes it an area-wide setting; Schwarzensee and the gorge, by contrast, are specific hiking destinations, each with its own starting point.

Schwarzensee is the largest mountain lake in the Niedere Tauern. From Breitlahnhütte, you can reach it via hiking trail 786 on an easy walk. The named starting point, trail number and description of the walk provide practical guidance for the route.

The Strub hike begins in Kleinsölktal and follows a trail to the gorge. This distinguishes it in both destination and starting context from the hike to Schwarzensee: the lake and Breitlahnhütte are the focus of one, while the gorge and Kleinsölktal are the focus of the other. This is a useful comparison if you are choosing between a lake and a gorge as your destination.

During the summer season, the Tälerbus runs daily according to a timetable from Stein/Enns to Kleinsölk/Breitlahnhütte. If Breitlahnhütte is part of your plans, factor in the current timetable when working out your schedule. This lets you plan the seasonal bus service and the start of the Schwarzensee hike at Breitlahnhütte together.

Culture and local history

The Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in Kleinsölk and the rectory form a building complex. The focus of each topic differs: the church is presented as a complex with its rectory, while the seasonal marble tour covers the material’s formation and processing.

During the summer months, tours are offered at the Sölker marble works, covering Buntkristall marble from its formation through to its processing.

Local food culture also has a dated connection: on 18 January 1963, the dairymaids from the Sölker alpine pastures and the cheesemaker from the Gröbming cheese dairy met at the Zaunerhof in Kleinsölk to work out the production process for Ennstaler Steirerkas. For culturally minded travelers, this offers a look beyond the product to the work process of the time and the people involved.

Planning your stay

Different time and location considerations matter when planning your trip: the tour and the Tälerbus are tied to the summer season, while the hikes differ in their respective starting points and destinations. Check the availability of the marble tours and the current timetable for your travel dates; check trail conditions and access locally.

Discover more destinations: Ruperting, Rohrmoos-Untertal, Großreifling, Öblarn, Geiergraben, Tipschern, Sankt Gallen, Sankt Martin Am Grimming

For the broader travel overview: Liezen.