Sankt Leonhard in the Pitztal: Alpine scenery, Rifflsee and culture

Sankt Leonhard in the Pitztal combines mountain lakes and glacier experiences with valley walks and cultural and historical attractions. When planning your hotel stay, it helps to organize your outings first: Would you like to walk around Rifflsee, enjoy a view in the glacier area, choose an easy valley route or explore local history? The destinations differ in scenery, trail character and theme, offering different starting points for planning your trip.

Around Rifflsee

The Rifflsee circular hiking trail follows a pleasant path around the clear mountain lake. It starts and ends at the Sunna Alm mountain restaurant. You can also plan a raft ride on Rifflsee. Tickets are available at the Rifflsee ticket office, at the ticket office of the Sunna Alm restaurant or directly from the raft before departure. Since ticket sales locations may change, check these options before your ride. The circular walk and raft ride offer different perspectives on the lake: a route around the water and a ride on the raft.

Glacier views and alpine scenery

From the valley, you can reach Café 3440 in around 20 minutes via the Gletscherexpress and Wildspitzbahn. From there, the view stretches across thousands of peaks in the Ötztal Alps and to the Wildspitze. Café 3440 serves specialty coffees, homemade cakes, breakfast and regional delicacies. The Pitztal Glacier-Rifflsee ski area is Austria’s highest ski area, reaching an elevation of 3,440 meters. This gives you the choice of an alpine viewpoint with panoramic views and a café, or a ski area known for its high elevation.

Hiking trails and routes

The St. Leonhard high-altitude trail leads from St. Leonhard in the Pitztal along old hunters’ paths to the Luibisböden or as far as Piösmes. An explicitly easy valley hike runs from Stillebach to Wiese along the Pitze and past waterfalls that flow down from the Kaunergrat and Geigenkamm mountain ridges. If you are looking for a valley route classified as easy, this applies to the route to Wiese; for the high-altitude trail, the old hunters’ paths and the specified destinations are the concrete points of reference.

The Mittelberg trail starts at the bus turnaround in Mittelberg and follows a technically very easy gravel road that is also suitable for beginners. Another option for beginners is the Klockelefall icefall near Stillebach: it has a gentle slope, is not too steep and is well suited to beginners. The adventure trail in the Pitztal Glacier climbing park is suitable for children aged ten and up. At the top, you can enjoy a view of Tyrol’s highest glacier.

Church, traditions and the ibex center

The pilgrimage church of “Maria Hilf” at Bichele in Sankt Leonhard in the Pitztal dates back to 1610. Local traditions include the “Verlobte Feiertage” (Vowed Feast Days), self-imposed days of devotion intended to protect the population from dangers such as natural disasters, contagious diseases, the threat of war and livestock epidemics. The church and the feast days offer two different insights into the religious history and traditions of the village.

The Tyrolean Ibex Center in Sankt Leonhard in the Pitztal houses a photography exhibition and an ibex enclosure that visitors can walk through. Another link to the past is the restored Schrofenhof, considered the oldest farm in the Pitztal to be mentioned in historical records.

Travel by public transport

The nearest train station is Imst in the Inn Valley. From there, bus route 310 runs through the Pitztal to the base stations of the Rifflsee cable car and the Gletscherexpress. Check the latest timetables before your trip so you can plan your journey accordingly.

Discover more destinations: Boden, Plangeross, Zaunhof, Mandarfen, Wiese, Haiming, Oetz, Obergurgl.

Return to the main travel overview: Imst.