Ebenforst - Cotton grass, Alm, and Water sinkholes, circular hiking trail
4400 Steyr
Circular hiking trail at Ebenforst/Reichraming or Molln
Recommended season:
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- Loop
- Refreshment stops available
- Geological highlights
- Botanical highlights
On the circular hiking trail on the Ebenforstalm, you learn about geological special features of the Ebenforst and cross an 8,000-year-old raised bog on wooden boardwalks, with botanical treasures such as cotton grass and round-leaved sundew.
Directions:Ascent to Ebenforstalm via Bodinggraben/Jagahäusl on trail No. in 1.5 hours to the alm. By mountain bike via Reichraming/Hintergbirgsradweg in 2.5 hours.
Entrance to the circular hiking trail at the stable building of Ebenforstalm. Follow the forest road downhill to
1st station "From the source to the sinkhole"
Ebenforstalm is characterized by numerous spring swamps and bog areas. Entire spring horizons seep from the slope below the road. The stream at Ebenforst is a very special body of water. We encounter it here for the first time at the uppermost source and follow it until it disappears underground after a few hundred meters. Nevertheless, it offers valuable habitats for many plants and animals along its total length of no more than 700 meters.
Follow the road and in a few minutes you will already discover the 2nd station "The rock"
Everywhere in the Kalkalpen, you find alms on gentle meadows amidst rugged rock cliffs. But how does this interplay of lush alpine pastures with barren rock surfaces come about?
The reason lies in the geological structure: The pasture areas of Ebenforstalm stretch on clayey marine deposits from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. On these well-weathering rocks, thick water-retaining soils form that enable farming and grazing and endure over time. Due to the water-retaining properties of "Fleckenmergel" and "Rossfeld layers," bog formation occurs here and there. Limestones and dolomites, on the other hand, are composed of skeletal remains and shells of sea animals and are usually very pure. Unlike the clayey-sandy rocks of the alm, these carbonates do not weather but dissolve in water; they karst. This results in only thin, dry humus soils because hardly any residues remain. Such sites are unsuitable for long-term use. In the terrain, the limestones often jut out like walls.
The path continues downhill along the road to the pasture gate. Just after the wooden hut, you will find the entrance to the wooden boardwalk on the left. The next station tells about the "Karst in the middle of the forest"
Karst forms are widespread in the Hintergebirge. However, one should not always imagine "bare rock" under karst. Karsting is the dissolution of limestone by carbon dioxide-containing water. Under a plant layer, limestone karsts particularly well because soil life produces much carbon dioxide. This karst is called "green karst."
The path leads on to the "Water sinkhole"
The small Ebenforst stream that we have been following since its source now meets deep dolines and is swallowed by the underground - it (dis)appears. These holes in the ground are called sinkholes, water swallow holes, or ponors.
How does this hole form? The rock bar consists of karsted Jurassic limestone. Water dissolves the limestone, and over time caves form where the little stream looks for its way down.
At normal water levels, the water swallow hole in the large doline is clearly visible. During storms or snowmelt, the ponor can no longer manage the water masses. The doline fills and floods the neighboring karst funnels. From here, the water follows a dark path through washed-out cracks and cave systems down to the giant springs at Wasserboden (Reichraming). After thunderstorm storms, the cave spring throws out huge, clayey-turbid water masses.
On winding wooden boardwalks, the trail continues through the "Ebenforster Moor"
The flat raised bog north of the Alps began growing 7,800 years ago. Thus, its peat layers preserve the history of Ebenforst from 8,000 years ago. It is much older than any human use and began its growth at the transition from the older to the younger oak forest period or in the middle of the Stone Age.
Ebenforster Moor is a living bog; the peat has been growing again for about 350 years after a long period of stagnation. It was studied in 1999 on behalf of Nationalpark Kalkalpen. The peat layers build up to almost two meters thick at the thickest point. The bog not only preserves plant remains but also stores pollen in the peat. This comes partly from the plants growing on the bog but can also be carried by the wind from afar. The pollen provides important clues about the former vegetation.
We leave this historically significant place and hike uphill through the old pasture forest. The absence of young trees shows that the grazing animals like to stay here in the "habitat" and nibble on seedlings and shoots.
Tree hotel: The path leads past decaying tree trunks. This "deadwood" is rare in managed forests. Decaying tree trunks form an ideal germination bed for young trees. Many insects and larvae swarm in the deadwood; these serve as food for birds. Of 43 bird species counted so far on Ebenforstalm, 25 have been confirmed as breeding birds. Tree cavities and deadwood often provide excellent nesting opportunities. Several bird species particularly frequent hedges and forest edges around.
When we leave the forest, we see the peaks of Alpstein and Trämpl on the left. After a few steps, the loop closes again at Ebenforstalm.
Tip:Please don't forget to save the route "offline" before starting, as mobile reception in the forest wilderness of the National Park is not always available.
Safety guidelines:WARNING! The theme trail is occasionally closed due to logging activities (bark beetle management). The section of the trail through the Ebenforst Moor (wooden boardwalk) is closed during this time, entry prohibited - danger to life!
Access via the forest road to Ebenforstalm is open; the footpath takes 5 minutes longer.
Additional information:The stations of the theme trail Cotton grass, Alm, and Water sinkholes will be set up for you from mid-May to early November,
(depending on snow conditions).
Paths covering:
further information:
- Circular route
- Possible accommodation
- Board possible
Die Ebenforstalm liegt am Fuße von Trämpl und Alpstein im Reichraminger Hintergebirge. Die Alm-Jausenstation mit Übernachtungsmöglichkeit ist von 1. Mai bis 31. Oktober bewirtschaftet.
- Bewirtschaftete Alm
- Übernachtung in Bettenlager gegen Voranmeldung
- Nationalpark Info über "Vielfältige Vogelwelt auf der Alm"
- Einstieg in den Themenweg Wollgras, Alm und Wasserschwinde
- E-Bike Ladestation während Almöffnungszeiten in Betrieb
- Ebenforstalm auf Youtube
- Suitable for teenagers
- Suitable for single travelers
- Suitable for friends
- Suitable for couples
- Suitable for children
- Spring
- Summer
- Autumn
Please get in touch for more information.
Stadtplatz 27
4400 Steyr
Phone +43 7252 53229 - 0
E-Mail reichraming@steyr-nationalpark.at
Web www.steyr-nationalpark.at/
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