Mountainmaniac

On the border between the Austrian federal states of Styria and Lower Austria, a mountain massif rises into the sky. The Rax, with its steep, south-facing cliffs, is a popular destination for mountaineers and nature lovers, not least due to its proximity to the Vienna metropolitan area and Austria's neighboring countries to the east. The Rax is therefore well-developed: In addition to a cable car, numerous hiking trails and legendary via ferratas lead to the impressive high plateau. The Heukuppe rises 2007 meters (6585 ft) and marks the highest point of the Rax massif, which can be reached from several sides. A popular starting point for hikes is the Preiner Gscheid car park  (4 Euros per day, as of June 2025), located in the immediate vicinity of the highest point (1070 m / 3510 ft) of the pass road connecting the towns of Reichenau an der Rax in Lower Austria and Kapellen in Styria. Preiner Gscheid is rightly called the "Gateway to the Rax." From here, several trails le...