The Frauenkogel - a hiking tip for the beautiful autumn season

If you want to take a short circular hike on narrow, beautiful paths surrounded by autumn forests, this hike is perfect for you. It provides pretty views of the landscape, the Pilgrimage Church in Straßengel and even the Mur River, and it does not take that long while still offering overgrown paths and quiet places in the middle of nature.

Near the starting point is a Billa where you can get provisions and park your car on weekdays. Since I was here on a public holiday, I parked at Bahnhofstreet nearby. Of course, you can also come here by train and get off at Judendorf-Straßengel station. There is a bus stop at Bahnhofstreet, served by bus line 125.

From Bahnhofstreet, walk along Fabriksstreet to Grazerstreet. You turn in at the Materleitner Chapel, walk along the road and come to a forest path, which you follow to the right. At a fork in the road, you get rewarded with a beautiful view of the Pilgrimage Church. Take the Engelstrail on the left, which leads directly uphill.

Pilgrimage Church

A yellow sign points in the direction of Frauenkogel you can reach via hiking trail 1b. If you follow the trail for a while, after a relatively short time, you will come to a fork in the trail where you can take a short detour to the forest devotion. Benches invite you to take a break there.

Continue along the trail, which winds narrowly through the beautiful forest landscape. At this time of year, you can find numerous mushrooms and fungi.

Honey Fungus (Armillaria ostoyae)

Yellow Stagshorn Fungus (Calocera viscosa)

Earth Star Fungus (Geastrum fimbriatum)

Sometimes the path is not easy to see under the autumn leaves, as it winds quite narrowly through the forest. You get to a point from which you can go in 3 different directions. There, keep to the far left. The path now leads straight on for a while and steadily uphill.

When the hiking trail finally meets a crossroad, turn left onto it and take one of the two trails on the right up into the forest. I chose the one at the back, but both variants lead to the same path. When I was hiking here, there must have been a storm not too long ago. Many trees had fallen, and you couldn't avoid climbing over the trees that blocked the path. One had to be careful not to slip in the leaves or fall over the laying trees. However, obviously clearing work had already taken place, so I think the path will be free from fallen trees very soon.

Before you reach the Goldhahnwarte, you pass a swing attached to a branch. I had to try it out, of course, and it was worth it because here you can enjoy the beautiful view of the landscape that emerges from between the trees and listen to the sounds of the forest while at the same time pumping the fresh forest air into your lungs. I think it has something deeply peaceful to take a rest here. All in all, nothing is missing for a beautiful, fun autumn hike.

The ruins of the Goldhahnwarte, a former observation tower that was struck by lightning and never rebuilt, can be found a little further along the trail.

Goldhahnwarte

There are wooden benches and a table at this place, so if you need a break, you can rest here.

Finally, you reach the highest point of the Frauenkogel at 683 metres and start your way back by continuing to follow the path. It makes a big bend to the left, and you often get rewarded with a beautiful view. You can even see the Mur River. At the branches, keep left, and at the crossroads, continue straight on.

Mur River

You come to a place where the path bends sharply to the left, from where you also have a great view of the further path below, which you continue to follow. 

The winding path continues to the right, you pass an archery parkour, and you follow the way until you meet the forest path again. 

From there, you have a great view of the pilgrimage church. Follow the way to the point where you already went before and then turn back towards Grazerstreet. From here, take the same path back to the starting point.

I deeply like the area around the Frauenkogel because the paths are narrow and overgrown and you are in the middle of nature. Hiking here brings a kind of tranquillity and silence that I love to enjoy, as I did on this hike.

External silence can be the doorway to inner silence - Ram Dass

♡