Hallstatt and the Brine Pipeline Trail

Our original plan was to sleep in Bad Ischl for 3 nights, excurting to Hallstatt one day and hiking The Schafberg the other full day. But the weather forecast for the 2nd day called for rain and highs in the 40's F, so we cut the third night from the schedule and on our one full day excurted to Hallstatt then walked back towards Bad Ischl on a 10 km segment of the Soleweg or Brine Pipeline Trail. Hallstatt was beautiful as expected; the Brine Pipeline Trail was soooo good that we rate it as one-of-the-best-walks-ever!

Logistics for the day:
- Train from Bad Ischl to Hallstatt Station.
- Boat from Hallstatt Station to Hallstatt.
- Walk up to the Unseco Viewing Platform.
- Walk on the Brine Pipeline Trail to Steeg-Gosau Station.
- Train to Bad Ischl.

View from train approaching Hallstatt Station.


Crossing the Lake to HallStatt.




The cozy main square.


There were lots of Asian tourists in Hallstatt.




The views were tremendously good across the lake has we headed up to the UNESCO Viewing Platform directly above Hallstatt.


An entrance to one of the many salt mines.


Hallstatt, far below the trail switchbacks. Aside: Ever walk up, and up, to a viewpoint just to find that the actual view is blocked by trees and bushes from below that have grown up over the years? Not so in this part of Austria. They have perfect viewpoint management. ;-)




The amazing, and free, Unesco Viewing Platform.


We started down the Soleweg (Brine Pipeline Trail) on sets of metal stairs that seemed to have been slightly crushed by a falling tree. Later we saw that this section of the trail was closed. Yikes!






The trail follows the pipeline that even today takes salt brine from the Hallstatt mines some fifty kilometers downhill to Ebensee for processing. Along the way we spotted pipes, from wood to plastic to metal.




The trail continued to slope downward with great views of the lake and forest as we avoided the occasional avalanche and waterfall.










Blazes and beech leaves.




Whoops! Another closed section.


As we approach Steeg-Gosau, the trail is just above the road and lake.


And finally we cross the Traun River and head to the train station.What a fine hike!

Into the Salzkammergut

After 6 weeks in Italy it was time to move on. Not only did our non-refundable train tickets say it was time, but although we had fallen in love with all things Italian, our heads were starting to spin from all the cathedrals, frescoes, and day-trips. "What city were we in yesterday?" Ho

Two weeks earlier, we purchased our train tickets from Verona, Italy to Bad Ischl, Austria. Bad Ischl is in the Salzkammergut, the Austrian Lake District near Salzburg and a good base from which to visit the scenic and historic lakeside salt-mining town of Hallstatt, plus do some hiking. We booked a morning train so we would be able to enjoy the scenery as the train traversed the Brenner Pass on the Italy/Austria border. Since Brenner is one of the lower passes in the Alps, the railroad is, for now, mostly without tunnels, therefore views. A series of longer rail tunnels is scheduled for completion in 2025.

The travel day was smooth; the Brenner Pass scenery awesome, and the Austrian OBB Railjet service from Innsbruck to Salzburg was fast, new, comfy, and with free Wi-Fi. Although we were reminded of the struggle of daily life when just after the border crossing, police came down the aisle leading 3 young African men to the back of the train. We suspect their papers were not in order.

Rolling north from Verona to the Brenner Pass.






With snow-capped mountains in the distance and Sun-Ling's ghost in the window.


Inside the RailJet coach...


...where Henry the Coffee Guy (who was smiling - just not in this photo) rolls his Nespresso machine down the aisle and plugs it in at your seat if you want a fresh cup.


We rolled into Bad Ischl on time at 16:50; the last segment from Salzburg by OBB bus. We had prebooked a room so were strolling around the town by 17:45, admiring the flowers and river views. Bad Ischl is located on the Truan River.






The view from our balcony.


And the town spa.