| More leisurely option: 12-day trek | |||
| Day | Time | Distance (km) | Notes |
| Day 1: Arnbach to Sillianer Hütte | 4hr 30min | 8.6 | Consider taking ski lift |
| Day 2: Sillianer Hütte to Obstanserseehütte | 4hr 15min | 9.7 | |
| Day 3: Obstanserseehütte to Porzehütte | 6hr 30min | 12.2 | Consider staying at Standschützenhütte after 3hr 40min |
| Day 4: Porzehütte to Hochweißsteinhaus | 8hr | 17.8 | |
| Day 5: Hochweißsteinhaus to Wolayerseehütte | 6hr | 14.7 | |
| Day 6: Wolayerseehütte to Plöckenpass | 5hr 15min | 10.4 | Take the Austrian route but head south at Plöckenhaus; or go via Rifugio Marinelli and consider climbing Monte Coglians |
| Day 7: Plöckenpass to Casera Pramosio | 7hr 15min | 11.2 | |
| Day 8: Casera Pramosio to Straniger Alm | 5hr | 13.4 | |
| Day 9: Straniger Alm to Nassfeld | 6hr 20min | 17 | |
| Day 10: Nassfeld to Eggeralm | 4hr | 14.2 | |
| Day 11: Eggeralm to Gasthaus Starhand | 4hr 20min | 15.8 | |
| Day 12: Gasthaus Starhand to Arnoldstein | 8hr 30min | 28 | |
| Total | approx. 70hr | 173 |
Getting to and from the route
The small cemetery at Hochgränten Pass is the highest wartime cemetery in the Alps (Stage 1)
How much time you need is also influenced by where in the world you live, but getting to and from the Karnischer Höhenweg, located as it is right in the middle of Europe, is relatively easy. Getting on and off the Höhenweg, both at each end and at various points along the route, is particularly convenient, and for much of the route you are never more than 3 hours’ walk from a railway station. The valley to the north of the ridge, known as the Lesachtal at its western end and the Gailtal at its eastern end, has a train running along it from Kötschach-Mauthen to the mainline station at Villach.
International connections to the route are also good, and all the cities listed below have international airports. Of these, Munich, Vienna and Venice have the best international connections. Particularly convenient for Sillian are:
Innsbruck – train journey involving just one change (4hr) or there is also a bus that is just as fast as the train
Salzburg – train journey via Lienz (4hr 30min)
Munich – train via Innsbruck (5hr 30min)
Venice – where a bus via Cortina provides the best route (6hr)
Ljubljana – train journey via Lienz (6hr)
Vienna – train journey via Lienz (6hr 30min).
From Arnoldstein it is possible to get to:
Ljubljana – train and bus (2hr 30min)
Venice – train (once daily) (2hr 30min)
Salzburg – train (3hr 50min)
Vienna – train via Villach (5hr 30min)
Munich – train via Villach (6hr)
Innsbruck – train via Salzburg and Villach (6hr 20min).
When to go
The persistence of winter snow and the likely arrival of new snow in the autumn determine the relatively short length of the walking season in the Alps – from early July through to the third week in September. The huts only open when the snow disappears and walkers start to turn up.
Although it varies from year to year, lingering snow in July is possible. Alpine thunderstorms are more frequent in July and August, whereas September is the most settled month. The peak season, coinciding with holidays, is August, so if you’re not tied to the holiday season, timing a trip to make the best use of September makes a lot of sense. The only downside is that the alpine flowers will be past their best.
Accommodation and food
The Hochweißsteinhaus, nestled at the head of the Frohnbach Valley (Stage 3)
What makes the Alps in general and the Carnic Alps in particular especially accessible is the quality and extent of the accommodation. To walk the whole route involves staying in a mix of mountain huts and small hotels, although a strongly recommended option involves a couple of nights in farm stays, known in Italy as agriturismo. This interesting and varied ‘package’ forms a key part of the Karnischer Höhenweg experience.
The Karnischer Höhenweg is popular, so if you plan to walk it in August, it makes sense to book in advance. This is straightforward, although one of the huts (the Hochweißsteinhaus) asks for a deposit via bank transfer, which can be expensive outside the eurozone (although if you point this out, the requirement to pay a deposit may be dropped). If for whatever reason a booking can’t be honoured, then ring and explain. The booking systems for the huts are currently developing rapidly, with online booking steadily becoming available. A list of accommodation, with contact details, is provided in Appendix B.
If booking by phone:
To call an Austrian number from outside Austria, use the country code (+43) followed by the area code minus any initial zero, then the rest of the number. To call from inside Austria, include the first zero of the area code. This applies to both landlines and mobile numbers.
To call an Italian number from outside Italy, use the country code (+39) followed by the area code including the first zero. Area codes for Italian