Lech am Arlberg is transformed into a hiking paradise in summer. Endless well signposted footpaths for families and mountain tours for more experienced hikers mean that a week’s holiday here will fly by! Those who prefer a more restful stay can tackle the first few metres of altitude on the Sommer-Bergbahn mountain railway. Or for those who prefer not to take the same route back, the hiking bus provides a free return journey to the village. The mountain railways are also covered by the Lech Card which is provided to guests spending one or more nights in Lech. A hiking guide is also available to ensure that visitors to not get lost – he knows the area like the back of his hand.
Our hiking guide – the ‘chamois’ of Lech
He guides holidaymakers through the mountains, meadows, pastures and moorlands of Lech each year on behalf of the Burg Hotel. Each season, he completes around 10,000 km and 40,000 altitude metres. He is out and about virtually every day even if it is raining – if the guests still want to go, he is there! Only when there is a storm is it better to avoid the mountains.
But he is not just an expert in the mountains. He also shares the secrets of the flora and fauna in Lech. He knows virtually every flower by name and in many cases, he also knows of their healing effects. Guests wishing to see marmots, chamois and ibexes are also advised to stick with the hiking guide. Although there is no guarantee, he knows where they are most likely to be found.
He adapts the tours to the hiking groups in question. High alpine tours are alternated with leisurely family walks to the gypsum holes, Kriegeraple, Auenfeld wetland biotope, Zürser See or Butzensee lakes as well as demanding tours taking visitors via the Plattnizer Joch to the Gehrengrat ridge or via the Rauhekopfscharte pass to the Stuttgarter Hütte lodge. A visit to the former Walser settlement of ‘Tannberg’ offers insight into the hard lives which people once led here up in the mountains.
One special tip from hiking guide is to visit the waterfall in Zug on the Lechuferweg trail and the ‘Steinerne Meer’ – a mountain plateau close to the Formarinsee lake / Freiburger Hütte lodge with coral reefs and fossils of up to 200 million years old.