Karres: Mountain Trails, Climbing Garden and Mining History

Karres is a rewarding destination for anyone who wants to combine mountain landscapes, activity and regional history. Tschirgant is a popular destination for mountain hikes and offers an impressive panoramic view in every direction. From Landeck, its peak stands out like a free-standing pyramid. In addition, there are specific tours, a climbing garden with more than 80 routes and historical traces that give the village its distinctive character.

Hikes with Different Profiles

Several clearly described options are available for planning your day. The easy high-altitude trail from Karrösten to Karres is 6.00 km long. The hike and mountain tour takes approximately 2 hours 30 minutes and involves 335 metres of elevation gain. If you prefer a shorter tour, you can consider the easy hike and mountain tour from Karres to Roppen. It is 5.50 km long and takes approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. This information makes it easier to assess the desired distance and timeframe of an excursion before choosing your accommodation.

Tschirgant also offers a special destination: The three summit crosses associated with the municipalities of Karres, Karrösten and Haiming can be reached from the main summit within approximately 30 minutes. Surefootedness is required for this section. Karrer Alm is situated at an altitude of 1,648 metres and can be reached on foot via an alpine track with hairpin bends that leads through spruce forests and past the Lehnetal ravine. Depending on your preference, you can therefore plan your stay around a shorter hike, a longer mountain tour or a destination in an alpine setting.

Climbing Garden and Traces of Mining

The climbing garden in Karres has more than 80 routes, most of which are easy. A dedicated car park has also been provided for the climbing garden. This gives visitors another way to enjoy an active stay alongside the hiking trails, without limiting the subject of mountain sports to a single tour.

A second, entirely different side of Karres is revealed by the history of mining on Tschirgant. From the 14th to the 17th century, this mining activity brought a period of prosperity to the village. During this period, up to 1,000 miners were employed in 41 mines. Two surviving miners’ houses in Karres commemorate this past. The Wennerhaus is one of them; large entrance gates and late-Gothic pointed-rib vaults illustrate the former importance of these buildings.

Along Regional Routes

The Way of St. James passes the village of Karres, as does the Inn Cycle Path through Tyrol’s Upper Inn Valley. Those who like to combine their trip with a long-distance hiking or cycling route will find two different perspectives on the village here. A rustic Tyrolean inn with excellent traditional home cooking also forms part of Karres’s culinary character.

The Right Accommodation for Planning Your Trip

When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Karres, it is worth first deciding on your preferred pace. Shorter tours such as Karres–Roppen fit into the day differently from the 6.00 km high-altitude trail or an excursion on Tschirgant. Those who want to discover mountain history and the landscape in equal measure can combine the tours with the Wennerhaus and the traces of historical mining.

Further places for orientation: Obergurgl, Imsterberg, Längenfeld, Rietz, Oetz, Karrösten, Sölden and Arzl Im Pitztal.

To the higher-level travel overview: Imst.