Discover Kelchsau: Mountain Lakes, Alpine Pastures and Mining History

Kelchsau combines wild mountain lakes, the Kelchsauer Ache and small streams with trails that lead up to alpine elevations. It also boasts a long mining history, distinctive buildings in the upper and lower villages, and regional experiences centred around alpine pastures and cheesemaking. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home can therefore choose the location according to their own holiday priorities: hiking, winter activities, culture and culinary enjoyment can all be weighted differently.

Hiking between mountain lakes and alpine pastures

One particularly impressive tour leads to the Wildalm Lakes and onwards to the 2,447-metre-high Schafsiedel. The hike passes the Lower, Middle and Upper Wildalm Lake before continuing to the summit of Schafsiedel. It starts and ends at the Wegscheid Inn in Kelchsau. This provides a clear starting and finishing point for planning your day, while the three mountain lakes and the summit combine a range of different landscape impressions.

The KAT Walk Alpin also brings an extended hiking experience to Kelchsau. The first stage leads through forests and meadows, past the farmhouses of Penningberg and the rustic Haag Alm, and ends in Kelchsau. At the end of the stage, some of the most beautiful timber-built houses and farmsteads shape the village landscape. When choosing accommodation for a hiking holiday, you can therefore consider whether an individual mountain tour or a stay as part of a multi-stage itinerary should be the main focus.

Winter trails and special experiences

Kelchsau offers cross-country skiers a 6-kilometre village cross-country ski trail. This provides a clearly described winter sports option alongside the natural toboggan run that leads directly from Penningberg to the Haagalm Inn. For families or travel groups with different interests, these two activities can add different accents to holiday planning: while cross-country skis are the focus on the trail, the route from Penningberg to Haagalm is part of the experience on the toboggan run.

A further insight into the local character is possible on Mondays and Fridays at Niederkaseralm. Guided tours of the cheese dairy are offered there, followed by a cheese tasting. This is a specific addition to the nature experiences and makes regional cheese production an activity in its own right. If you would like to plan culinary discoveries alongside physical activity, this offer may play a role in shaping your trip.

Mining history and village landscape

Kelchsau has a long mining history. Copper, iron pyrite and tetrahedrite ores were mined in the region; later, the extraction of silica for glass production was added. This development gives the village a historical dimension that extends beyond the present-day landscape.

The Maria Hilf Chapel has stood in the upper village since 1720. A church has stood in the lower village since 1850. Anyone interested in history and the village landscape can include both areas in their exploration of Kelchsau. Together with the timber-built houses and farmsteads at the end of the first KAT Walk stage, this creates a picture in which nature, craftsmanship, religious buildings and the region's past stand side by side.

The right accommodation for your travel plans

When looking for accommodation in Kelchsau, it helps to first determine which experiences you want. For a mountain tour, the Wildalm Lakes, Schafsiedel and the starting point at the Wegscheid Inn provide concrete reference points for planning your day. Anyone wishing to include the KAT Walk Alpin can consider Kelchsau as the destination of the first stage. In winter, the village cross-country ski trail and the natural toboggan run offer different activity ideas to choose from. There are also the Maria Hilf Chapel, the church in the lower village, the mining history and the cheese dairy tour as opportunities for more leisurely discoveries. This allows you to choose a holiday apartment or holiday home according to the mix of activity, scenery, culture and culinary enjoyment you want to define your holiday.

Discover more destinations

If you would also like to compare other places, you can visit these destinations: Kitzbühel, Itter, Going am Wilden Kaiser, Westendorf, Waidring, Kirchdorf in Tirol, Oberndorf in Tirol and Schwendt.

To the overarching travel overview: Kitzbühel.