Parkplatz Innerfragant - Mittelstation (Mölltaler Gletscher)

Access to starting point:
From the Karawanks Tunnel, we follow the highway towards Salzburg to a highway junction where we turn left towards Spittal. From Spittal we drive towards Lienz. A little after that when highway ends, at the settlement Möllbrücke, we turn right towards the settlement Mallnitz and Alpine road Großglockner. We follow this road to the settlement Kleindorf (little after the settlement Flattach) where signs „Mölltaler Gletscher“ point us to the right on an ascending road towards the bottom station of funicular. We follow this road all the way to a large parking lots at the bottom station of funicular.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue on the asphalt road which is closed for traffic. After a short ascent on the road signposts point us to the right on a footpath „Richard Helfer Weg“. On the footpath we also avoid the tunnels on the road through which is forbidden to walk.
From the crossing, we start ascending a little steeper through the forest on a relatively poorly beaten footpath. Higher for a short time, we join the road and then we again turn right on a footpath which is marked with Knafelc blazes. The path is mostly ascending through the forest and crosses few shorter clearings. Later, the path brings us on little steeper slopes from which occasionally a view opens up on waterfalls of the stream Astrombach on the other side of steep valley. On shorter crossing where the slope is very steep we also have a rope for help. The path here isn't too demanding, but we have to pay attention because due to bushes and high grass we might not notice, that by the narrow path the slope is very steep. After that, the path from the steep slopes turns to the left and starts ascending a little steeper. On such path through the forest we then soon reach the mountain road.
We continue right on the road which is slightly descending and it brings us to a marked crossing near the lake Wurtenspeicher. We go left on a cart track and after a short ascent, we come to the lake. Near the lake are also benches and table.
Cart track that runs by the lake soon ends, and we go left on a footpath. The path further mostly in a gentle ascent crosses a slope above the lake towards the north, and in doing so, we cross also few smaller streams. Later, the path turns a little to the left and is for a short time ascending in zig-zags. Next follows traversing of little steeper slopes, where we bypass smaller rockfall. Here also some caution is needed. Later increasingly panoramic path becomes less steep and runs towards the north. We still have to be pay attention where we walk because by footpath there is quite a few deep holes. The path then slightly descends and brings us near the lake Mernigsee.
Here the path turns slightly to the right and crosses a stream and then starts ascending on a slope above the lake. We again walk towards the north and we soon cross the slope below the chairlift, which runs towards the mountain hut Weißseehaus. After that, the path turns left and then follows a short ascent on a slope left from the ski slope. Later, the path runs on a ski slope and it brings us to mountain road where there is a crossing.
Left leads the road towards the mountain hut Weißseehaus, straight on a ski slope leads the footpath towards the mountain hut Duisburger Hütte, and we go right slightly downwards on the road on which in few ten meters we reach the midway station of the cableway (Mittelstation), which is situated by the lake Stübelesee. At the station of a cableway there is also a restaurant.

On the way: Wurtenspeicher (1695m), Mernigsee (2040m)

Trip can be extended to: Weißseehaus ( 20 min) , Duisburger Hütte ( 50 min) , Goldbergtauernkopf (2 h 20 min) , Eisseehaus (1 h 30 min) , Herzog Ernst Spitze (2 h 40 min) , Alteck (3 h 20 min) , Baumbachspitze (2 h 20 min) , Schareck