Turrach - Eisenhut

Access to starting point:
A) Over the border crossing Ljubelj we drive to Austria, and then we follow the road towards Celovec / Klagenfurt. In Celovec at all crossroads, we continue straight, and when the main road turns firmly to the right, only a little further we leave it and we continue left in the direction towards settlements Dhovše pri Celovcu / Lendorf and Trg na Koroškem / Feldkirchen in Kärnten. When we get to a highway junction, we go left in the direction of the settlement Trg na Koroškem, and when we get to the mentioned settlement we further follow the signs for Alpine mountain pass Turracher Höhe. After approximately 90 km from the border crossing Ljubelj we get to the mentioned mountain pass, and from which we start descending towards Predlitz, and we drive only to the beginning of the settlement Turrach, where near the road sign, which marks the beginning of the settlement, there is the beginning of the described path. We park on an appropriate place nearby.
B) Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we drive on the highway to a highway junction, from there we go towards Spittal an der Drau and we continue driving on the highway A10. Highway A10 we quickly leave and we go to the exit for lake Ossiacher See, and in the nearby roundabout, we choose the third exit (if it wouldn't be a roundabout, we would go left) and further we drive on Millstätter Strasse. On the mentioned road, we drive to the settlement Radenče / Radenthein, where we turn right in the direction of the settlement Bad Kleinkirchheim. Further, we drive through the mentioned settlement, few kilometers ahead, and in the settlement Patergassen we turn left in the direction of the alpine mountain pass and ski slope Turracher Höhe. When we get to the mentioned mountain pass, there follows a descent to few kilometers distant settlement Turrach, where near the road sign, which marks the beginning of the settlement, there is the beginning of the described path. We park on an appropriate place nearby.

Path description:
From the starting point, we go on a side road in the direction of the summit Eisenhut, where we go at first past few houses, and before crossing the stream the settlement Turrach ends. The path ahead leads us on a gently sloping macadam road, and there we go past a pleasant bench, and behind it and nearby cottage, we continue walking on the forest road which is with a gate and a traffic sign closed for public traffic. A little further from the right side over a wooden bridge joins also the path which from the main road branches off a little higher and leads to the bottom station of the nearby cableway.
We continue on the road, from which a little ahead another path branches off to the right towards the bottom station of the nearby chairlift, and few minutes higher we leave a wider macadam road and we continue slightly left on the road which is already overgrown by grass. From the mentioned road, after few steps we go left on an overgrown cart track, on which a yellow planinski signpost points us to. Next follows an ascent on the path which is overgrown by high grass, meanwhile we cross an older cart track and higher also a worse road, and then the path passes into the forest, where it becomes more distinct. Next follows few minutes of a diagonal ascent, where the path leads us past a mighty spruce, and then past the toilet we get to the hunting cottage Geißeckhütte.
At the cottage, we step on the road, and at the nearby crossroad, we go straight. Next follows few minutes of an easy descent, and after crossing the stream we continue slightly left on the upper road. On the road, we are then with increasingly beautiful views ascending diagonally, and after the crossing of the next stream we leave it and we continue left on a marked path, which few 10 strides higher turns right and it ascends diagonally into a lane of a forest. Next follows few minutes of ascent through the forest and then we cross a grazing fence and only a little further we join the path from the mountain pass Turracher Höhe.
We continue straight on a worse cart track, and from there we soon go slightly left (still on a cart track Lattersteig, Lattersteighöhe and Bretthöhe) and further we start ascending through a small valley, through which runs a well. Next follows an ascent on the western grassy slopes, on which on a barely visible footpath we ascend to a saddle Rapitzsattel, where there is a marked crossing.
From the saddle, we continue left towards the peaks Eisenhut and Wintertalernock (straight Flattnitz, right Lattersteighöhe), and the path that runs on a ridge, or a little left from it, splits.
Slightly to the right leads the path on Wintertalernock and Eisenhut over the peak Straßburger Spitz, and we continue slightly left towards Eisenhut.
Next follows a diagonal ascent through a panoramic grassy slope, and then we cross shorter scree, on which in the beginning of the summer, the path is still poorly beaten. Next follows crossing of two more streams, and then we for some time continue by a wire fence, and views are opening up, which reach to High Tauern, and when we look back with every step a nicer view opens up on Julian Alps. The fence soon ends, and in front of us a nice view opens up towards the upper slope of Eisenhut. When after few additional minutes we ascend on a smaller saddle, from the right joins the path which leads over the peak Straßburger Spitz.
We continue straight, where we go past a watering-place, and then we start ascending steeper towards the highest peak of Gurktal Alps. Next follows good 20 minutes of ascent by the edge of the south ridge and we reach 2441 meters high peak.
Turrach - Geißeckhütte 1:30, Geißeckhütte - Rapitzsattel 1:40, Rapitzsattel - Eisenhut 1:20.
Description and pictures refer to a condition in the year 2019 (June).

On the way: Geißeckhütte (1664m), Rapitzsattel (2088m)