Ullachtal - Passauer Hütte

Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving on Tauern highway. Further, we drive through the tunnel Katschberg and later also Tauerntunnel, we follow the highway towards Salzburg only to exit for Bischofshofen, from where we continue driving on a four-lane road towards the already mentioned town. From Bischofshofen we follow the signs for Zell am See and then for Saalfelden and Lofer. In Saalfelden then we turn left towards Leogang. In Leogang we leave the main road and we continue right on a narrow road where the signs for mountain hut Passauer Hütte point us to. Further, we follow the signs for mountain hut Passauer Hütte and parking lot Parkplatz Ullachtal. We park on the mentioned parking lot by which there is also few information boards and signposts.

Path description:
At the starting point, we go on a macadam road where signposts for mountain hut Passauer Hütte point us to. Macadam road runs through the forest and it quickly brings us to a wide riverbed of a torrent. Through the riverbed of a torrent the road is ruined a little and poorly visible and then it is again nicer and it brings us to a marked crossing.
At the crossing, we leave the macadam road and we go right upwards and we start ascending on grassy slopes. The path then crosses a grazing fence and continues to ascend on the mountain pasture upwards and it brings us to another marked crossing.
The path branches off to the left towards the cave Birnbachloch from which stream Birnbach originates, and we continue right towards the mountain hut Passauer Hütte. The path then soon brings us into the forest and by the path, we will further notice numerous information boards, which describe various plants and animals. After a short ascent through the forest, another path branches off to the left towards the already mentioned cave Birnbachloch, and we again continue right. Further, we are then long time ascending through the forest and occasionally we cross also shorter clearings from which a view opens up on surrounding peaks. And by the path there is occasionally also a bench. At the spot named Kaserstein next to benches there is also a table and a smaller woodshed.
Further, the slope then becomes slightly steeper and the path out of the forest brings us into dwarf pines from which we have an increasingly beautiful view on surrounding peaks. A little higher, the path leads past another bench where the path turns to the right and then soon becomes a little more demanding.
Further, the path is ascending on a quite steep slope and we also get help from steel cables, and on some spots for easier ascent there are also stairs. From the right then soon joins the path over the peak Plattenkopf. We continue left on a well-settled path, which is occasionally still secured with a steel cable. Such a path then brings us on a saddle Hochtor from which a view opens up towards the mountain hut Passauer Hütte.
On the saddle where there is a crossing, the path branches off to the right towards extremely demanding climbing path Leoganger Süd, and we continue straight and then in a gentle ascent, we cross exposed slopes on southwestern side of the peak Westliche Mitterspitze. The slope then becomes less steep and then follows an ascent on an increasingly panoramic path to the notch Mittagsscharte where there is a marked crossing.
To the right leads the path towards the secured path Leoganger Nord, straight leads the path into a valley towards the settlement Weißbach, and we continue left and only a short ascent follows to the hut Passauer Hütte, which we already see in front of us.

On the way: Kaserstein (1460m), Hochtor (1922m), Mittagsscharte (2033m)