Unterpirkach - Hochstadel

Access to starting point:
From Ljubljana through Karawanks Tunnel and then on the highway to Spittal. We continue driving in the direction of Lienz, and drive through the valley Drautal to Oberdrauburg, where we turn left in the direction of Kötschach and mountain pass Plöckenpass. Immediately after the river Drau and railway track we turn right (by the crossroad we notice many signs, among them also for mountain hut Hochstadelhaus), and then on a little narrower road we reach Unterpirkach. Next we drive past a bigger chapel and only few meters ahead through bridge over the stream Pirkner. Immediately after the bridge we turn left and park on a parking lot by the hiking signposts.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue on a gently sloping cart track which runs on the right side of the nearby stream. After few minutes, the cart track splits into two parts. Left one after few 10 meters ends by the stream and we continue on the right one, which gradually starts ascending steeper. The marked path soon leaves rough cart track and continues to the right, where it is ascending diagonally over occasionally little steeper slopes. Higher, the path returns on a cart track, and then we continue on a cart track to its end.
Marked footpath continues in the same direction, and then after some time turns to the left, where the climbing path soon joins.
We continue on a well-beaten path, which higher crosses a road (road is closed for public traffic), and then it returns into the forest and past Hilda's smoking bench, again brings us to a forest road. We leave the road immediately, higher marked path again crosses the road few times, or it joins it for a short time. Higher the forest gets thinner, so we have a nice view towards the eastern side, where we clearly see river Drau and part of Gailtal Alps. The path higher returns on the road which we then follow all the way to the mountain hut Hochstadelhaus.
From the mountain hut, we continue slightly right (direction Hochstadel) and through a short lane of a forest we ascend on the mountain pasture Unholdenalm. Here we walk to the right side of the mountain pasture, where at some cottages we again step on the road. Next follows a short gentle ascent on an increasingly bad road, and then we get to a marked crossing.
We continue slightly right in the direction of "Hochstadel - path number 218, 3 h" and we continue the ascent on a moderately ascending path. The path which ahead runs over an ample grazing area, higher turns to the right and for a short time steeply ascends. The path soon turns to the left and almost entirely flattens. Next follows gently sloping diagonal ascent, that runs below the walls of 2283 meters high Rudnigkofel. When the crossing ends, the path turns right and in few hairpin turns ascends over steep and mainly in wet for slipping dangerous slopes. After a shorter steep ascent, we step on a panoramic ridge and the path here turns sharply to the left, where again flattens. Next follows a short crossing of exposed ridge and then the path passes on less steep slopes. Further, we are ascending on an increasingly panoramic path, and it leads through a series of smaller valleys. Higher, the path becomes a little steeper and a little below the summit on some spots also slightly exposed. This very panoramic path, which in the last part runs only few meters away from mighty precipice, we follow all the way to the top of Hochstadel.

On the way: Hochstadelhaus (1780m), Planina Unholdenalm (1800m)