Hohe Tauern National Park Austria

Legendary

Located in the Alps, it's the largest national park in Austria.

Photo by Sander Hoogendoorn

Austria is a federal country, which meant this park couldn't be created all at once. Three separate states each had to pass their own law.

Carinthia went first in 1981, protecting the land around the Grossglockner. Salzburg followed a few years later, and Tyrol joined last.

The idea had been floating around since the 1910s. It took roughly seventy years to actually happen.

The result is the largest protected area in the entire Alps. It covers about 1,856 square kilometers across those three states.

Grossglockner stands at the center, Austria's highest mountain at 3,798 meters. More than 300 other peaks in the park top 3,000 meters.

Beneath Grossglockner lies the Pasterze, the longest glacier in Austria. Its tongue of ice stretches about four kilometers down the valley.

People have measured the Pasterze every year since 1879. Between 2006 and 2016, it shrank by roughly 40 meters annually.

On the Salzburg side, the Krimml Falls drop about 380 meters in three separate stages. They're the highest waterfalls in Austria and among the tallest in Europe.

Glacier meltwater feeds them, so the flow changes with the weather. On a hot summer afternoon, they thunder.

The park is full of animals that vanished from much of the Alps. Ibex, chamois, marmots, golden eagles, and bearded vultures all live here.

Drive the Grossglockner High Alpine Road in summer for views straight across to the Pasterze. Walk the trail beside Krimml Falls, which climbs past viewing platforms at each of the three stages. Join a ranger-guided hike to spot marmots and, if you're lucky, an eagle overhead.