The Grastal lake in its peaceful valley

An idyllic path winds its way through century old larch woods up to Grastal, a fabulous secluded Alpine side valley forking-off towards the south.

Our path leads us to a fork: Here we can either hike to Grastal lake (2,533m) - one of the largest glacial lakes in the Ötztal - or we climb up to our first peak, Mahdebene (2,395 m), and then on to the second, smaller peak Brand (2,283 m) high above Niederthai.

Here you enjoy awe-inspiring views of the ancient rockslide area, the mountain peaks and the lower valley. With a bit of luck you can watch a black grouse or rock ptarmigan in their natural habitat, two protected Alpine species living beyond the treeline.

The best time for this scenic hiking tour is the Alpine rose flowering season - promising peace and silence.