The Stone Pine Trail in Obergurgl

Last updated on May 6th, 2020 at 10:47 am

The interactive Stone Pine Trail above the Tyrolean village of Obergurgl tells the story of the trees and the other natural features in the area.

The stone pine, a conifer which grows up near the tree line, is particularly hardy and can live for several hundred years. In Austria the tree line can reach an altitude of 2000 metres.

The needles of a stone pine near Obergurgl
The needles of the stone pine
© Naturpark Ötztal | Thomas Schmarda

Obergurgl is a small village in the Ötztal Alps at an altitude of 1900 metres. The twenty-hectare stone pine forest, which contains trees that are well over three hundred years old, has been part of a protected nature reserve since 1963.

The alpenrose blooming near Obergurgl
The alpenrose near Obergurgl
© Ötztal Tourismus | Alexander Lohmann

Visitors can hike the 4.4-kilometre-long Obergurgl stone pine trail to learn more about the trees and the surrounding countryside. The fifteen interactive stations also explain other points of interest along the way, such as lichens, raised bogs, marmots and the nearby glaciers.

More information: www.naturpark-oetztal.at