The city of Innsbruck Austria is the location where we would spend the next two nights of our trip to Austria.
We spent day two touring around the town a little and then did a self guided hiking excursion up the local mountain.
The site was referred to as "The Top of Innsbruck," or so the sign said. It was a fitting name though, given its close proximity to the city and the view looking down upon it.
Probably one of the best things about this hike was just how close it was to the town and the general ease of getting there.
We basically just walked over to the tram station and took the tram to the cable car and then took the cable car up the mountain - very easy peasy.
There were other people up there, of course, but it wasn't busy at all and the mountain was large and spread out so there was plenty of space to hike and move around at the top.
That was especially true for the area around the station itself.
It was mostly open and empty space there.
As you know I always like to take several photos of the same thing from various vantage points.
I can never decide which I like best.
Trail signs on the mountain point you towards the different paths up there and provide some limited info on the views.
Benches scattered around provided nice Panoramic views of the scenery.
We stopped to rest and look out a few times.
We also watched a paraglider for a little as they made a few attempts to take off.
The first attempt was a bit of a failure, I guess the wind wasn't right, but the next sent him off nicely.
I wouldn't have the stomach for it myself, but it does look like a peaceful pass time once you're in the air.
The actual "peak" of the mountain is a little higher than the cable car so you can do some additional climbing if you're up to it.
It was an easy to moderate hike I'd say, good for anyone without mobility issues.
Most of it was on well trodden paths.
There were a few locations that offered something slightly more challenging though.
Here is my wife bouldering down from one of the look outs.
Which do we like better, face toward the camera or away?
The terrain was a little varied in the different directions.
Some of the mountains had grass and were covered in vegetation,
while other areas were barren and rocky, with jagged peaks and valleys sprouting out in all directions.
I really liked the areas where the buildings were set within the rocks.
It was neat how they blended into the landscape.
We spent quite a bit of time up there hiking the "peak" and also checking out the different views.
The giant cross at the top lets you know that you've made it.
Here is a look down from the summit to the cable car station.
And here are a few scenery shots in the opposite direction.
Which one do we like better, close up or zoomed out?
There was a via ferrata climbing path for those that are a little more adventurous and skilled.
You may have to zoom into the photo to see the climbers a little better. I've never done a via ferrata myself but it looks much more of a challenge.
Here are a few more random photos.
We spent a decent amount of time up there on the mountain that day. It was an easy location to get to and didn't cost a lot of money between the tram and cable car ride. All in all I'd say that it was a good excursion to do if you're visiting the city and have time to go for a decent hike. There isn't a lot more that I can say about it at this time so I'll leave it there. Thanks for reading.