Steinernes Meer

Snapshot

The Steinernes Meer is a vast limestone plateau on the border of Salzburg State and Bavaria, stretching roughly 20 km across at elevations between 2,000 and 2,400 m. Treeless, featureless, and requiring real commitment to reach, it is one of the genuinely wild places in the Eastern Alps, and a counterpoint to everything managed and accessible in the valleys below.

The Story

The name says it plainly: Stone Sea. A rolling expanse of white and grey limestone karst, the plateau surface stretches to the horizon in every direction with almost no vertical relief. No trees, no buildings, no road. In clear weather the distant peaks provide orientation; in cloud or mist the plateau becomes genuinely disorienting, the kind of terrain that reminds you why people carry maps.

Reaching the Steinernes Meer from the Austrian side, most commonly from Saalfelden or Maria Alm, requires a serious ascent of several hours. The Riemannhaus mountain hut at 2,177 m sits on the Austrian edge of the plateau and is the standard overnight base. From there the plateau opens up, and the sense of space is unlike anything accessible from a valley floor or cable car station. The Bavarian side of the plateau descends toward the Konigssee and the Watzmann, making multi-day traverses possible for those with the navigation skills and equipment.

The Steinernes Meer is not for everyone, and that is the point. The valleys around it, Saalfelden, Maria Alm, Berchtesgaden on the German side, offer polished tourism infrastructure. The plateau above offers the opposite: an open, indifferent wilderness that demands preparation and rewards attention. A small group of cairns marks the path. Beyond that, you are on your own.

Visiting

The plateau is best approached from Saalfelden or Maria Alm on the Austrian side, or from Berchtesgaden via the Wimbachtal on the Bavarian side. The Riemannhaus (2,177 m) is the standard Austrian base and offers overnight accommodation in season; booking ahead in summer is advisable. A full day should be allocated for any serious plateau exploration; overnight stays at the hut allow for proper traverses. Navigation equipment (map, compass or GPS) is essential once on the plateau. The terrain is not technically difficult but is exposed, and weather changes rapidly at altitude. Summer season (July to September) provides the best conditions; snow can persist on the plateau into June.