Olperer Hutte is a mountain hut that you can stay in overnight and have a meal. After a steep 3.2km hike you will reach the hut and the most photogenic swing bridge. Here is a guide on how to get there and take the ultimate selfie.

Getting there

The Olperer Hutte track starts next to Parkplatz Schlegeis Stausee. Every time you enter Lake Schlegeis with your car you have to pay 12 €. Alternatively you can take the bus 4102 from Mayrhofen.

The Hike

The most quickest way to Olperer Hutte is a 6.4km return hike. It takes at least 2 hours up and 1 hour down, excluding the time for photos and food. The paths are all clear and consist of dirt/rocks.

We zig zagged up the steep path. Once we cleared the trees we got a stunning view of the lake below. The calm lake was a beautiful shade of blue. The views of the snow capped peaks kept getting better the higher we hiked. We passed a waterfall and found some nice places to stop.

You will find the swing bridge just above Olperer Hutte, about a 5 minute walk. This bridge hangs above a waterfall with a massive drop. An amazing photo can be captured with the lake and mountain range in the background.

How to take the ultimate selfie?

There was a short wait to get a photo on the bridge. While Tammy waited in line, I set up my tripod next to the river. Once Tammy was on the bridge I took some awesome portraits and a video. I set up the composition and settings, then asked a friendly guy to press the shutter. Other ways you could take a self portraits here are:

Self timer: you can choose how many photos you want to take over a specific time (e.g. 1 photo every 2 seconds for 1 minute). Some cameras have this built in (Canon 5d Mark IV)
External shutter release. Cheap option and work similar to an inbuilt self timer.
App that can connect to the cameras inbuilt wifi. You can also change the settings from your phone. We have used the Canon app and you have the option of a 2 or 10 second delay once you push the shutter release.

Olperer Hutte

The only thing that could take us away from this incredible view was our hunger. Luckily we still had a similar view from the outdoor table at Olperer Hutte. We immediately ordered Kaiserschmarrn (a delicious Austrian shredded pancake) and Radler (beer and lemonade).

Alternatives Routes

The waiter gave us advice about the different routes back down. To get back down to Lake Schlegeis before dark, we had 3 options :

Go back down the same way (quickest)
Go to the right (North East) towards Freisenberghaus and completed a 7 hour loop hike
Go to the left (South West) towards Unterschrammachkar and complete a 5 hour loop hike

We decided on option 3 to experience some different landscapes on the way down. We were very surprised when we had to walk along precarious path with snow. To our relief the snow disappeared and we continued higher around the other side of the mountain. The descent was extremely steep and when we reached the bottom my legs were shaking uncontrollably.

Where we stayed?

We stayed in an apartment hotel at Hells Ferienresort Fügen. We absolutely loved the room, especially the wood design and the kitchen.

There are a few more accommodation and food options in the main town of Mayrhofen. We stopped in Mayrhofen for delicious ribs and lamb cutlets at Hotel & Gasthof Perauer. Another restaurant that we recommend is Schnitzelstation Klammlhof for a 500g schnitzel!

We hope this blog helped you with your planning. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!

How To Take The Ultimate Selfie At Olperer Hutte?