National Park Nockberge

Close to heaven

The rounded peaks of crystalline stone, the “Nocken” gave the oldest mountain region in Austria its name. This countryside located between Liesertal and Turracher Höhe boasts an abundance of natural attractions; the forests and high mountain pastures have been farmed and Alpine chalets tenderly cared for for generations, rendering a most enchanting atmosphere.

Adorned with the natural gems of the animal kingdom and flora, you just might encounter hedgehogs and brown bears or edelweiss and Celtic spikenard (a variety of aromatic alpine plant).

Healthy Mountain Air

Enjoy extended hikes in the healthy mountain air and in a landscape colorful with the blossoms of alpine flowers. A breath-taking panorama, 1000 km of marked hiking paths, tracks of all levels of difficulty, and alpine huts offering food and drinks await those who love and enjoy nature in the Nock Mountains. If you would rather enjoy the ascent in a more leisurely fashion, then let the lift take you up to the peak and the sky.

Landscape with many facets

The Nock Mountains are Europe’s only national park in the Alps where the peaks are of a more gentle nature. The forest of spruce, larch and pine is the largest in the Eastern Alps. The landscape has a multitude of facets ranging from mountain forests carefully tended and managed for generations to mountain meadows to primordial and pristine areas. Nature and culture in the Nock Mountains is bejeweled with gems of the animal and plant world.

Unique in the Alps

The unmistakable rounded outline of the Nocks, which means „dumpling“, is a rarity in the history of the earth and is unique in all of the Alps. Geological developments created a manifacetted alpine landscape of a very special kind which was created in hundreds of millions of years through many alternations between land, sea, desert and jungle.