Harzawald Trail Partenen

The Harzawald Trail is the easy loop at the very end of the Montafon: 6.0 km with only 134 m of ascent between 983 and 1,116 m, starting and finishing at the Vermunt power station by the Vermuntbahn valley station in Partenen. From there the route runs along the Rifa basin – the balancing reservoir Illwerke uses for its chain of power stations, whose surface mirrors the mountains on still mornings – climbs gently into the hillside forest of Trantrauas and returns through the Harzawald to the basin. The surface is mostly forest and meadow track with no technical sections; the 1 hour 5 minutes in our fact box is a guide value for walkers, at running pace the loop takes a good half hour. Above the treetops you see the Vallüla and the peaks at the head of the valley – Partenen lies where the Montafon ends and the Silvretta begins.

The loop works well as an easy run before or after an excursion: from the Vermuntbahn, cable car and tunnel bus take you to the Bielerhöhe (summer 2026: 20 June to 4 October), and the Europatreppe 4000 starts right next door. Partenen is 10 minutes by car from our house, and bus 650 stops in the village. Water and refreshments are available in Partenen.

Last updated: 13 Sep 2026 · Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)