Karwendel#

Karwendel Mountains, mountain range in the North Tirolean Limestone Alps to the north of the Inn Valley between the Seefeld Saddle in the west and Lake Achensee in the east; the Karwendel Mountains are made up of 4 parallel limestone chains: the southernmost chain is the Solsteinkette, also called Innsbrucker Nordkette Mountains rising to the north of Innsbruck directly above the Inn Valley with its highest peak, Grosser Solstein (2,541 m). The second chain to the north is the Bettelwurfkette or Gleirsch-Halltal-Kette with notable peaks (Grosser Bettelwurf (2,726 m), Hoher Gleirsch (2,492 m), Praxmarerkarspitze (2,638 m), Grosser Lafatscher (2,696 m) and Speckkarspitze (2,621 m)). The Hintere Karwendel-Kette or Vomper-Kette forms the third chain and its highest peaks are: Birkkarspitze (2,749 m), Oedkarspitze (2,745 m), Laliderer Spitze (2,588 m), Lamsenspitze (2,508 m) and Spritzkarspitze (2,606 m). The Vordere Karwendelkette (also called the Karwendel Mountains) is the fourth and northernmost chain (highest peak: Karwendelspitze (2,385 m); it forms the border between Austria and Germany; the Gleirsch, Hinterau and Karwendel valleys separate the limestone chains from each other. The Grosse and Kleine Ahornboden Mountains at the far reaches of the Rissbach and Johannesbach valleys are regions with some very old maple trees. The Karwendel Mountains are a nature reserve; there is a funicular railway from Seefeld in Tirol up to the Rosshuette (mountain refuge in 1,751 m) and there are several cabin railways and skilifts. The Hafelekar Peak can be reached by the Nordketten cable railway; mountain torrents: Obere Isar to Scharnitz and Rissbach, mountain refuges: Karwendelhaus (1,771 m), Bettelwurfhuette (2,079 m), Lamsenjochhuette (1,953 m), Noerdlinger Huette (2,239 m).