Scenic nature site : Elfer Gratzengrübl Round trip 1

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The „Elfer“ – home mountain of Neustift – has not only been a natural time marker for the locals since time immemorial but also shows unique geological features. It is impressive to watch how two different rock forms meet there: on the one side the rugged and bright rock towers on the Serles ridge made out of limestone, on the other side the prehistoric rock of the Stubai mountains, the so called Ötztal-Stubai-Crystalline that forms the socket of the mountain. The chalk sediments had been lifted out of the sea when the African Plate pushed against the Eurasian Plate and the Alps were formed. You recognize the limestone by its red to yellow limestone layers below the summit of Kesselspitze, a rugged and highly jointed setup and the bright rock fans out of sharp-edged boulders.

TOUR DESCRIPTION
From the Elferbahn mountain station the track winds upwards to the Elferhütte. Shortly above the hut the panoramic trail moves downwards to the western side of the Pinnistal, climbs a little once more and then stays at the same level for a considerable time with a wonderful view of the romantic and wild Pinnistal. After a walk of around 1.5 hours you turn right towards Zwölfernieder before reaching the Elfer natural beauty spot, which is on a plateau and offers a fantastic panorama along the Serleskamm. Larchwood benches are an inviting place to take a rest. The route back is via the Zwölfernieder and the Autenalm. For the first 300 m you take the same track, before turning left towards Zwölfernieder and Autenalm. The Zwölfernieder is reached in about 30 minutes. From der Zwölfernieder the narrow but good track initially (the first 30 minutes) descends steeply to the Autenalm, which you reach in one hour. From the Autenalm you can walk back to the mountain station on a relatively level track (45 minutes) or descend to the valley station of the Elferlifte (two hours).