The famous mountain Sarstein lies at the east shore of the Hallstättersee. When you look towards the Sartsein from Gosau your view to the Sarstein encloses the valley in the east.
On the one hand the walk up to the Sarstein is a nice and easy one. But it is an exhausting hike that will take you a day time on the other hand. In the end you will be rewarded with a unique panorama over the whole Dachstein region, the Plassen, the Gosaukamm, the Kalmberg mountains and you will have the opportunity to see the Styrian lakes and mountains too.
The journes takes you about 3 hours time, an altitude of 1300 metres. Your journey back down again will amount about two to three hours.
After the Pötschenkehre, about 300 metres, you will find a parking lot. This is your starting point for the well marked route to the Sarstein. After a 15 minutes walk you will come to a refuge which is known as Simonyaussicht. Shortly after it you will have the first opportunity to look down upon the Hallstättersee and the over to the Dachstein. Then your hike will continue for two hours until you get to the forest line. Finally a little stream will accompany you the last 15 minutes until you reach the Sarsteinalm at 1710 metres above the sea level. The hut is open to the public temporarily. www.sarstein.at
As far as the path from the Sarsteinalm is concerned it leads through Latschen at the beginning. But before you climb the peak, beautiful alpine meadows spread over the back side of the Sarstein mountain.
Eventually you will see the astonishing view of the Dachstein, the Plassen, the Gosautal, the Gosaukamm, the Klamberg mountains, in the direction of Bad Ischl, down upon the alpine pastures of Bad Goisern, to the Sandling and the Ausseer mountains. You will see the Hallstättersee, the Altausseersee and the Grundlsee in the depth.
There is a nice path which starts at the pinnacle and leads past pastures and pools with various morels to the Sarsteinhütte in Obertraun at 1650 metres above the sea level. It is open to the public only temporarily during weekends. You can get down to Obertraun again through the woods.