Enjoy a late summer holiday in Salzburger Land – when the Indian summer arrives in the Rauris Valley

When the heatwaves are over and temperatures stabilize, the air becomes fresher here in the Rauris Valley. After the lively summer months, a sense of calm returns – and everything begins to slow down. Not quite ready for autumn mode and the daily routine?

Then pack your hiking boots and treat yourselves to a few more summer days together in the Rauris Valley. A late summer holiday has its own unique charm; many beautiful days in the mountains are possible, with quiet hiking trails in the Hohe Tauern National Park away from the main tourist crowds. It is the traditional time for Harvest Festival celebrations and cattle drives. Nature remains stable, and the managed alpine huts are still open.

Advantages of a late summer holiday

• The pleasant climate is ideal for hiking without the intense heat of midsummer
• The hiking trails in the Rauris Valley are uncrowded again, quieter than during the peak holiday season, meaning less bustle at the huts and alpine pastures
• Harvest Festival means tradition, traditional celebrations, and culinary highlights on the alpine pastures and in the valley
• Excellent conditions for longer tours to the 3,000-meter peaks at the end of the valley, as the weather is much more stable, offering the finest and clearest panoramic views

G’sungen und G’spielt

Under the motto “G’sungen und G’spielt” (Singing and Playing), the Salzburg Harvest Festival in the Rauris Valley is also dedicated to tradition, music, and living customs. Look forward to atmospheric sounds, regional delicacies, and sociable hours at the Harvest Festival.

The “5th season” begins in SalzburgerLand in mid-August. In the Rauris Valley, authentic experiences with traditional music, rural crafts, and genuine hospitality await you. Together, we celebrate the harvest season and maintain traditions with a lot of heart and regional flair.

The Harvest Festivalon September 12,2026 is one of the highlights of this special season. Freshly baked “Bauernkrapfen” (farmers’ doughnuts), spicy alpine cheese, local honey, and traditional handicrafts allow you to experience the diversity of the Rauris Valley.

Experience the Harvest Festival weeks and celebrate the “Bauernherbst” where original tradition meets the impressive nature of the Hohe Tauern National Park. We look forward to enjoying autumn in the Rauris Valley together with you.

Regional specialties and lovingly crafted handicrafts

Farm products from our own agriculture such as bacon, cheese, farmhouse bread, spreads, homemade items and crafts, felt and wool products, sheepskins, jewelry, decorative materials, coffee, and cake. At the Rauris Delicacy Market, visitors discover many authentic and high-quality goods – to taste and take home.
The market takes place until September 10, 2026, every Thursday from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM, in Voglmaierpark in front of the tourist office – Sportstraße 2.

A hiking tip from our Angela at the reception

We asked Angela what she likes best about late summer and if she has a favorite hike in the Rauris Mountains:

There is quite a lot to list. Clearly:

• First and foremost is the light, because the sun simply shines differently in late summer. This orange glow makes the surroundings appear completely golden, and the landscape looks, especially in the late afternoon, as if it had been colored with gold spray.

• I also love the pleasant and cool nights in late summer. They bring a slight freshness to the valley, and in the morning, the first dew is often already on the meadows. During the day, it is still pleasantly warm, often even summerly hot – and because the nights are getting shorter, the warm days simply feel much lighter.

• For me personally, late summer also includes the sounds of farmers bringing in their last hay harvest: the tractors in the field and the sounds of the leaf blower – then you know summer is still here, but autumn is already knocking.
  

If you would like to know my single favorite hike, I’m afraid I have to pass: there isn’t one that stands out so clearly. However, one tour describes late summer particularly well for me: from the Lenzanger parking lot via the Almboden up to the Bockhartscharte. You walk through two worlds: I start at the Lenzanger parking lot in the shade, with cool temperatures and morning dew. High above the Primeval Forest hiking trail, I reach the Almenboden after about 35 minutes, where the sun is slowly coming out.

The sun is warm and shines golden, and I feel it immediately: it is indeed still summer, even if it is already quite chilly in the shade in places. Further towards the summit, it becomes increasingly windy, and this brisk wind already feels truly like autumn. At the summit, it’s usually impossible without a windbreaker; I already have my headband ready – and suddenly it feels so much like autumn up here, so much so that I long to go back down – to summer. Somehow, I am startled when I think about how quickly the summer months have passed.

After a summit photo and a small snack in the wind, I head back towards Almenboden, and with every meter of altitude I hike down, a piece of summer returns. I breathe a sigh of relief because I suddenly feel that I haven’t taken that fresh mountain wind down with me. Here at Almenboden, it is summerly warm in the midday sun, and the cold mountain stream rushes so loudly that my thoughts revolve only around it. It is so warm that I give in to my thoughts and take off my shoes and socks. I cannot resist a footbath in the mountain stream. With a view towards the Sonnblick and my toes in the 7-degree cold water, I enjoy the experience of two seasons in a single morning. Perhaps that is exactly my favorite hike: not a specific one – but the one where I take a little piece of summer and a bit of autumn home with me in one morning.

Tour data:

Start of the tour: Lenzanger parking lot in Bucheben
35 minutes walking time towards Rauris Primeval Forest to the Almboden hiking trail no. 31
Past the Durchgangsalm and Filzenalm to the start of hiking trail no. 121
Total walking time 2.5 hours to the Bockhartscharte 2,226 m

The same way back towards Almenboden and the mountain stream with a view towards the Hoher Sonnblick – back to the Lenzanger parking lot via the short Rauris Primeval Forest trail no. 31 or towards Ammererhof and Naturfreundehaus via the forest road to the Lenzanger parking lot.

Did you know?

Where does the term “Altweibersommer” (Indian summer) come from? The special thing about Indian summer is not only the late summer period of fine weather from September to October with sunny, warm days and clear, cool nights, but also the typical cobwebs that fly through the air during this time. Mythology: The fine, shiny gray spider threads are reminiscent of the hair of old women, which is one explanation for the name “Alt-Weiber-Sommer” (Old Women’s Summer). In the past, when people were more familiar with myths, they believed they saw threads of life spun by old, white-haired goddesses of fate.

Summer is far from over

Who says that summer is over after the main holidays? On September 1, meteorological autumn officially knocks on the door – but honestly: in the Rauris Valley, summer is welcome to take its time.

Your room, the mountains, and a good dose of relaxation are already waiting. Secure your late summer getaway & head to the Rauris Valley!

We look forward to seeing you at Hotel Alpina Rauris.

Your Alpina Team