Dividing the glaciated Venediger group from the shaly Lasörling group west of Matrei, the Virgental is an extremely pleasant valley giving access to numerous huts lodged at the head of tributary glens to north and south. Several small villages and hamlets nestle in it. The first is Mitteldorf at 1091m. Then comes Virgen (1194m), with fine mountain views, tourist information, a few shops, and a choice of accommodation including a campsite. Beyond Virgen the road bypasses Obermauer and Niedermauer, goes through snow galleries and a tunnel and emerges at the tiny village of Bobojach at 1268m. Prägraten (1310m) lies at the entrance to the Timmeltal, has a supermarket, a bank (with ATM), tourist information and various types of accommodation. And finally there’s Hinterbichl (1329m) at a confluence of valleys below the Grossvenediger. With a campsite, and a limited amount of accommodation, it is from here that many visitors journey up the Dorfer Tal road to spend a day at the Johannis Hut. There’s a summer bus service to Hinterbichl and beyond as far as Ströden (about 4 buses per day), and car parks can be found in or near most villages.
| Start | Ströden (1403m) |
| Distance | 6km (one way) |
| Height gain | 804m |
| Grade | 2–3 |
| Time | 2½–3hrs (+1½-2hrs return) |
| Location | Northwest of Ströden |
Ströden (Streden) lies deep in the Virgental at the mouth of the Maurer Tal about 18km from Matrei. There is no village, but this is as far as private vehicles are allowed in the valley. The route from here to the Essener-Rostocker huts is an uncomplicated one which leads through the beautiful Maurer Tal, from its lower reaches to an ancient moraine flanking a small tributary valley where the adjoining huts stand on a spur below the Rostock Eck. The backdrop is spectacular.
Follow the broad track up the left-hand (west) side of the Maurerbach. This crosses to the east bank to reach Stoanalm (1459m, refreshments), and continues rising steadily through the valley as far as the hut’s goods lift. The track ends here, but a path (no 912) goes ahead, climbing above a ravine across the lower flank of the Schlüssel Spitze. Passing a hut at 1950m the gradient eases, and at 2068m you recross to the west bank, continue alongside the stream, then make a sharp left-hand kink to climb in zigzags to reach the Essener-Rostocker Hut (2207m).
The original Essener Hut was built by the Essen section of the DAV in the Passiertal in South Tyrol, but was destroyed by avalanche in 1935. The re-sited Neue Essener Hut met a similar fate in 1958. The present building dates from 1962–64, as an adjunct to the Rostocker Hut; a traditional hut built in 1912 by the DAV’s Main-Spessart section. A magnificent vantage point can be reached by continuing up the moraine beyond the buildings, while a recommended circular walk taking in the 2749m summit of the Rostocker Eck, will take about 2½hrs.