The trail from the Riemannhaus to the Kärlingerhaus refuge is the shortest crossing over the Steinerne Meer mountains to Berchtesgaden. It leads through the Steinerne Meer mountains over a tableland and is therefore relatively easy and comfortable, provided that there is no snow on the ground. The trail is equipped with easily distinguished red-white-red markings. However, with snow on the ground or in mist, finding the right way can often be problematic. Just after the Riemannhaus refuge, trail no. 413 leads northwards. After a slight climb, the highest point of the trail is soon reached at the “Salzburger Kreuz”, standing at 2,135m. From here, there is a good view over the Rotwandl (2,231m), which does justice to its name thanks to its striking red colour: this is the red Jura limestone. The Steinerne Meer mountains in general consist mainly in limestone, which dissolves and erodes easily in rainwater (karstification). Karstification is evident in so-called “Karren” (more or less deep gullies in the stone), caves and dolines (funnel-shaped hollows). The hiker soon passes the Schwarzen Lacke (black lake), a small waterhole to the right of the trail. Next comes a descent of approx. half an hour to the Baumgartl. Here, for the first time after the long march over the treeless plateau, is another dense forest area in the Steinerne Meer mountains. Now cross the border from Austria into Germany at an altitude of 1,787m, at the same time crossing the border into the Berchtesgaden National Park (approx. 1h). Continue further through the wood until trail no. 414 crosses ours. Stay on trail no. 413 and keep to the left. The trail leads towards Funtensee past a small distillery (left of the trail), where with a little luck you can watch the gentian distiller at work in the summer. Once you have found your way back to trail no. 413 again, the next stop-off is the so-called “Teufelsmühle” (devil’s mill), the underground outlet of the Funtensee lake. If you listen closely, you can make out the strange glugging and gurgling of the water, but it is not possible to see it. Further along the bank of the Funtensee lake, which due to its basin shape and high location regularly makes the headlines for record cold temperatures, you will reach the Kärlinger-Haus refuge (1,630m) (approx. 40min from the Baumgartl).
(Susanne Schwab, Berchtesgaden National Park Management)
 

Pass the narrow Baumgartl valley corridor and cross the border to Germany in the direction of Kärlingerhaus, at the same time crossing the border to the Berchtesgaden National Park. The massifs of the Hoher Göll, the Jenner and the Hagengebirge range form the eastern border of the national park, with parts of the Steinerne Meer mountains as the southern border, the Watzmann massif "in the middle" and the Reiteralm meadow as a western border. Overall, it therefore comprises 210 square kilometres. The national park has existed in its current form since 1978; its history as a protected zone began back in 1910, however, with the establishment of the “Plant Protection Area of the Berchtesgaden Alps”, one of the very first protected alpine zones. The aim was to put a stop to the then lively trade in wild alpine flowers from the region – first and foremost gentian and edelweiss. In 1990, the national park together with its immediate surroundings was also made one of the biosphere reserves recognised by UNESCO. The main aim of the Berchtesgaden National Park is to implement the basic principle “Let nature be nature”. In the core area of the protected zone, human intervention is therefore deliberately avoided. Natural developments must be allowed to run their course there unhindered. In the nursing area, on the other hand, traditional activities may be continued, e.g. alpine farming, fishing and navigation on the Königssee lake. Other priority tasks of the national park are research, environmental education and relaxation. The research contributes to furthering our understanding of natural processes, e.g. through the observation of the ways of life of chamois or golden eagle. In order to give visitors a close-to-nature experience using all of their senses and to inform them on the national park, the environmental education initiative comprises a diverse offer (e.g. guided walks, information points). Visitors can relax on the national park’s well built, extensive 230km trail network. Thanks to its size and variety of sites, the Berchtesgaden National Park contains a great number of plants, animal communities and species, many of which are rare. In principle, they are all protected in the national park. This diversity is also reflected in the numbers recorded by present research, which counts around 2000 mushroom varieties, 1000 vascular plants (including well-known flowering plants such as gentian and edelweiss) and 55 species of mammals for example. By climbing to high-altitude areas, hikers can gain an understanding of all vegetation zones from the midlatitudes up to the pole caps and even find marmots, golden eagles, chamois and ibexes in certain regions. From a geological viewpoint, Ramsau dolomites and Dachsteinkalk limestone prevail in the Berchtesgaden Alps. These rock types are particularly easy to distinguish thanks to the way in which they weather: limestone dissolves in rainwater (karstification), dolomite is broken into smaller pieces by frost shattering.
(Susanne Schwab, Berchtesgaden National Park Administration)