The hike begins on a wide, well-maintained farm track. As it progresses, the route narrows to a mountain path on a winding, rocky surface.
Our hike begins properly once we reach the eastern shore of the Großer Arbersee, probably completely frozen, a beautiful glacial lake often surrounded by deep snow and frost-covered spruce trees in winter time. We reach the popular Arberseehaus (Arber Lake House). A few meters above the restaurant, at the apex of the curve in the access road, our ascent begins. We initially hike relatively flat into the forest. The gravel path runs parallel to the northern shore of the Arbersee, but gradually veers away from the water.
After a sharp right turn, the route steepens somewhat. Further up, a forest road crosses the path that becomes much narrower up. The narrow path leads uphill at a constant incline till we reach Brennesfichte – a 250-year-old tree.
Here our path turns left and, after a right-hand bend, reaches a small clearing. Walk uphill a short distance, then turn right onto a narrow path. Several rocks now flank our ascent – a sign that the summit is not far away. The straight path ends at a forest clearing. We traverse out of it briefly, make a turn uphill to a lift station, and hike over to the restaurants and the mountain station of the cable car. From here, a clear path leads uphill to
Passing a ski lift, we reach the two radomes.
they were built during the Cold War , as the Czech border is only a few kilometers away . The facility is still used by the air force today and is part of the NATO air defense system .
To the left is the summit rock with the large cross. A fantastic panoramic view awaits us here – only to the north is the view obstructed by the two radomes. Expect beautiful ice formations due to current temperatures and the wind.
Leaving the radar domes to our right and the summit rock to our left, we descend a few meters northwards along a gravel path. At the apex of a left-hand bend, we leave the path and in a few steps reach the Seeblick viewpoint. Here we have an unobstructed view to the north, and the idyllic Kleiner Arbersee shimmers in the valley below. few steps to the right lead to the Arber Chapel and then up to the scenic Großer Seeriegel.
In winter, Großer Arber transforms into a Nordic-looking world similar to Scandinavia: vast snowfields, frozen lakes, and dense spruce forests buried under thick snow. After heavy snowfall and during fog or low clouds, the trees become covered in rime ice, creating the famous snow ghosts (Schneemonster). This phenomenon is very similar to what you see in northern Sweden, Finland, or Norway.
The open summit plateau, with its wide horizons and strong winds, feels raw and untouched, more Nordic than Alpine. Instead of sharp rocky peaks, the landscape is much more soft
