Kuhjoch is a quiet 1760 m saddle in the Vorkarwendel, the lower northeastern section of the Karwendel range - yet it holds a rank few hikers would expect: it's the only Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) in Austria, marking the official base of the Hettangian stage and the Triassic-Jurassic boundary.

The landscape here is gentler than the dramatic peaks further into the Karwendel massif, with rolling ridgelines and alpine pastures. Just below the ridge crest, on both flanks, artificial rock exposures have been cut into the slope, revealing the famous 'Golden Spike' that pinpoints one of Earth's great extinction boundaries. In summer the area offers peaceful walking with wide views over the surrounding Karwendel ridges, while the approach through the Baumgartenbachtal valley feels like a classic alpine pasture hike.

• Hochstallalm-Niederleger — via Hochstallalm-Hochleger, about 1.5 to 2 hours on foot, easy to moderate difficulty
• The simplest access is from the north through the Baumgartenbachtal valley

• Kuhjoch is the only GSSP site in Austria (as of 2017)
• The scientific rock exposures lie right beneath the ridgeline on both sides

Few places on Earth preserve such a clear geological record of the end-Triassic extinction: the rock layers here contain the ammonite Psiloceras spelae, whose first appearance was used to officially define the start of the Jurassic period. The site was formally inaugurated in August 2011.