The Zillertal Alps are one of the most rugged and rewarding ranges in the Eastern Alps — a landscape of granite ridges, shrinking glaciers and deep valleys where the Austro-Italian border runs right along the highest peaks. If you are looking for serious mountain scenery without the crowds of more famous ranges, this is the place.

The terrain shifts dramatically as you gain altitude: lush meadows and roaring waterfalls give way to bare rock, permanent snowfields and glaciers that begin around 2500 m. The main ridge stretches east to west and tops out above 3500 m. The high valleys, known locally as Gründe, hold reservoirs that power the region, and the whole area is protected as a nature park — home to rare alpine flora and fauna.

• Hochfeiler (3510 m) — the highest summit in the Zillertal Alps, reachable from the Italian south side without glacier gear
• Hochsteller (3500 m) — a dramatic neighbour of Hochfeiler with sweeping cross-border panoramas
• Brenner Pass (1374 m) — the historic low-level crossing linking the Zillertal Alps to the Stubai Alps
• Zillertal glaciers — extensive northern icefield, visibly retreating over recent decades

• Base towns: Mayrhofen and Zell am Ziller (Austria), Sterzing/Vipiteno (Italy)
• Trail difficulty: wide range — easy valley walks to demanding high-alpine routes requiring crampons and ice axe
• Getting there: by car via Innsbruck or the Brenner motorway; by train to Jenbach then the narrow-gauge Zillertalbahn to Mayrhofen; local buses run in season

A fascinating footnote: stone tools and rock crystal fragments found at Pfitscherjoch Pass show that Mesolithic hunters were crossing these high passes thousands of years before the first recorded alpine ascents.