Great Maple Ground (Großer Ahornboden)
The "Großer Ahornboden" [↗] is a valley in the far north of Austria with many solitary trees - as the name suggests: maple trees. Some of them have grown in a particularly attractive way. Even though the valley is located in Austria, it can only be reached via Germany. Access is via a toll road, which currently costs 7 Euros. Parking, however, is free.
Unfortunately, the spot is anything but a hidden gem. Just looking at how large the main parking lot is, you can imagine what it’s like here during peak times. Even on a Tuesday morning outside of the school vacation season, when I visited, it was about two-thirds full by noon. In addition to those who come by car, there are visitors who arrive by public bus. Entire bus groups are drawn to the valley, too. And then there are the cyclists. Since the long, gradual climb into the valley is manageable even for the completely unathletic thanks to electric assist, there aren’t just a few riders on racing bikes, but whole hordes of casual tourists. When I arrived in the morning, I had maybe three or four to pass and no oncoming traffic at all. When I started my return trip around noon, the new arrivals had to adjust to the cyclists’ speed over long stretches and hope to safely pass a group every now and then.
I would definitely avoid the valley on weekends.
Fortunately, most visitors don’t go into the area with the trees at all, but head in the other direction, hiking toward the alp and further into the mountains.
Unfortunately, the valley itself doesn’t get sunlight until relatively late in the day. But that sunlight is necessary to breathe some life into the trees. In late September, when the leaves start to slowly change color, the sun shines on larger areas no earlier than 10:30 a.m., though some parts remain in the shadow of the mountains for much longer. It probably won’t be much better in the afternoon, since the sun then sets behind the mountains across the valley.
