Großer Ahornboden, Protected landscape area and alpine plain in Rißtal valley, Tyrol, Austria.
The Großer Ahornboden covers 267 hectares of alpine meadowland dotted with ancient sycamore maple trees up to 600 years old, situated at elevations between 1080 and 1300 meters in the Karwendel Nature Park.
The area has been shaped by alpine farming since the 12th century, when local farmers systematically removed conifers and shrubs to maintain grazing land while preserving the valuable ancient maple trees.
Traditional alpine agriculture has created this distinctive cultural landscape through centuries of careful land management, balancing livestock grazing with the preservation of the ancient tree population.
Access is available from May to October via a toll road from Hinterriß, with the Bergsteigerbus Eng providing public transportation during the tourist season.
The site harbors 215 species of mosses and lichens, including the rare Rudolph's trumpet moss that thrives on the gnarled bark of the centuries-old maple trees.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
