Mountain adventures in the Silvretta Montafon
Oh, how we cherish our Alps! We've traversed many valleys in recent years – by car, campervan, or bicycle – for hiking, skiing, or biking. And yet, until now, we'd only ever managed a brief stop in the Silvretta Montafon, even though this enchanting valley is only about a two-hour drive from Kaufbeuren. But we've changed that now – and explored the summer mountain landscape both on our hiking boots and on our mountain bikes.
The market town of Schruns is affectionately known as the center of the Montafon region. This charmingly decorated Alpine village offers not only small shops – where you can discover unique souvenirs, for example – but also numerous restaurants, supermarkets, and sports shops with equipment rental.
Simply casual.
Less is often more – that could be the motto of St. Josef's Hostel in Schruns. The former hospital, where some of our loyal followers were born in the 1990s, has been transformed into a modern self-check-in hostel with a focus on aesthetics. It offers various rooms – from doubles to eight-bed dorms – for families, friends, or new acquaintances (if you only book one bed). For us, it's the perfect accommodation for the next four days, because this time we've also brought the grandparents along. Where else can you find an affordable family room for six?
St. Josefsheim is located right next to the Hochjochbahn valley station, making it the ideal starting point for exploring the mountains. The bus also stops right outside, allowing for climate-friendly and flexible exploration of the valley.
Arrived, checked in, time to relax.
We arrive at St. Josefsheim quite late, check in quickly, and get our bearings. It's perfect that there's a very good restaurant with a cozy, alpine-style dining room attached to the hostel – complete with a real gondola! The drizzle keeps us away from the beer garden, but it's all the more inviting inside. It's chanterelle season, so we don't need much convincing. The other dishes sound so delicious that we have a hard time choosing.
After dinner, we take a short stroll through Schruns to aid digestion. Luckily, the rain has stopped, and we enjoy the fresh mountain air.
The mountain is calling.
The next morning, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds every now and then. Since changeable weather was forecast for the day, we opted for a rather short hike on the Nova. So, we hopped into the Versettla cable car, which took us up to the mountain station at 2,010 meters.
Once at the top, the children discover the adventure playground around the Nova Stoba: there are marble runs, a cowbell game, a wooden cow for practicing milking and various balance games.
We explore the surroundings, climbing a small, outlying ridge with a breathtaking view over the valley – before the fog rolls in and the mystical scenery changes by the minute. So it's back to the Nova Stoba mountain hut and the delicious apricot dumplings from the daily menu. With full stomachs, we head to the playground one last time before driving back down to the valley.
Our motocross pros of tomorrow
On the way back, we'll make a quick stop at the Valisera cable car valley station – because a real treat awaits the boys there. The newly created Silvretta Park Montafon is a true paradise for children. The pump, jump & ride area offers everything: trampolines, pump track riding, and even an e-trial course where kids can ride electric motocross bikes over various obstacles.
The 15 minutes passed far too quickly, of course – and ever since, the two of them have been nagging us about when we'll be back. To ease their disappointment a bit, we unpacked our own bikes and explored the pump track. Lo and behold – after the first lap, the disappointment was temporarily forgotten.
After such an exciting day, not much else is needed. But of course, the children are happy to enjoy a delicious dinner at St. Josef's Home before going to bed.
Uphill to Downhill
Today is the day we've been most looking forward to: downhill riding on the trails of the Hochjoch Trail Park!
So: Protectors on, helmet on, bikes in the gondola – and off we go. At an altitude of 1,850 meters, three trails (red and blue) begin, winding their way through the forest below the cable car. The descent to the mid-station is approximately 5 kilometers and 500 meters in altitude.
The blue trail is especially suitable for children and beginners. Our oldest (7 years old) mastered it without any problems. The youngest (5 years old) was a bit apprehensive in a few places and ended up off the trail twice. That's when you really appreciate good protective gear – apart from a minor shock, nothing serious happened.
The blue trail is really ideal for practicing: nice and flowy, clearly laid out, and really fun. We adults even went down it again later on our own – true to the motto: “Brakes on, smiles on.”
Currently (summer 2025), the entire area around the chapel restaurant is being renovated. As an interim solution, the Hochjoch snack bar with several food trucks is open – the new restaurant is scheduled to be completed by winter.
Finding balance at 1,850 meters
Fortified by a delicious veggie burger from the food truck, we explored the adventure playground at Hochjoch. An obstacle course trains balance, and there's also a guinea pig enclosure and a pasture with cows. The chapel trail starts from the playground – with many varied stations for children.
Back in the valley, the sun shines brightly once more. The perfect evening to inaugurate the beer garden at St. Josef's Home.
To the Innerkapell Alpine pasture
To conclude our Silvretta adventure, a leisurely hike is on the agenda today. The weather is absolutely perfect – pure sunshine!
We start at the Hochjochbahn mountain station and begin our leisurely hike – mostly on a forest road that leads first through the ski area, then through a forest and across meadows. Again and again, magnificent views of the charming Silbertal valley open up.
Along the trail, we discover fascinating flora – with large ferns, ground cover, flowering mountain flowers, and many insects. The yellow patches on our boys' backpacks and caps are mistaken for flowers by butterflies and serve as landing pads.
After about 3 kilometers and 1.5 hours, we reach the small Innerkapell alpine pasture. The working cheese dairy has already received several awards – we naturally try the famous "Sura Kees" cheese and enjoy the homemade delicacies.
Back over the ridge
We could return via the easy forest road – however, we chose the route over the Sennigrat ridge. And it was well worth it! The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful: bright green slopes, small waterfalls, and streams. We were greeted noisily by marmots, which have their burrows everywhere in this area.
Reaching the ridge, we are rewarded with a magnificent panoramic view. The descent follows the chapel circular hiking trail with several viewpoints and a small water path – ideal for children.
Our wonderful excursion in Silvretta Montafon ends back at the mountain station. But one thing is clear: We'll be back in winter!
