Dürrenstein-Lassingtal is a wilderness area in the Ybbstal Alps of Lower Austria, where the limestone mountains rise above deep valleys covered with forests of beech, spruce and fir. It includes the Rothwald, one of the largest remaining primeval forests in Central Europe, a forest that has never been logged, and it is part of the transnational World Heritage Site of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe. Here trees grow, die and decay naturally, creating a rich habitat for insects, fungi, birds and mammals.
Access to the core of the wilderness is restricted, and visits are possible only on guided tours. But the surrounding valleys and mountains offer plenty to see and do. Lunz am See, a small village with a lake, has a long tradition of scientific research, and nearby, in a sinkhole called the Grünloch, scientists recorded one of the lowest temperatures ever measured in Central Europe, around minus 52 degrees, a striking reminder of how cold air pools in these limestone hollows.
This is serious riding country. Roads wind through narrow valleys, past rivers and lakes, and over passes with views of the mountains. The road through the Lassing valley towards Wildalpen, the climb to the Hochkar ski area and the roads around Göstling and Lunz are all worth riding. The tarmac is mostly well kept, traffic is light and the corners keep coming. Watch for wildlife, especially deer, and for logging trucks.
The region is sparsely populated, with small villages and farms. The valleys are cool and damp, and the forests smell of moss and resin. In spring, the beech trees burst into fresh green, and in autumn they turn copper and gold. Winter brings snow, and some roads, like the one to Hochkar, may be closed or require chains.
Fuel is not plentiful in these valleys. Göstling and Lunz are small villages, so fill up before you enter the area; the nearest town listed with more than five thousand people is Trofaiach, thirty-five kilometres away, though other towns lie along the main valleys. Food is traditional Austrian: schnitzel, goulash, dumplings and cakes. A stop at a mountain inn for coffee and strudel, with nothing but forest noise around you, makes the slow fuel logistics easy to forgive.