Innerkrems is the top end of the Krems valley, a scatter of farms, hotels and ski lifts at around fifteen hundred metres in the Nockberge, the rounded green mountains of western Carinthia. Unlike the sharp limestone of the Dolomites or the glaciated peaks of the Hohe Tauern, the Nocks are soft, grassy domes, shaped by ice and worn smooth, and they roll away in every direction like waves frozen in place. They are protected as a biosphere reserve, a landscape of alpine pasture, dwarf pine, lakes and stone huts that is among the gentlest in the Alps.
The great road here is the Nockalmstraße, the Nockalm Road, a toll route built in the 1980s to make the highland accessible without wrecking it, thirty-odd kilometres long with more than fifty hairpins. It runs between Innerkrems and Ebene Reichenau, climbing to the Eisentalhöhe, the highest point at about two thousand and forty metres, with views across the domes to the Hohe Tauern on the horizon. Marmots whistle in the screes, golden eagles circle, and cattle and sheep graze on the high pastures. The toll is charged per vehicle, with motorcycles paying a lower fee, and the road is usually open from May to October, depending on snow.
Riding it is a delight. The surface is smooth and well maintained, the bends are well engineered with good visibility, and the gradient is moderate, so it is a road to enjoy rather than endure. The road is popular with riders, so avoid peak weekends in July and August if you want space, and watch for cyclists, who also love it. Weather at altitude changes quickly, with fog, wind and cold even in summer, so carry layers. In early summer, patches of snow may linger by the road.
The mountain huts serve simple food, such as Kasnudeln and soup, and a glass of Almdudler, an alpine herbal soda. The best months are late June to September, when the pastures are green and the weather mostly stable.