The Kalkalpen National Park is the largest forest wilderness in Austria, and the Hintergebirge is one of its quiet corners, a limestone mountain range in Upper Austria with steep wooded slopes, deep valleys and very few roads. It is a landscape of beech, spruce and fir, with some of the oldest unmanaged beech forest in the Alps, so valuable that it is included in the UNESCO listing of ancient beech forests of Europe. Walking in it feels like walking in the Europe before the roads.
Wildlife is the great attraction. Lynx, reintroduced in this region, are rare and secretive, but chamois, red deer and roe deer are common, and capercaillie and black woodpeckers live in the forests. Rivers run clear and cold through limestone gorges, and the water is some of the cleanest in the country. In the old days this was timber country, with logs floated down the streams to the sawmills and forges of the Enns and Steyr valleys, and the trails and small dams from that era are still visible if you know what to look for.
The roads are the main constraint. The area around the park has fine riding, with the long valleys leading toward Windischgarsten and the Pyhrn corridor offering smooth bends, gradual climbs and views of limestone cliffs, but the interior has few roads open to traffic, and some forestry tracks are closed to motor vehicles. Respect all signs, because the park authorities take restrictions seriously, and expect to turn back if a barrier appears. Weather in the mountains can change fast, with afternoon storms in summer and early snow in autumn, so check forecasts before heading out.
Windischgarsten, about ten kilometres away, has fuel, food and rooms, with a pleasant village centre and hotels used to hikers and cyclists. A plate of Knödel or a slice of curd cheese cake from a local inn is the right reward after a morning on the road. If you prefer a quieter evening, the smaller villages nearby, such as Spital am Pyhrn, offer guesthouses and a more rural feel. Early October, when the beech leaves turn orange and the air is crisp, is the best season, although late spring has its own charm.