Geierstein (also Geigerstein) is a 1,491 m high mountain in the western

Mangfall Mountains The Mangfall Mountains (，), or sometimes Mangfall Alps, are the easternmost part of the Bavarian Prealps that, in turn, belong to the Northern Limestone Alps. The name comes from the river Mangfall, whose tributaries, the Rottach, Weißach, ...

, part of the

Bavarian Prealps The Bavarian Prealps () are a mountain range within the Northern Limestone Alps along the Austria–Germany border. They include the Bavarian Prealp region between the river Loisach to the west and the river Inn River, Inn to the east; the range is ...

, in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Geography

Geierstein is part of an east–west ridge with steep drop-offs to the north and south. It is the first prominent mountain peak coming out of Lenggries. The ridge is interrupted to the east by the Sommersbachgraben at 1,261 m. East of this drop, the ridge rises again to its highest peak,

Fockenstein Fockenstein is a mountain in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in what is called the Bavarian Prealps, west of the lake Tegernsee. Geography and climbing The summit is on the border between the municipalities of Gaißach and Bad Wiessee Bad ...

. The Geierstein is almost completely forested; only in the immediate vicinity of the summit does bare limestone emerge from the forest floor. The summit offers a view of the entire Isarwinkel, the

Munich gravel plain The Munich gravel plain () is an outwash plain in Upper Bavaria, Germany, formed during Late Pleistocene glacial periods. Characterized by its very wide extension, it comprises sandur terraces and the floodplain of the Isar river. These most rece ...

(with a view of Munich on a clear day), the

Tegernsee mountains The Tegernsee Mountains () form a mountain region between the River Isar in the west and the lake of Tegernsee as well as the Rottach, Weißen Valepp and Grundache south of the Tegernsee, in the east, and so form a part of the Bavarian Prealps. T ...

, and

Wetterstein The Wetterstein mountains (), colloquially called Wetterstein, is a mountain group in the Northern Limestone Alps within the Eastern Alps, crossing the Austria–Germany border. It is a comparatively compact range located between Gar ...

and

Karwendel The Karwendel is the largest mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps. It is located on the Austria–Germany border. The major part belongs to the Austrian federal state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol, while the adjacent area in the north is part ...

Name

The name of the mountain is sometimes written as ''Geigerstein'' (literally "Violinist Rock"), instead of ''Geierstein'' (literally "Vulture Rock"). Both names are present in the

German Alpine Club The German Alpine Club (, DAV for short) is the world's largest climbing association and the eighth-largest sporting association in Germany. It is a member of the German Olympic Sports Confederation and the competent body for sport and competiti ...

map and guidebook, with ''Geierstein'' in larger type. A legend about the mountain describes a violin-playing hermit whose eye was scratched out by an eagle.

Climbing

Geierstein can be climbed from the town of

Lenggries Lenggries is a municipality and a village in Bavaria, Germany. It is the center of the Isarwinkel, the region along the Isar between Bad Tölz and Wallgau. The town has about 9,500 inhabitants. By area, it is the largest rural municipality (" Geme ...

to its west via Reitenbach or Markeck. The path via Reitenbach is a well-marked path that is almost entirely in the woods until the last 100 m below the summit; it involves 800 m total of climbing and takes about two and a half hours. The path via Markeck also requires about 800 m of climbing and two and a half hours' time, but is steeper and more difficult. Both routes require

sure-footedness Sure-footedness is the ability, especially when hiking or mountain climbing, to navigate difficult or rough terrain safely. Such situations place demands on a person's coordination and reserves of strength as well as requiring sufficient appreciati ...

near the peak.

References

Mountains of Bavaria Bavarian Prealps Mountains of the Alps {{Bavaria-geo-stub