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Classic view of the River Isar from the Rißsattel (Stage 4)

The snow and the consequent surge of meltwater have an enormous impact on Traumpfad. Starting in Munich the route follows the River Isar whose fast-flowing grey water, destined for the Danube and the Black Sea, betrays its origins in the Karwendel limestone. The route then crosses the Inn, the most important tributary of the Danube, snakes above the huge reservoir, the Schlegeisspeicher, fed by the glacier on the north side of the Hochfeiler, before crossing the watershed on the border with Italy. From here the water heads south and then east to the Adriatic and the Mediterranean. The walk finishes, as it started, with a riverside walk, but this time along an Italian river, the Piave.

The Alps occupy a battleground between weather systems: the Atlantic, Continental and Mediterranean. In the summer you can expect (but not rely on) good weather. As a general rule it’s wetter in the north near Germany and drier in Italy, but extremes of weather, including snow, need to be anticipated. As the temperature increases in July and August, thunderstorms are not uncommon and September is the most settled month.