Starting at the base of the Karwendelbahn, follow signs under the roadway and up the hill. From there, follow the yellow signs to the Dammkarhütte. This portion of the hike is relatively easygoing, but the last little bit up to the hut involves quite a bit of shale, so be prepared to take your time and step carefully. If you are lucky, you may spot an Alpine Ibex or two!

At the hut, there are restrooms, potential overnight arrangements, and food/drink available for purchase.

After the hut, follow signs for Westliche Karwendelspitze. Here, the more difficult part of the ascent begins; you will be walking through raw, beautiful shale fields for the next few miles with a lot of switchbacks and a lot of slippery steps.

As you go further up, you will reach a great view, and there will be a small steel building up on your right. If you go into this building, there is a tunnel that cuts through to the Bergstation Karwendelbahn (also has food, drink, and bathrooms) located at the base of the summit push to Westliche Karwendelspitze. However, when we did the hike, we followed the signs for the harder route, which does require more caution and a couple precarious steps. Beware of any breakaways and take care to hold on to the supplied cables.

Once at the base, you're ready for the final push! Follow the signs for Westliche Karwendelspitze, hold on to the cables, take your time, and take in the incredible views of Mittenwald, the Karwendelspitze range, and the vast beauty surrounding you. Don't forget to sign the logbook!

(Note: The described route up is ~8 miles.)

To get back down to Mittenwald, there are multiple options, some of which follow:
1) Take the Karwendelbahn down (~11 Euros)
2) Hike down the face of the mountain (challenging) via Mittenwalder Hütte
3) Head back the way you came