Four fifths of the 16,000 hectares of the Upper Austrian national park are covered with forest - in the Sensengebirge and Reichraminger Hintergebirge you can find over 30 different kinds of forest cultures. Some ten million trees provide a habitat for 50 species of mammals, 120 species of breeding birds, and countless insects, including almost 4,000 types of beetle.

Conspiciuous are red deer, roe and chamois. However, the visitor can also discover rare animal species, such as European Black Salamander and Smooth Snake, as well as many bird species that are partly threatened by extinction in Austria. In Upper Austria, the Capercaillie and the Black Grouse, for example, find their last safe habitat in the Kalkalpen. And above the treeless plateaux of the Sensengebirge, the Golden Eagle still circles. The hunting grounds of a couple may cover more than 100 square kilometres.

A network of marked trails awaits the friends of nature. In the Hintergebirge, alpine dairy farms invite you to stop for food and for the night. You have to be a good walker in order to experience the full diversity of the national park - here, nature has top priority. On guided tours of the national park and in the wide range of activities for schools, the experience of nature is also in the centre of interest, the individual discovery of beauty in all things big and small.