The traditional cattle drive to Ötztal’s Alpine pastures

Between mid-May and mid-June, summer comes to the mountains of Ötztal – and with it, a tradition that has shaped the valley for generations.

When spring arrives in Ötztal, it brings dramatic changes to the mountain landscape. The meadows glow green, the streams rush more powerfully through the valley, and high above, the mountain huts gradually reopen. Between mid-May and mid-June, a special time begins here: the cattle drive to the Alpine pastures. Farmers lead their animals from the valley farms up to the summer grazing grounds in a familiar sight that has shaped life in Ötztal for generations.

Yet the cattle drive is far more than a seasonal journey into the mountains. It is a living tradition, rooted in the valley’s rhythm. As the cows, sheep, and goats make their way up to the Alpine pastures, where they spend the summer, many mountain huts reopen and serve regional specialities. During this period, visitors to Ötztal will encounter herds along the trails and experience Alpine culture at its most authentic.

One especially remarkable version of this tradition is the sheep drive across the main Alpine ridge. Every year, farmers from Italy’s Val Senales/Schnalstal Valley guide around 5,000 sheep over the high passes, including the Niederjoch, Hochjoch, and Timmelsjoch, into the rear Ötztal valley in Austria. The shepherds accompany the animals across glaciers, rocky paths, and high-Alpine crossings, then spend the summer in simple shepherds’ huts alongside their flocks until the animals return to their farms in September.

The roots of this custom stretch back beyond the written history of the region. Grazing rights were first recorded in documents as early as 1415. Over the centuries, close ties developed between the people on both sides of the main Alpine ridge, linking Austria and Italy. In 2011, this sheep drive was recognised as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. To this day, it also helps preserve the rare Schnals sheep breed and keeps an important part of Alpine culture alive.

In Ötztal, the cattle drive marks the beginning of the mountain summer. It shows how closely nature, agriculture, and tradition are still intertwined here – and how vividly old customs live on in the Alps.