In the south of Austria, strictly speaking in East Tyrol and Carinthia, there are the Gailtal Alps, featuring a length of 100 km. This Limestone alpenstock extends between the Drau Valley and the Gail Valley and comprises the Lienz Dolomites: Even if they bear the name of the neighbouring Dolomites, they are not part of the Dolomites and do not consist of Dolomite rocks. They range on a length of 40 km from the Kartitsch Saddle in the east of Sillian to the Gailberg Saddle.

From a geologic viewpoint, the Gailtal Alps make part of the Eastern Alps. Neighbouring mountain ranges are, among others, the Villgraten Mountains in the north-west and the Carnic Main Divide as well as the Karawanks in the south. Also the Weissensee in Carinthia, the highest located lake for bathing of Austria, belongs to the Gailtal Alps, called Gailtaler Alpen or Drauzug in German.

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Peaks: The highest mountains of the Gailtal Alps are the 2,770 m high Sandspitze - the most challenging route in the first opening period of the Lienz Dolomites - and the Reisskofel (2,371 m a.s.l.). Further peaks are called e.g. Spitzkofel (2,718 m a.s.l.) and Gamswiesenspitze (2,486 m a.s.l.).

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Trails: The Gailtal High Route is a 150 km long hiking trail which leads along the entire length of the Gailtal Alps. Mountain huts in this area are the Karlsbader Hut, the Kerschbaumeralm Schutzhaus in the central Lienz Dolomites and the Compton Hut in the north of Mt. Reisskofel. In winter, the Lienz Dolomites are bestknown for their skiing area on Mt. Hochstein and Mt. Zettersfeld.

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