Despite being the second highest peak in Germany and having a north face which drops about 1500 m (one of the highest rock faces in the whole of the Northern Limestone Alps) the Hochwanner has remained a relatively unknown mountain. This is due to its relatively inaccessible location, behind the Alpspitze and hidden by the Höllentalspitze. The more widely known, but lower Watzmann is often wrongly cited as the second highest mountain in Germany.