The Karwendelbahn cable car runs from the eastern edge of Mittenwald up to a station at 2,244 metres, just below the summit of the Westliche Karwendelspitze. The ride lifts you in a few minutes above the cultivated valley floor into the bare limestone world of the Karwendel range, and the view at the top extends from the Wetterstein and the Zugspitze to the west all the way to the Tyrolean Alps in the south.
There is a small geology and wildlife exhibit at the summit ("the world's largest binocular," shaped exactly like one), and several walks of varying difficulty descend back into the valley. Conditions can change quickly: bring layers and check the weather before you go.