The village is popular with skiing tourists, mainly families, as there is easy access to Zillertal Arena Centre on Isskogel.

The municipality of Gerlos has seven districts: Au, Gmünd, Innertal, Mitterhof, Oberhof, Ried and Schwarzach.

[4] Gerlos is located in the de:Gerlostal, which is a side valley of the Zillertal, branching to the east near Zell am Ziller.

In the 14th century, several tax-paying Schwaighöfe (livestock and dairy producing farms) were established in Gmünd, Ried, and Oberhof.

The valley and place name "gerlaise" is probably derived from the words "ger", meaning "pointed property", and "laise", a wild stream.

The area experienced a high when gold was discovered in the neighbouring towns of Hainzenberg and Zell am Ziller.

The Gerlos Pass also played an important role in the Tyrolean Rebellion of 1809, when troops from Pinzgau invaded Tyrol.

It primarily depicts a griffin, which is the result of the merging of the heraldic animals of Salzburg and Tyrol, the eagle and the lion.