Salzachöfen, sometimes translated as Salzachöfen Gorge, is a narrow

gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

in the

Northern Limestone Alps The Northern Limestone Alps (german: Nördliche Kalkalpen), also called the Northern Calcareous Alps, are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germany. ...

Salzburg State Salzburg (, ; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) (also known as ''Salzburgerland'') is a state (''Land'') of the modern Republic of Austria. It is officially named ''Land Salzburg'' to distinguish it from its eponymous capital — the city of S ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. The gap is formed by the

Salzach The Salzach (Austrian: �saltsax ) is a river in Austria and Germany. It is in length and is a right tributary of the Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of comprises large parts of the Northern Limestone and Central E ...

river as it cuts between the

Hagen Mountains The Hagen Mountains (german: Hagengebirge) are a subrange of the Berchtesgaden Alps. They lie mainly in the Austrian state of Salzburg, the western quarter is in the Bavarian county of Berchtesgadener Land. The steep western flanks of the Hagen ...

and

Tennen Mountains The Tennen Mountains (german: Tennengebirge) is a small, but rugged, mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps, which lies in front of the Eastern Alps for its entire length. It is a very heavily karstified high plateau, about 60 km² in ...

. Lueg Pass provides a route along the Salzach above Salzachöfen. The terms Lueg Pass and Salzachöfen are sometimes used interchangeably to refer to the whole canyon. The site is considered a

Natural Monument A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, nat ...

of Austria.

Geography

The Salzach river has its source in the

Central Eastern Alps The Central Eastern Alps (german: Zentralalpen or Zentrale Ostalpen), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps (german: Österreichische Zentralalpen) or just Central Alps, comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps in Austria and the adjacent ...

and flows easterly through a large valley before turning north towards the

Berchtesgaden Alps The Berchtesgaden Alps (german: Berchtesgadener Alpen) are a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps, named after the market town of Berchtesgaden located in the centre. The central part belongs to the Berchtesgadener Land district of southe ...

. Here, the Salzach cuts a narrow valley between the Hagen Mountains to the west and the Tennen Mountains to the east and terminates with the deeply incised Salzachöfen. The gorge, at the narrowest point of the valley, is located on an S-bend where the Salzach briefly flows east before cutting west then flowing north again. From this point north, the Salzach runs through mostly low-lying valleys. Salzachöfen is located just south of

Golling an der Salzach Golling an der Salzach is a market town in the Hallein district of Salzburg, Austria. Geography It is located on the southern rim of the ''Tennengau'' region south of the city of Salzburg. Here at the confluence of the Salzach and its Lammer trib ...

Hallein District The Bezirk Hallein is an administrative district (''Bezirk'') in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria, and congruent with the Tennengau region. Area of the district is 668.31 km², with a population of 54,282 (May 15, 2001), and populati ...

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

Access

Salzachöfen serves as a tourist attraction and can be accessed via a staircase and trail from Highway B159. There is a zipline that crosses the gorge during summer months.

Whitewater kayaking Whitewater kayaking is an adventure sport where a river is navigated in a decked kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles. River running; where the paddler follows a river and paddles rapids as they travel. Creeking usually involving s ...

is popular activity through the ravine although the waters can be treacherous and deadly. Adolf Anderle's descent of Salzachöfen in 1931 is considered the birth of whitewater kayaking.

Gallery

Salzach2379.jpg, Pathway to the lower gorge Salzach2384.jpg, A

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

arch Salzach2440.jpg, Above the lower gorge Salzachöfen7.JPG, The Salzach flowing through the gorge

References

External links

* {{Official website, www.golling.info/en/experience-excursion/gorge-salzachoefen Canyons and gorges of Austria