Salzachöfen, sometimes translated as Salzachöfen Gorge, is a narrow

gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, 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 tend ...

in the

Northern Limestone Alps The Northern Limestone Alps (), 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. The distinction from the ...

of Salzburg State,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. 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 (river), Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of comprises large parts of the Northern Limeston ...

River as it cuts between the Hagen Mountains and the Tennen Mountains. 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 cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as w ...

of Austria.

Geography

The Salzach river has its source in the

Central Eastern Alps The Central Eastern Alps (), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps () or just Central Alps, comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps in Austria and the adjacent regions of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and Slovenia. South of them is ...

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

Berchtesgaden Alps The Berchtesgaden Alps (, ) are a mountain range of the Northern Limestone Alps, named after the market town of Berchtesgaden located in the centre. It is crossed by the Austria–Germany border: the central part belongs to the Berchtesgadener Lan ...

. Here, the Salzach cuts a narrow valley between the Hagen Mountains to the west and the Tennen Mountains to the east, terminating in 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. The 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 ...

in the Hallein District of

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

Access

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

Whitewater kayaking Whitewater kayaking is an outdoor adventure sport where paddlers navigate a river in a specially designed kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles: river running, creeking, slalom, playboating, and squirt boating. Each style offers ...

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 is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

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

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.golling.info/en/experience/gorge-salzachklamm Canyons and gorges of Austria