Riesachfall

The Riesachfall drops about a hundred and forty metres in stages out of the Riesachsee, a lake held behind a rock bar high in the Untertal south of Schladming, and it is the tallest fall in Styria. The route up follows the Wilde Wasser trail, a system of wooden walkways, ladders and stairs pinned into the gorge alongside the water, with a suspension bridge some fifty metres long crossing the drop - which is the section people remember, since it swings and the water is directly below. Above the falls the path reaches the Riesachsee itself with a hut on the shore, and continues towards the Preintaler hut and the Schladminger Tauern high routes. The whole approach from the Gfölleralm car park takes about an hour and a half up.

The landscape

• Styria's highest waterfall - about 140 metres in stages out of the lake above.
• A wooden gorge trail - walkways, stairs and ladders alongside the water.
• A suspension bridge - about fifty metres across the gorge, over the fall.
• The Riesachsee - the lake at the top with a hut on the shore.

When to go

May to October; the trail closes in winter and after storms. Half a day.

Before you go

The trail is closed in winter and can shut after rockfall or storm damage. Boards and rock are wet and slippery throughout. The bridge swings and is not for anyone uneasy with heights.

Nearby

Schladming and the Dachstein are north; the Schladminger Tauern rise above.