Salza River

The Salza runs about eighty kilometres from the Mariazell area east to join the Enns at Grossreifling, and it is unusual in the Alps for being essentially unregulated - no dams, no reservoirs, no straightened channel - so it still moves gravel, cuts new banks and floods its bed the way an alpine river is supposed to. The water comes largely from karst springs in the Hochschwab massif, which is why it holds a strong turquoise colour and stays cold and clear, and the same springs supply a large part of Vienna's drinking water through the second Vienna water main, built from Wildalpen in the 1900s. Rafting and kayaking run the whole length in grades from easy to demanding, and the road along the valley is a well-known motorcycling route.

What you actually see

• An undammed alpine river - still shifting its own gravel and banks.
• Turquoise karst water - fed by springs out of the Hochschwab.
• Rafting and kayaking - runs from easy to demanding along the valley.
• The Vienna water main - the 1900s pipeline taking these springs to the city.

When to go

May to September; highest water in spring snowmelt. A day.

Honest expectations

The water is very cold - wetsuits are standard even in summer. Levels change fast and trips are cancelled in flood. The valley road is narrow and busy with motorcycles at weekends.

Nearby

Wildalpen and its water museum are on the river; the Gesäuse park is east.