Stuibenfall Waterfall

The Stuibenfall is the highest waterfall in Tyrol, dropping roughly a hundred and fifty metres in stages where the Horlachbach leaves its hanging valley above Umhausen. The water lands in a bouldery basin and runs on into the Otztal. A stepped trail climbs the side of the fall with several hundred steps, crossing a suspension bridge hung directly in the spray and passing platforms that put you level with the main drop. A via ferrata runs up the rock beside the water for people with harnesses and the experience to use them. From the upper viewpoints the Otztal opens out below, flat and wide between steep walls.

What you actually see

• The main drop - the tall central stage of the fall, loudest and heaviest in early summer when the snowmelt is running.
• The suspension bridge - a span across the gorge below the fall, close enough that the spray reaches you on the crossing.
• The stair trail - several hundred steps up the side of the cascade, with platforms cut in at each level.
• The via ferrata - a bolted climbing route beside the falling water, for people with gear and previous experience.

When to go

Late May and June are the strongest weeks, when snowmelt fills the stream. July and August are warm but busier and the flow drops. Autumn brings colour and a thinner fall. Morning gives better light on the water. In winter the upper steps ice over and sections are closed off.

Honest expectations

The climb is relentless steps with little flat ground, and the return on tired legs is harder than the way up. Spray soaks the lower platforms and the bridge, and wet timber and rock stay slippery all day. The via ferrata is a serious route, not a scenic add-on. Parking at the trailhead is charged.

Nearby

Umhausen sits below in the Otztal, and the valley road runs on to Solden and the glaciers.