Wolfsklamm

The Stallenbach cuts the Wolfsklamm into the limestone above Stans, and the route through it - opened in 1901 with wooden and steel walkways, bridges and something like three hundred and fifty-four steps - climbs beside the water for a kilometre or so past falls, chutes and pools in a narrow slot. What it leads to is the point: at the top stands St Georgenberg, the oldest pilgrimage site in Tyrol, a monastery on a rock spur reached by a high bridge over the ravine, founded in the tenth century and still occupied, with a guesthouse serving walkers. So the gorge is not an end in itself but the traditional approach route to a monastery that pilgrims have been climbing to for a thousand years. Coming back can be done by a gentler forest path.

Highlights

• 354 steps through a slot - the 1901 route beside falls and pools.
• St Georgenberg - Tyrol's oldest pilgrimage site on a rock spur above.
• A high bridge to the monastery - the crossing over the ravine at the top.
• A gentler return - the forest path down as an alternative to the gorge.

When to go

May to October; the gorge closes in winter. Half a day.

Things to know

Closed for the winter and after storm damage. It is a steady climb of a few hundred metres on wet steps. The monastery guesthouse has its own hours; check before counting on lunch.

Nearby

Schwaz and its silver mine are close; the Karwendel rises to the north.

Key facts