Ötschergräben from Wienerbruck to the Schleierfall

From the Naturparkzentrum car park in Wienerbruck the path leads over the Lassingfall to the Stierwaschboden, then follows the river through the narrow Ötschergräben, on bridges and walkways beside the water, to the Jausenstation Ötscherhias. Beyond it the path follows the Ötscherbach upstream, past the Mirafall, to the Schleierfall, where this walk turns round. The way back is the same path. The park calls the Ötschergräben the Grand Canyon of Austria.

It is 18 km there and back with 679 m of ascent; allow about 6½ hours, so it is a long day. The grade is Hard because of the length: the park's own one-day route from Wienerbruck to the Schutzhaus Vorderötscher, a little beyond the Schleierfall, is 9.6 km one way and about 3¾ hours. OpenStreetMap tags about 2.4 km of the path between the Ötscherhias and the Schleierfall (4.7 km counting both ways) as demanding mountain hiking; the park rates its one-day route medium. Turning back at the Ötscherhias makes a half day of about 10 km.

The park closes the gorges each winter. Its news page says they can be walked until the end of October and that the annual winter closure begins on 2 November; it gives no date for the reopening. The path runs beside fast water: take care on the wet bridges and walkways, and ask the park centre before you go in wet weather. Park entry is charged, and so is parking in the park; the park's page for visitors gives the rates.

Wienerbruck-Josefsberg station on the Mariazellerbahn, a request stop according to a Lower Austria tourism page, is about 250 m from the start in a straight line; check the timetable.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.