Stuibenfall from Umhausen

From the Bischoffsplatz car park in Umhausen the way runs up the Horlachbach valley on a wide track, past the Stuböbele forest café, to a gravel area with benches at the foot of the Stuibenfall, which the soelden.com tourist page calls Tyrol's largest waterfall. Above it a narrow path and a step construction climb beside the fall: about 700 steps with viewing platforms and an 80 m suspension bridge, up to the highest platform with a view into the gorge. A track then leads on to the Gasthof Stuibenfall, where the line turns and comes back the same way.

It is 5.8 km there and back with 399 m of ascent; allow about 3 hours. The grade is Moderate. The DIN time is 2.8 hours, but the first 1.5 km climb steadily to the foot of the fall and the next 1.2 km above it gain about 250 m on stairs, partly mapped as mountain hiking, and the bridge is exposed.

Ötztal Tourismus's discovery-trail page (soelden.com) describes the way as 'sometimes steep or narrow' and says 'Danger of falling cannot be ruled out. Basic surefootedness and orientation skills are an advantage'; its tirol.at page rates the walk mittelschwierig (medium) and asks for surefootedness and a basic head for heights on the steps, while its oetztal.com page calls the same route an easy hiking trail suitable for beginners. The Ötztal pages ask for ankle-high hiking boots, and oetztal.com asks you to check the weather report. Steps and bridges are slippery in spray and rain and can be icy in cold weather. A via ferrata (Klettersteig) is mapped beside the fall: it is a separate route, with its own equipment, and is not part of this walk.

The Bischoffsplatz car park is charged. The wide path to the foot of the fall takes 30 to 40 minutes and suits families and pushchairs; the steps above it do not. The Ötztal tourist pages say to take the train to Ötztal station and then a local bus or a taxi, with the timetable at fahrplan.vvt.at.

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.