Rappenlochschlucht and the Staufensee from the Gütle

From the Gütle I car park, a short walk of about 10 minutes leads to the gorge entrance. A signposted path then climbs along the rim of the gorge of the Dornbirner Ach, with views into the gorge and of the 2011 rockfall, and runs along a path fixed to the rock wall to the Staufensee at the end of the gorge. The lake silted up after the rockfall; the line follows the way along the lake to the Ebensand power station at its south end, commissioned in 1899, and comes back the same way, through the gorge, which the city says gives different views. The city's own page for the walk circles the lake; this line does not.

It is 3.9 km there and back with 155 m of ascent (the city's published figure for its 3.8 km walk, used because the height data reads the gorge walls); allow about 1½ hours (the city says 1¼ hours). The grade is Easy by time: the paths are signposted, with steps and wooden walkways, but wet steps and rock are slippery.

The city of Dornbirn closes the gorges at the first frost or snowfall, because icy footbridges become extremely slippery and ice on the rock faces raises the risk of falling stones; entering them during the closure is strictly forbidden. They are usually open from April to November. The Staufensee itself is closed: keep to the marked paths and stay off the shore, the silt and the exposed lakebed, which can collapse at any time. Visiting the gorges is free and dogs on a lead are allowed.

The Gütle I car park is charged (the OpenStreetMap tag lists charged hours); the city also lists public car parks it runs around the Gütle. The Landbus line 177 runs from Dornbirn station, and the walk from the station to the Gütle takes about an hour, says rappenloch.at. Refreshments are listed at the Gasthaus Gütle and the Rappenlochstadl.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with the distance and time worked out from it. The climb is the published figure: height data cannot be trusted on this ground. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.