A wild romantic gorge with a doctor’s title – the LONGEST GORGE IN UPPER AUSTRIA & THE SECOND LONGEST GORGE IN AUSTRIA!
Experience the natural spectacle of cascading water in the longest gorge in Upper Austria with a length of over 1.5 km from the ticket office and 2.7 km from car park 2 as well as 500 wooden and stone steps. The gorge is also the starting point for the approx. 5-hour 3-hut hike (Bosruckhütte, Rohrauerhaus and Hofalm).
The Dr Vogelgesang gorge is suitable for small children and older people with appropriate fitness and hiking experience. After the exit, you come to the international long-distance hiking trail (E 601 via alpina), which offers a beautiful and popular circular hike. If you are a little tired from the ascent, you can take a rest in the Bosruckhütte, in the Rohrauerhaus or before the descent to Spital am Pyhrn in the Hofalm and fortify yourself with good home cooking.
Dr. Moritz Vogelgesang was the local doctor at Spital am Pyhrn and also head of the local improvement club. His efforts to make the gorge accessible are the reason why it is named after him.
The word “Vogelgesang” also means bird song, the gorge is therefore often erroneously called bird song gorge.
The Dr. Vogelgesang-Gorge was made partly accessible for the first time in the summer of 1906 for tourists. In 1908 the gorge was destroyed by floods. From 1926 – 1927 the entire gorge was made fully accessible by the municipality of Spital am Pyhrn by means of steps and footbridges fixed vertically into the rocks. The entire gorge can be climbed by approximately 500 steps. Every May the steps are inspected and maintained all summer long, to ensure that visitors can enjoy the water falls at no risk. In 2006 the gorge celebrated its one-hundred-year old existence.
May 1st to October 31st Weekdays: 7.30 am - 6 pm
Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 7 am - 6 pm.
From November 1st to the end of April the winter closure applies and the gorge is closed!
655 m
Accessibility / arrivalATTENTION: Drive from the motorway exit without sat nav - this will usually lead you to the wrong gorge!
On the A9, the Pyhrn motorway, take the Spital am Pyhrn exit and turn left. Drive through the village of Spital am Pyhrn. 100 metres after the end of the village (just before the Panorama indoor pool), turn right into Sandstraße and follow the signs along the Trattenbach stream to the Grünau district (approx. 2 km).
Or via the B138 from Windischgarsten in the direction of Spital am Pyhrn, after the Panorama indoor pool turn left into Sandstraße and follow the signs along the Trattenbach stream to the Grünau district (approx. 2km).
Public transport: With the ÖBB postbus (line 911) or with the postbus (line 436) to the Spital am Pyhrn Stiftsplatz stop - walking time to the gorge entrance approx. 30 minutes. Walk down Weinmeisterstrasse between the Kemetmüller pastry shop and the municipal office. After the Lindenhof youth paradise, follow the signs to the gorge.
All information about the parking fees for the "Klamm parking spaces" can be found at: https://www.urlaubsregion-pyhrn-priel.at/service/anreise-mobilitaet/autoanreise/parken-spital-am-pyhrn.html
Attention: there are no bus parking spaces at the gorge! Buses can turn around at the turnaround point and then park for free down in the valley by the indoor swimming pool in Spital am Pyhrn.
ParkingBracket maintenance fee:
In wet weather the wooden steps are slippery.
Wooden footbridges and wooden steps that are open at the back run through the gorge. Many small children manage to hike through the gorge, but for some it is too much.
Dogs are allowed in the gorge, but keep in mind that the steps are open at the back and this is a big problem for many dogs.
Not suitable for wheelchairs. The property is not compliant with Austria's ÖNORM legal standard.
Legal contact information
Gemeinde Spital am Pyhrn