The Almbachklamm

The Almbachklamm is a narrow valley or gorge between Ettenberg and Maria Gern on the edge of the Berchtesgadener Alps. If you happen to visit Upper Bavaria, the Almbachklamm is an attraction you should not miss.

How's your German?

The information board tells us the history of the Almbachklamm, explaining that glacial meltwater cut through the limestone and dolomite rocks at the end of the last Ice Age around 15,000 years ago.

Entering the gorge from the lower end beside the Berchtesgadener Ache

There is a maintained footpath that runs the length of the Almbachklamm allowing the tourist to walk the length of the gorge. The photographs that follow were taken when I visited the area in June 2016.

Even at the lower end of the gorge the rock sides are both steep and high.

The water here is crystal clear, cold and beautifully clean - it actually tastes quite wonderful. I do not suggest you go around drinking water from streams and rivers unless you are absolutely sure of its purity and accept no responsibility for the consequences if you do.

Mountain streams cascade into the valley below

There are numerous mountain streams that cascade into the Almbachklamm from the valley sides creating continual points of interest as you progress up the gorge.

One of the many Almbachklamm waterfalls

Meanwhile the main stream in the valley below provides a number of waterfalls of its own.

Deeply cut water course

See how deeply the water is cutting into the rock and just look at the beautiful colouration of the rock itself.

Footpath, footbridge and debris

Without the footpath and frequent bridges back and forth over the water, passage up the Almbachklamm would be all but impossible. Can you imagine trying to walk up this?

Narrow valley floor

I will be posting more of my images from the Almbachklamm in the next day or two, but will close this post with these.

Flora clings to the valley sides

There is a surprising amount of flora growing on the rock surfaces as can be seen above. The variety of colour and texture really needs to be seen to be appreciated.

Wild Rose