Johannesbachklamm Würflach

Popis

The 60 m deep Johannesbachklamm, starting at the western edge of the town of Würflach, runs through Wetterstein limestone between the "Eichberg" in the north and the "Dürenberg" in the south. It took many millions of years for water to carve through the limestone and leave deep incisions – traces of this process can still be found high above the stream bed on the rock walls in the form of niches ("Kolken") and bowl-shaped depressions, the so-called "mills".

The pine forests of the Eichberg were used for resin extraction until the 1960s. The "resin huts" at the gorge exit and on the eastern edge of Würflach bear witness to this former livelihood of the inhabitants.
Opened up by the nature friends, the Johannesbachklamm was made accessible to visitors in 1902 by secured paths. Wide steps and wooden bridges repeatedly span the ravines. The moist gorge walls and shady forests offer hikers a welcome cool-down, especially on hot summer days.

The fauna of the gorge is varied: you can find various species of lizards, fire salamanders, grass snakes, dragonflies, butterflies, and in the water of the Johannesbach crayfish and trout. Special plants grow in the forests such as ferns, cyclamen, checkered lilies, and the rare orchids called the lady’s tresses.

Výchozí bod trasy

Würflach - entrance Johannesbachklamm at the western edge of the town

Cílový bod trasy

Würflach - entrance Johannesbachklamm at the western edge of the town

Popis trasy Johannesbachklamm Würflach

The parking lot at the beginning of the Johannesbachklamm is the starting point for the circular route through the gorge. Passing a snack station, we reach the actual beginning of the gorge after a short time.
After hiking through the gorge towards Greith, we arrive at a meadow where there is also a small children’s playground and another newly built snack station. We continue along a forest path, which after some time becomes an asphalt road (towards Greith), turn right at the next fork with a large tree, and take the path towards Grünbach. There, we reach a street fork with a dead end, follow it for a short distance, and turn right after about 50 m up into the forest.
From now on, we follow the yellow marking "Willendorf via Eichberg"; at the fork near the hunting stand, we go left, shortly after right following the signs "Johannesbachklamm" along the rest of this route.

The return is either towards the Johannesbachklamm entrance through the gorge along the other side of the stream to the parking lot at Würflach on partly very rocky paths. Or you take the path towards the Johannesbachklamm exit and from there go through the gorge back to the starting point.