Ways to the Water
Whether a roaring mountain stream or a reflective lake, water has a magical attraction for us. The blossoming splendour after rain, a refreshing swim on a hot summer day – whatever the occasion, we do not want to miss water. Water is undoubtedly at its most spectacular where it falls over a terrain edge or several terraces into the depths. The wider it is, the more imposing. The higher it is, the more breathtaking.
These equations have global validity – from Niagara Falls in Canada to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe to the Günstner waterfall between Krakow and Schöder in the Lower Tauern. With a drop of 65 metres, the latter is still considered the highest of its kind in Styria. At Schladming in turn, the thundering wildness of the Talbachklamm [gorge] is found on the Wild Water National Geographic Trail, where the stream falls over several cataracts before it pours into the Enns just before Schladming. In a steep rock wall on the southern slope of the Hochkars is the largest water-containing cave in Styria. This mighty spring cave is at about 800 m above sea level and pours its water directly into the rugged Palfau Wasserlochklamm [gorge], which can be traversed along 5 waterfalls, which in total are 152 metres high. And the protected natural monument Bärenschützklamm [gorge] north of Graz with its many spectacular hiking trails is one of the most attractive tours in Austria. However, if you would like to enjoy natural spectacles without roaring and raging, then try one of the hundreds of mountain lakes in the Lower Tauern, the Green Lake or at the Leopoldsteiner Lake at the base of the Hochschwab.
