Schraubenfall and Kesselfall

Hintertux / Tux Municipality, Tyrol (Tirol), Austria

About Schraubenfall and Kesselfall

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The Kesselfall and Schraubenfall were the more accessible waterfalls in the Hintertux Glacier Resort Area at the very head of the Tuxertal Valley.

These were the lower two named waterfalls on the Tuxbach Stream though I did notice there were certainly more cascades and waterfalls further upstream of this pair.

Hintertux_213_07182018 - Context of the Kesselfall and Schraubenfall with cascades well higher up the mountain as seen from the Schleierfall Trail
Context of the Kesselfall and Schraubenfall with cascades well higher up the mountain as seen from the Schleierfall Trail

As far as nomenclature goes, they sometimes collectively refer to these waterfalls as the Tuxer Wasserfälle or the Tuxer Waterfalls.

I’ve only singled out Kesselfall and Schraubenfall because those were the only two waterfalls of this series that I managed to get close to on the hike I’m about to describe in this write-up.

Overall, I wound up hiking about 1.6km round trip to experience both the Kesselfall and Schraubenfall.

It took me a little over an hour to do this short out-and-back excursion.

Tuxer Waterfalls Trail Description – hiking to the Kesselfall

Hintertux_027_07182018 - Following the trail beneath the Gletscherbus cable cars and heading towards the Kesselfall
Following the trail beneath the Gletscherbus cable cars and heading towards the Kesselfall

From the Hintertux Resort Area, I followed the Wasserfallweg signs towards the west end of the village by the Hotel Der Rinderhof.

The paved trail then went behind the hotel and beneath the humming Gletscherbus cable cars as it approached the free “Wasserwelt” (Water World) playground.

This playground featured a swing that sprayed the person swinging as well as some water cannons and some abstract art.

Beyond the fence behind the Wasserwelt, the path then stopped becoming paved as it passed over a bridge traversing the stream from a man-made cascade spilling beneath some hydro contraption.

Hintertux_037_07182018 - Going past the Wasserwelt Playground en route to the Kesselfall
Going past the Wasserwelt Playground en route to the Kesselfall

Shortly after that bridge, the trail made a brief climb up to the base of the Kesselfall.

This waterfall had an inverted wishbone-shape split by colorful rocks with some small plunge pools where I saw some folks scramble around.

When I showed up in the late morning, I was kind of looking against the sun at the falls so I’d imagine afternoon would be the time to photograph the falls.

Anyways, with this being the lowest and easiest of the waterfalls to reach (only 10 minutes walk or 500m from the Hintertux Resort Area), it was also very popular.

Hintertux_126_07182018 - Direct look at the Kesselfall and the light brown surface over which the Tuxbach Stream spilled
Direct look at the Kesselfall and the light brown surface over which the Tuxbach Stream spilled

In fact, the rest benches situated before the falls were always in use during my visit.

And I don’t blame them considering how they seemed to be perfect for relaxing and staring at the falling action of the water.

Tuxer Waterfalls Trail Description – hiking to the Schraubenfall

The Wasserfallweg then continued climbing beyond the Kesselfall up a combination of steps and a somewhat rough path before reaching a rather confusing ascent up a hill towards a fence near that hydro contraption.

The best way to go up here was to keep to the right where there was a concealed break in the fence (blocked from sight on the way up due to a tree) before the trail resumed.

Hintertux_120_07182018 - Ascending to the fence obstacle with a concealed break en route to the Schraubenfall after continuing the hike above the Kesselfall
Ascending to the fence obstacle with a concealed break en route to the Schraubenfall after continuing the hike above the Kesselfall

Eventually, I reached another trail junction, where kept left (not crossing the bridge) as the trail then went up a steep series of switchbacks in a sweat-inducing climb.

At the very top of this climb, I reached a fenced overlook with a somewhat awkward view down into the gorge before me and the Schraubenfall.

While this waterfall wasn’t particularly big nor anything special compared to the Kesselfall, I think it was the stuff around it that made the falls interesting.

Indeed, the Schraubenfall was facing a cave (more like a long natural bridge).

Hintertux_088_07182018 - Looking into the gorge at the Schraubenfall higher up on the Wasserfallweg from Kesselfall
Looking into the gorge at the Schraubenfall higher up on the Wasserfallweg from Kesselfall

There were also tiny natural arches and peek-a-boo holes just upstream of falls’ brink attesting to the turbulence of the cutting action of the water within the confines of this gorge.

In addition to the initial fenced overlook for the falls, there were more overlooks further upstream revealing the cave and the arches above the Schraubenfall.

This was my turnaround point though it was entirely possible to continue the hike to see if there were more waterfalls encountered.

I wouldn’t know at this point, but I’m sure one day I’ll come back and do a more thorough exploration.

Hintertux_078_07182018 - Context of the steep climb between the Kesselfall and the Schraubenfall
Context of the steep climb between the Kesselfall and the Schraubenfall

It was also possible to take advantage of the Gletscherbahn and do one-way downhill hikes from higher up the mountain and then return down to the valley via the Wasserfallweg.

Authorities

The Kesselfall and Schraubenfall reside in the Hintertux Resort in the state of Tyrol (Tirol), Austria. It may be administered by Hintertux community. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting their website or the Zillertaler Gletscherbahn website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: tuxer waterfalls, tuxbach, hintertux, wasserwelt, austria, waterfall, kesselfall, zillertal, tuxertal



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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