About Waldbachstrub Waterfall
The Waldbachstrub Waterfall was a magical convergence of several waterfalls spilling right at the head of the Echerntal Valley.
It was where the Waldbachstrub Stream combined with some seasonal side streams spilled some 95m at its highest height.
One thing that I noticed in the literature was that there seemed to be some confusion between this waterfall and the Mühlbach Waterfall.
The latter waterfall was much easier to see since it was within the pedestrian zone in the well-touristed town of Hallstatt.
If you click the link and take a look at the other waterfall, you’ll see that it has nothing on the Waldbachstrub Waterfall.
Anyways, I had to have counted at least four or five waterfalls all spilling onto this one spot.
Such an unusual convergence of waterfalls made it well worth the hike to get here, especially if you consider how much emptier and quieter it was in comparison to the tourist crush in the village of Hallstatt.
While the peace and quiet alone would be sufficient enough to do a nearly 8km round trip hike like this, the waterfalls really made this experience all the more sweeter!
Waldbachstrub Waterfall Trail Description – from P1 to the Schleierfall
From the P1 car park (see directions below), I walked along the Lahnstrasse (the main drag through the non-touristy part of Hallstatt).
Then, I headed inland along any one of the three main roads heading into the residential area.
There was also another path leaving from the P1 car park going uphill towards the Kalvarienbergkirche Hallstatt before following alone the base of one side of the mountains eventually converging into the three afore-mentioned roads.
Not knowing which way to go, I wound up taking Echerntalweg on the way in and Demelgasse on the way out (so I might have walked a little more than necessary overall).
In any case, after passing by the very popular (yet unshaded) P2 parking lot, I followed along the north bank of the Waldbachstrub Stream further inland.
I would continue following residential roads for nearly a kilometer before reaching a Themenweg sign and trail.
This was just after a bridge over the Waldbachstrub Stream well towards the back of the residential area.
Once on the Themenweg, I left the roads and found myself on a more conventional foot trail flanked by trees and surrounded by tall mountains as the valley was closing in.
After another 600m, I continued past some kind of hydro operation at the Kleinwasserkraftwerk Hallstatt.
At that point, it was pretty much all trail hiking until crossing another bridge and reaching some farm fronting the Schleierfall nearly a kilometer later.
During my visit, the Schleierfall was tall, but it wasn’t flowing too well.
It was a good thing I didn’t mistake this waterfall for the Waldbachstrub Waterfall because that would have been real disappointing.
There were signs suggesting that the waterfall remained another 30 minutes away or so.
So I pressed on.
Waldbachstrub Waterfall Trail Description – from the Schleierfall to the Waldbachstrub Wasserfall
Beyond the pasture and the Schleierfall, the path re-entered a well-shaded forest as it ultimately rounded a bend where the Waldbachstrub Creek was a little louder and cascading.
At a fork soon thereafter, I kept to the right to climb up towards the waterfall.
The left fork would have taken me to the Glacier Garden another 30 minutes later.
During this ascent, I was able to see a series of cascades tumbling down towards the footbridge beneath me.
As I continued the climb, which was a combination of steps and inclines, the trail eventually reached a small fork near the top.
The left fork went to a lower lookout, which I somehow forgot to check out.
The right fork reached the upper lookout of the Waldbachstrub Waterfall, which was some 800m beyond the Schleierfall.
An interpretive sign here suggested that there was quite a bit of historical heritage at this place.
Among the historical occurences included the inspiration of a writer’s tale that took place at this waterfall back in 1845.
In another account, Kaiser Franz Josef wrote about his excursion to Hallstatt in a letter to his mother in 1865.
There also appeared to be a bridge in the gorge above the ravine where the Waldbachstrub made its tumble.
I didn’t pursue that trail further though I wondered if the alternate trail to the Glacier Garden might have been able to access it.
Anyways, after having my fill of this waterfall, I eventually completed the nearly 8km hike by returning to Hallstatt, where we were spending the night.
It took me nearly 2.5 hours to complete the hike, but it could have easily taken less time than that.
That’s because it took me a while to get started (mostly trying to figure out which road inland to walk though it turned out they were all valid).
I also lingered for quite a while at the magnificent scenery of the Waldbachstrub Waterfall itself.
Authorities
The Waldbachstrub Waterfall resides in the town of Hallstatt in the state of Upper Austria (Oberösterreich), Austria. It is administered by the Hallstatt government. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting their website.
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