Bärenschütz Gorge

The Bärenschützklamm is one of Austria’s most beautiful water-bearing gorges. Hiking between the untamed waterfalls and craggy cliffs is an impressive experience for any hiker. The unutterable power of nature, with constant dripping that wears away the stone, becomes apparent here. A natural monument since 1978. The first section of ladders was built in 1901 and has been restored several times since.

The starting point for a hike through the gorge to the peak of the Hochlantsch, the community of Mixnitz, can be reached comfortably by train from Graz in about 40 minutes. From Mixnitz the entrance to the gorge is about 1 1/2 hours away on foot. Making large sections of the gorge accessible with suspended ladders 100 years ago was a great pioneering achievement of the Grazer Alpenclub. Since the merger of the Alpenclub in 1948 with the Mixnitz chapter of the Österreichischen Alpenverein, the ladder installation is administered by this chapter.

The mighty 200-300 m limestone walls of the gorge are witnesses of a geologic history going back 400 million years. Karstic springs, caves, grykes and furrows, coves and potholes illustrate the power of water to shape the earth’s surface. From a botanical and zoological perspective, the gorge is a refuge for numerous plants and animals. Relic plants from higher elevations “fled” to the gorge during the ice age. When the ice age ended, species that prefer a warmer climate came in from the south and south-east. Today they often grow right next to each other in the Bärenschützklamm. Finds in several caves including the “Drachenhöhle” show that humans already inhabited the central Styrian karst in the Early Stone Age.

The Bärenschützklamm is made accessible to the public by the Forstbetrieb Franz Mayr-Melnhof-Saurau and administered by the Österreichischen Alpenverein, Mixnitz chapter!

The Bärenschützklamm is open from 1 May to 31 October.

• Trail length: 1.4 km
• Altitude difference: 350 m, with 109 bridges and 51 wooden ladders
• Access: May 1st – October 31st, daily from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm

Registration is not required. Taking dogs into the gorge is not permitted!

Gorge conservation levy:

• Adults € 5,00
• children € 3,50

Bärenschützklamm round trip from the Mixnitz railway station to the “Guten Hirten”
Marked, with signage

• Altitude difference: 760 m
• Route length: 14 km
• Total walking time: 5 hours

Mixnitz railway station - Bärenschütz - Kaskadenfall - Bärnschützklamm - Gasthof Guter Hirte (walking time 2.45 hours)

On the way back, take the Prügelweg that leads down to the Mixnitz railway station (walking time 2.15 hours)

You can take a taxi back from the Teichalm.