Switzerland Pazit Polak · CC BY-SA 2.0
The cut
1,842 metres, to scale.
A slice through Aare Gorge where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Eiffel Tower · 330 m · Burj Khalifa · 828 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is. This is a narrow canyon: the published depth, where there is one, is the better figure.
1,842m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
13.8km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
45°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
591m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
12 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 25 °C on the floor, against 13 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are in September. The rim freezes at night from October to May. The wettest months are from May to June and in August: in a narrow canyon a flash flood arrives without warning, even from rain upstream.
- 4°-8°Jan
- 5°-7°Feb
- 8°-4°Mar
- 13°1°Apr
- 18°6°May
- 23°11°Jun
- 25°13°Jul
- 24°12°Aug
- 20°8°Sep
- 16°4°Oct
- 10°-2°Nov
- 5°-7°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Canyon in Switzerland
Aare Gorge is a slot canyon in Switzerland, cut by the Aare river. The relief model measures 1,842 m from the floor to the lower rim. Rim to rim it is 14 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Meiringennearest town · 2.3 km in a straight line
- Parking 520 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Kavernenearest viewpoint · 1.2 km from the floor
- Bern Airport (BRN)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 59 km in a straight lineCar hire at BRN airport (Bern)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- In Septemberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The Aare runs highest from April to June.
The Aare carries about 22 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from April to June, fed by melting snow. It is lowest from January to February.
- 7.2 m³/sJan
- 6.7 m³/sFeb
- 19 m³/sMar
- 37 m³/sApr
- 44 m³/sMay
- 38 m³/sJun
- 30 m³/sJul
- 29 m³/sAug
- 22 m³/sSep
- 19 m³/sOct
- 19 m³/sNov
- 13 m³/sDec
From about 6.7 m³/s in the lowest month to 44 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 462 km².
Follow the Aare from source to mouth on Riveryas
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
6 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 24 × 24 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 19viewpoints within 5 kmKaverne, Sherlock Holmes and Professor James Moriarty, Mühlefluh and 16 more
- 64marked hiking routes within 4 kmÄppigen-Wylerli, Alpbachschlucht, Via Sbrinz and 61 more
- 5climbing crags within 3 kmKletterhalle Meiringen, Boulderhalle Meiringen, Breitknollen and 2 more
- 33footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 kmPontli-Brücke, Ryschibrücke and 31 more
- 5named waterfalls within 4 kmReichenbachfall, Alpbachfälle, Schräybach-Wasserfall and 2 more
- 3caves within 3 km
- 104car parks within 3 km
- 41information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 12bus stops within 2 km
- 10campsites within 8 kmCampingplatz Obsee, Camping Aareschlucht, Hofstatt-Derfli and 7 more
- 59hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmGasthaus Kulm Brünig, Rosenlaui, Reutsperre and 56 more
- 41restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Meiringen2.3 km in a straight line
- Lungern8.6 km in a straight line
- Giswil13 km in a straight line
- Brienz14 km in a straight line
- Sachseln17 km in a straight line
- Grindelwald17 km in a straight line
- Engelberg18 km in a straight line
- Sarnen20 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Aare Gorge.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Cascadyas2 waterfalls nearbyComing soon
Peakyas213 mountains within 15 km
Lakeyas5 lakes within 15 kmComing soonFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 4 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 5 |
| Afternoon · rim | -8 | -7 | -4 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 4 | -2 | -7 |
| Night · rim | -16 | -16 | -12 | -7 | -2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | -4 | -9 | -14 |
| Rain (mm) | 81 | 69 | 89 | 103 | 154 | 151 | 148 | 165 | 106 | 107 | 114 | 92 |
| Rainy days | 14 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 |
| Sun hours/day | 4.1 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 7.4 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 6.1 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 57 | 68 | 58 | 27 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 37 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | -8 | -16 | 81 | 4.1 |
| Feb | 5 | -7 | -16 | 69 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 8 | -4 | -12 | 89 | 6.4 |
| Apr | 13 | 1 | -7 | 103 | 5.9 |
| May | 18 | 6 | -2 | 154 | 5.7 |
| Jun | 23 | 11 | 2 | 151 | 7.4 |
| Jul | 25 | 13 | 4 | 148 | 7.9 |
| Aug | 24 | 12 | 3 | 165 | 7.1 |
| Sep | 20 | 8 | 0 | 106 | 6.1 |
| Oct | 16 | 4 | -4 | 107 | 4.7 |
| Nov | 10 | -2 | -9 | 114 | 3.4 |
| Dec | 5 | -7 | -14 | 92 | 3.4 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (591 m) and the rim (2,453 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 45% | 136% | 85% | 60% | 80% | 138% | 61% | 150% | 91% | 197% | 17% | 122% |
| 2021 | 175% | 77% | 57% | 62% | 101% | 104% | 227% | 73% | 103% | 73% | 75% | 102% |
| 2022 | 45% | 115% | 19% | 81% | 77% | 94% | 73% | 66% | 149% | 103% | 65% | 97% |
| 2023 | 55% | 28% | 126% | 117% | 121% | 82% | 91% | 128% | 113% | 156% | 155% | 163% |
| 2024 | 100% | 138% | 217% | 106% | 164% | 145% | 108% | 68% | 194% | 153% | 51% | 92% |
| 2025 | 132% | 50% | 90% | 118% | 100% | 100% | 148% | 105% | 195% | 80% | 78% | 34% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Aare Gorge
Switzerland
- 1,842 mDepth
- 14 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 45°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q301191) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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