Andy Mendyk · CC BY-SA 3.0
The cut
965 metres, to scale.
A slice through Starzlachklamm 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.
965m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
12.4km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
32°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
0.4km
Length
Rim to floor
6 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 22 °C on the floor, against 16 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from June to September. The rim freezes at night from November to April. The wettest months are from June to August: in a narrow canyon a flash flood arrives without warning, even from rain upstream.
- 2°-4°Jan
- 3°-3°Feb
- 8°1°Mar
- 13°6°Apr
- 17°11°May
- 21°14°Jun
- 22°16°Jul
- 22°16°Aug
- 18°12°Sep
- 14°8°Oct
- 8°1°Nov
- 3°-3°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.
Slot canyon in the Allgäu Alps in the municipality of Sonthofen, Bavaria, Germany
Starzlachklamm is a slot canyon in Germany, cut by the Starzlach river. The relief model measures 965 m from the floor to the lower rim. It runs for 0.4 km. Rim to rim it is 12 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Burgbergnearest town · 1.8 km in a straight line
- Parking 300 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Weinberghöhenearest viewpoint · 0.8 km from the floor
- Memmingen Allgau Airport (FMM)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 51 km in a straight lineCar hire at FMM airport (Memmingen)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- From June to 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 Starzlach runs highest from April to September.
The Starzlach carries about 4.7 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from April to September.
- 3.3 m³/sJan
- 2.9 m³/sFeb
- 5.0 m³/sMar
- 5.4 m³/sApr
- 7.5 m³/sMay
- 8.5 m³/sJun
- 8.1 m³/sJul
- 8.6 m³/sAug
- 6.2 m³/sSep
- 3.8 m³/sOct
- 2.0 m³/sNov
- 2.4 m³/sDec
From about 2.0 m³/s in the lowest month to 8.6 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 170 km².
Follow the Iller 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.
- 27viewpoints within 5 kmBurgschrofen, Weinberghöhe, Aussichtspunkt Zur "Imne" and 24 more
- 10marked hiking routes within 4 kmWeinbergweg, Schwäbisch-Allgäuer-Weitwanderweg, Europäischer Fernwanderweg E5, Deutschland and 7 more
- 3climbing crags within 3 kmGrauer Stein, Kletterfelsen Weinberg Burgberg, Stuhlwandgrat
- 36footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- 1named waterfalls within 4 kmSchleierfälle
- 157car parks within 3 km
- 49information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 23bus stops within 2 km
- 11campsites within 8 kmWohnmobil-Station, Wohnmobilstellplatz am Weltcup-Express Ofterschwang, Illercamping in Sonthofen and 8 more
- 219hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmZum Goldenen Hirsch, Gasthof zum Löwen, Landgasthof Bauer and 216 more
- 71restaurants 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
- caves 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
- Burgberg1.8 km in a straight line
- Sonthofen2.6 km in a straight line
- Blaichach4.1 km in a straight line
- Rettenberg5.0 km in a straight line
- Ofterschwang6.8 km in a straight line
- Immenstadt im Allgäu7.9 km in a straight line
- Bolsterlang9.2 km in a straight line
- Wertach11 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Starzlachklamm.
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.
Figures 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 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 3 |
| Afternoon · rim | -4 | -3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 1 | -3 |
| Night · rim | -11 | -11 | -7 | -3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 3 | -1 | -6 | -10 |
| Rain (mm) | 98 | 76 | 93 | 88 | 148 | 166 | 163 | 176 | 120 | 97 | 84 | 97 |
| Rainy days | 13 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
| Sun hours/day | 3.3 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 7.3 | 6.8 | 5.5 | 4.6 | 3.0 | 2.8 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 25 | 26 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 19 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | -4 | -11 | 98 | 3.3 |
| Feb | 3 | -3 | -11 | 76 | 4.6 |
| Mar | 8 | 1 | -7 | 93 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 13 | 6 | -3 | 88 | 6.0 |
| May | 17 | 11 | 2 | 148 | 6.1 |
| Jun | 21 | 14 | 6 | 166 | 7.0 |
| Jul | 22 | 16 | 8 | 163 | 7.3 |
| Aug | 22 | 16 | 7 | 176 | 6.8 |
| Sep | 18 | 12 | 3 | 120 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 14 | 8 | -1 | 97 | 4.6 |
| Nov | 8 | 1 | -6 | 84 | 3.0 |
| Dec | 3 | -3 | -10 | 97 | 2.8 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (725 m) and the rim (1,714 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 | 52% | 221% | 85% | 57% | 68% | 152% | 81% | 133% | 113% | 134% | 33% | 99% |
| 2021 | 182% | 75% | 92% | 59% | 120% | 94% | 175% | 129% | 64% | 43% | 102% | 126% |
| 2022 | 59% | 152% | 17% | 104% | 87% | 105% | 67% | 85% | 138% | 113% | 95% | 85% |
| 2023 | 50% | 76% | 127% | 190% | 115% | 43% | 114% | 145% | 61% | 101% | 298% | 212% |
| 2024 | 115% | 91% | 130% | 134% | 150% | 138% | 115% | 83% | 172% | 108% | 85% | 89% |
| 2025 | 101% | 39% | 72% | 50% | 88% | 72% | 163% | 85% | 114% | 91% | 100% | 22% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q1628470) · 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
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.






