Austria Clemens Stockner · CC BY-SA 4.0
The cut
852 metres, to scale.
A slice through Wasserlochklamm, Palfau 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: Great Pyramid · 139 m · Empire State · 443 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.
852m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
4.8km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
39°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
507m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
7 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 25 °C on the floor, against 18 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from May to June and from August to September. The rim freezes at night from November to April. The wettest months are from June to August.
- 3°-4°Jan
- 4°-3°Feb
- 9°2°Mar
- 15°8°Apr
- 19°12°May
- 23°16°Jun
- 25°18°Jul
- 24°18°Aug
- 19°13°Sep
- 15°8°Oct
- 9°2°Nov
- 4°-2°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.
Wasserlochklamm, Palfau is a canyon in Austria, cut by the Salza river. The relief model measures 852 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 1,007 m to the higher one. Rim to rim it is 4.8 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Palfaunearest town · 5.9 km in a straight line
- Parking 1,330 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 2.0 km from the floor
- Linz-Hörsching Airport (LNZ)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 78 km in a straight lineCar hire at LNZ airport (Linz)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- From May to June and from August 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 Salza runs highest from May to September.
The Salza carries about 17 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from May to September.
- 10 m³/sJan
- 13 m³/sFeb
- 16 m³/sMar
- 18 m³/sApr
- 27 m³/sMay
- 32 m³/sJun
- 34 m³/sJul
- 35 m³/sAug
- 30 m³/sSep
- 20 m³/sOct
- 11 m³/sNov
- 7.4 m³/sDec
From about 7.4 m³/s in the lowest month to 35 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 746 km².
The Salza from source to mouth on Riveryas — coming soon
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
3 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 10 × 10 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 6viewpoints within 5 kmSalzabrücke, Salzatalblick and 4 more
- 8marked hiking routes within 4 kmNiederösterreichischer Alpinweg, Kaisergams-Klettersteig, Wasserlochklamm and 5 more
- 10via ferrata routes within 4 kmKaisergams-Klettersteig, Heli-Kraft-Klettersteig, Bergmandl-Klettersteig and 7 more
- 2climbing crags within 3 kmHeli-Kraft-Klettersteig, Klettergarten Hochkar
- 9footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 kmWasserlochklamm, 360° Skytour and 7 more
- 5named waterfalls within 4 kmSchleierwasserfall, Wasserfall 5, Wasserfall 1 and 2 more
- 12caves within 3 km
- 11car parks within 3 km
- 4information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 2bus stops within 2 km
- 4campsites within 8 kmCampingplatz Saggraben, Campingplatz Eschau, Campingplatz Palfau and 1 more
- 21hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmLandhaus Kaisergemse, Bergkristall Wildalpen, Forstauer's TeichalmGams and 18 more
- 8restaurants and cafés 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
- Palfau5.9 km in a straight line
- Gams bei Hieflau8.3 km in a straight line
- Wildalpen9.9 km in a straight line
- Göstling an der Ybbs12 km in a straight line
- Hollenstein an der Ybbs14 km in a straight line
- Hieflau15 km in a straight line
- Altenmarkt bei Sankt Gallen17 km in a straight line
- Eisenerz18 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Wasserlochklamm, Palfau.
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.
Riveryas1 rivers in the canyon
Peakyas72 mountains within 15 kmFigures 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 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 19 | 15 | 9 | 4 |
| Afternoon · rim | -4 | -3 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 8 | 2 | -2 |
| Night · rim | -11 | -10 | -7 | -3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 3 | -1 | -5 | -9 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 53 | 61 | 60 | 118 | 142 | 149 | 152 | 113 | 79 | 62 | 56 |
| Rainy days | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Sun hours/day | 2.7 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 19 | 17 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 17 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | -4 | -11 | 58 | 2.7 |
| Feb | 4 | -3 | -10 | 53 | 3.9 |
| Mar | 9 | 2 | -7 | 61 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 15 | 8 | -3 | 60 | 5.8 |
| May | 19 | 12 | 2 | 118 | 5.9 |
| Jun | 23 | 16 | 6 | 142 | 6.6 |
| Jul | 25 | 18 | 8 | 149 | 7.0 |
| Aug | 24 | 18 | 8 | 152 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 19 | 13 | 3 | 113 | 5.0 |
| Oct | 15 | 8 | -1 | 79 | 4.3 |
| Nov | 9 | 2 | -5 | 62 | 2.6 |
| Dec | 4 | -2 | -9 | 56 | 2.3 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (507 m) and the rim (1,514 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 | 39% | 151% | 74% | 53% | 85% | 120% | 132% | 156% | 142% | 145% | 34% | 127% |
| 2021 | 115% | 49% | 67% | 87% | 121% | 52% | 100% | 117% | 50% | 49% | 123% | 134% |
| 2022 | 72% | 109% | 31% | 121% | 95% | 109% | 87% | 79% | 112% | 84% | 105% | 82% |
| 2023 | 119% | 106% | 126% | 200% | 101% | 86% | 125% | 131% | 41% | 102% | 212% | 215% |
| 2024 | 98% | 90% | 90% | 137% | 124% | 128% | 86% | 65% | 215% | 109% | 27% | 69% |
| 2025 | 52% | 38% | 187% | 142% | 107% | 74% | 149% | 60% | 110% | 87% | 101% | 38% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Wasserlochklamm, Palfau
Austria
- 852 mDepth
- 4.8 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 39°Steepest wall
NÖ-Naturdenkmal SB-059 Die Not
Austria · 13 km
- 822 mDepth
- 12 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 34°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q2047764) · 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.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.You are here