Hell Valley Gorge is the best hike I’ve done in Bavaria.
Hell Valley Gorge, (Höllentalklamm in German) is located in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a mountain resort town in the German Alps. At an admission cost of only €3, it’s simply the best €3 I have ever spent.
Visitors pay a €3 entry fee, either at the beginning or the end (depending on which way you enter Hell Valley Gorge) and are treated to bridges, dimly lit tunnels and catwalks following the raging water and waterfalls through the 1000m long narrow gorge.
Don’t forget to look up, way up, the gorge is up to 150m in places, but watch your step, all that water makes for a slippery path.
We entered Hell Valley Gorge from the opposite side (the long way around), and turned it into a 15km hike, our idea of a fun Sunday.
This is right before the entrance (in reverse direction) and I thought “This is really pretty.” but I wasn’t blown away. That would come later:
Soon we entered a dimly lit cave, one of many as it would turn out. We also quickly found out that caves located in gorges leak, so wear a waterproof jacket if you don’t want to get wet.
Sometimes you had the option of choosing between the path that hovered over the raging water or the tunnel.
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Being so close to the roaring water was deafening. You couldn’t hear unless you were standing right beside somebody. Several times other hikers crept up on me as I was taking a photo and I only noticed after I saw that they had passed me.
Combined with a slippery path, all my senses were on full alert. I felt alive. I was loving it! In a matter of minutes, Hell Valley Gorge has become my favorite hike in Bavaria.
It was such a contrast of senses, rushing violent water with serene greys and blues, that reminded me of a spa. I felt both exhilarated and relaxed at the same time.
The colors had such an impact on me that I’ve decided to redecorate my bathroom in the relaxing color schemes of Hell Valley Gorge and to remind me of this fascinating place every time I walk into my bathroom.
What’s really remarkable is that every year the Hell Valley Gorge trails are maintained and repaired by members of the Munich Alpine Club, who keep the admission cost down by volunteering their time and to whom I say a huge “thank you.”
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What’s the best €3 you’ve ever spent?
Hell Valley Gorge is located in the village of Grainau at the foot of the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. Alternatively, you can get there from Garmisch-Partenkirchen if you are looking for a longer hike (to be described in an upcoming blog post).
Where to Stay near Hell Valley Gorge in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Stay in Grainau to be closest to Hell Valley Gorge, or in Garmisch-Partenkirchen if you want to turn it into the longer hike from town. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is the bigger of the two, with far more hotels and restaurants. The map below searches every hotel in town at once, and you can zoom out to see Grainau.
15k is a bit long. Is there any way to shorten the hike?
@Patricia – you could just hike up part of it and then turn around when you had enough but I do recommend the 15km if you can do it. It really is beautiful.
Hi! Thanks for your recomendations! This place looks amazing! Do you think this hike is something a beginner like me can handle? Or is there a tour guide i can possibly hire to take me and a group through this hike? Hope you can help thanks!
@Lisa – As long as you’re reasonably fit you’ll be fine :). The way is straightforward so there’ no need for a guide.
This is really pretty!! Thanks for the Impressions!!
My girlfriend and I just returned to Canada from Germany (August 2015) and based on the hiking information gathered from this site, we hiked the Höllentalklamm! Thanks so much for the tips. I believe the cost is now 4 euros, which is still great. Tip: We caught a bus from Garmish Partenkirchen to the Hammersbach stop and the bus dropped us right in front of a Höllentalklamm base sign. (you pay on the way up at a gate just before the main gorge entrance)
We had an absolutely magical sunny day for the hike and as to be expected, it was slighly busy on the way up, but not at all in an uncomfortable way.
The hike through the main gorge was fantastic. We eventually found a nice spot close to the slower moving glacial water, dipped our feet in and had a small lunch. From this point, you sort of reach the end of the lower hike close to water and I think alot of people walked back the same way.
BUT, the real trick is to keep moving up the rocky stair case on the left side to a much higher and more beautiful zigzagging trail view of the Zugspitze! It’s just awesome. This part of the hike will eventually loop around and down through switchback trails through the forest, a neat little gorge bridge and back to your starting point. We found this to be much less busy. Saw maybe 6 people on the higher elevation loop.
All in all, probably walked about 8km and the trail is not super difficult, but good gripping boots should be used. Can be very slippy.
Thanks again, can’t wait to go back to this epic spot!
@Brandon – So glad that you enjoyed it and had such an epic day! Thanks for your tips and for sharing your experience!
Hi Laurel,
This sounds great. Weather has been terrible here so basically relying on caves and gorges to keep out of the rain. We’ve now visited the Partnach Gorge (Partnachklamm), Leutasch Gorge (Leutaschklamm) and Breitachklamm plus Sturmanns Hoehle and fast running out of options so I’m glad google has come to the rescue and pointed me towards Hoellentalklamm. We’ll do this tomorrow.
If you’re ever back in Bavaria you must check out these other gorge walks. Partnachklamm is No. 2 (of 32) things to do in Garmisch (where this gorge also is), Leutasch is also amazing, just a hop over the border into Austria but worth it. EU funding allowed a metal walkway to be built 90m above the gorge. The view is surreal. A rather eerie perspective walking above the frothing river and waterfalls. Breitachklamm is the deepest of them all, deepest in central Europe actually, I believe.
Thanks for the tip in any case…..good to know our options haven’t run dry (no pun intended) 😉
@Gordon, Let me know how you like Höllentalklamm. I like it even better than the Partnachklamm and the Leutasch Gorge. Haven’t done the Breitachklamm yet, but it’s on my list. I’m lucky, I live in Munich, so it’s not far away :). Thanks for the suggestions!
Its look awesome. Cool stuff indeed. Love that.
Awesome Laurel! We have been snowboarding in Zugspitze before and spent some time in Garmisch, but have never heard about this place before! Thanks for sharing and making us want to go there!