Partnach Gorge via Hintergraseck: The Alpine Spectacle
The Most Beautiful Hikes Around Schloss Elmau: This weekly series features mountain hikes that showcase the diverse landscape between the Wetterstein and Karwendel ranges. Today, we’re heading to the Partnach Gorge via Hintergraseck.
There are places where you don’t have to look far to find beauty. Around Schloss Elmau, it begins almost casually. Nestled between the Wetterstein, Karwendel, and the quieter heights above the Elmau Valley are hiking trails that feel less like strenuous hikes and more like little journeys into different alpine atmospheres. If you set out from here, you can choose a different atmosphere every day. Today, we’ll take a leisurely hike to the Partnach Gorge via Hintergraseck.
Source: Kriner/Weiermann
Partnach Gorge
Partnach Gorge via Hintergraseck: The Alpine Spectacle
The trail winds through narrow rock walls, past rushing water, damp tunnels, and pools. It’s cool and at times almost dramatic—a natural spectacle that instantly silences any casual conversation. The Partnach River has carved its way deep into the rock here; in some places, the trail runs so close to the water that you not only see the power of the gorge but physically feel it.
It is Hintergraseck that gives this hike its special charm, and it’s hard to beat in terms of variety. First the high elevations and lush green alpine meadows, then the descent into the cool gorge. You start in the open alpine light and end among the rocks—or vice versa. In both directions, the trail has a cinematic quality. This contrast is especially beautiful because it showcases the diversity of the landscape.
Source: Dietmar Mueller-Elmau
Hintergraseck
