Klausbach Suspension Bridge

The Klausbach Suspension Bridge is a 55-metre footbridge over the Klausbach in Klausbachtal, about 11 metres above the creek. The valley is framed by Hochkalter and Hocheis and the Reiteralpe, and the crossing is known for the rockfall debris the stream now cuts through. I’d include it in a valley outing rather than plan a trip just for the crossing: from Klausbachhaus it is roughly 6 km on foot, and the bridge itself is a short stop. Some visitors find the span less dramatic than expected, so the changed creek bed and mountain setting are part of the payoff.

The bridge carries you above the creek and the wide, pale rockfall channel. From the approach bank, frame the full span with the boulder field below it; that shows both the crossing and the scale of the altered streambed. From the bridge, the view opens along the valley toward the surrounding mountain walls.

In September 1999, about 250,000 cubic metres of rock broke away near Kleiner Mühlsturzhorn and fell into the valley. The rock buried the old wooden bridge, the road and parts of the path. The Klausbach then cut a new channel through the debris, and the effects on the valley’s form and vegetation are still visible around the crossing.

Floods, rockfalls and avalanches had repeatedly swept away earlier bridges here. The current 55-metre suspension bridge has been in place since 2010 and has survived several smaller rockfalls without damage. It reconnects the walking route toward Hirschbichl across a landscape that is still marked by the 1999 collapse.