Sight · Berchtesgaden National Park
A 30-minute walk from St. Bartholomä reaches the 80-meter falls.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Berchtesgaden Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Berchtesgaden National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Schrainbach Waterfall is an about 80-meter fall on the wooded western shore of Königssee, where the stream partly drops straight into the lake. Take the walk from St. Bartholomä for a closer look than the brief view from the boat. It takes about 30 minutes on foot from the church, making it a compact detour if you’re already exploring the lake.
The path starts level beside the lake, then climbs in several switchbacks to the waterfall. Expect a steeper finish than the opening stretch suggests; visitors report slippery footing in winter.
If you stay aboard, the boat between St. Bartholomä and Salet gives a wide view of the falls dropping toward Königssee, but the pass is brief and from across the water. For a photo from the boat, leave some lake visible beneath the cascade so the drop has scale. The stream’s volume changes: visitors have reported a strong torrent after rain and much less flow at other times.
Wildlife
14 sightingsBearded VultureMost seen around noonSighting map
29 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around noonSighting map
22 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
131 sightingsAlpine ChamoisMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
65 sightingsAlpine SalamanderMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
63 sightingsAlpine MarmotMost seen around 9 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Berchtesgaden. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingGotzenalm via Kaunersteig15.8 km · 8 hr · 1 km awayA steep climb earns a balcony over Königssee.
ChallengingGroßes Teufelshorn via Wasseralm21.5 km · 10 hr · 1 km awayA remote, boat-accessed summit climb with exposed, cable-secured passages
ModerateObersee – Fischunkelalm – Röthbachfall8 km · 3.5 hr · 1 km awayA rocky lakeshore walk to a meadow beneath Germany’s highest waterfall.
EasyObersee Accessible Trail2 km · 1 hr · 1 km awayA gentle lakeside walk ends at Obersee’s little boathouse.
ChallengingWasseralm via Röthsteig13 km · 6.5 hr · 1 km awayA hard climb to a hut meadow above Obersee.
ChallengingHalsköpfl – Wasseralm-Runde17.2 km · 8.5 hr · 1 km awayA long alpine circuit with a broad view over Königssee
ChallengingWasseralm via Landtalsteig16.7 km · 7 hr · 1 km awayA steep, boat-served 10.4-mile climb to Wasseralm and back.
ChallengingRinnkendlsteig11 km · 6 hr · 1.6 km awayA steep, exposed climb with a high view over Königssee.
Restaurant · 1.3 km awaySaletalmLunch before the Obersee walk, with a beer garden under limestone cliffs.
Sight · 1.5 km awaySt. Johann und Paul ChapelA quiet 17th-century chapel before the trail turns steep.
Restaurant · 1.7 km awayGaststätte St. BartholomäBavarian beer in a former royal hunting lodge on Königssee.
Visitor center · 1.7 km awayNational Park Information Point St. BartholomäA five-room water exhibit and 12-minute film reward a boat stop.
Food · 1.7 km awayFischerei St. BartholomäA boat-trip stop for smoked fish with a long local history.
Sight · 1.7 km awaySt. Bartholomä Pilgrimage ChurchA Baroque pilgrimage church beneath Königssee’s towering Watzmann face.Sight · 2.4 km awayOberseeAn emerald lake with a mountain wall and waterfall behind it.
Sight · 2.5 km awayFeuerpalfen ViewpointTen minutes from the hut, with Königssee far below.Parkwolf’s Berchtesgaden ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
