Walcher Waterfall (Walcher Wasserfall) is the highest waterfall in Austria — a dramatic series of cascades plunging over 500 metres in total drop down the steep eastern slopes of the Hohe Tauern National Park near the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Fed by the Walcherbach stream, this multi-tiered giant thunders through a wild alpine gorge surrounded by the towering peaks of Austria’s highest mountain range, making it one of the most spectacular waterfall experiences in the Alps.
Quick Facts: Walcher Waterfall, Austria
- Best time to visit: June–September for full accessibility; late spring for the most powerful flow from snowmelt; autumn for golden larch forests
- Total drop: Approximately 500 metres in multiple cascades over a distance of ~1,500 metres
- How to get there: Accessible from the Grossglockner High Alpine Road (toll road); parking at the Walcher Wasserfall trailhead near the Piffkar viewpoint at ~1,620m altitude
- Hiking: A steep 30-minute trail leads to the viewing platform at the base of the main cascade
- Best for: Hikers, photographers, and anyone driving the Grossglockner High Alpine Road
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road
The Walcher Waterfall is ideally visited as part of a journey along the Grossglockner High Alpine Road — one of Europe’s most scenic drives, winding 48 kilometres through the heart of Hohe Tauern National Park with 36 hairpin turns and views of Austria’s highest peak, the Grossglockner (3,798m). The road climbs to 2,504 metres at the Edelweißspitze and passes through dramatic alpine landscapes of glaciers, snowfields, and wildflower meadows.
The waterfall trailhead is located near the Piffkar viewpoint, and the steep but well-maintained path offers increasingly dramatic views as you descend towards the thundering main cascade. The spray from the falls creates a cool microclimate that supports a lush community of alpine plants including saxifrages, moss campion, and rare ferns.
Walcher Waterfall is the largest waterfall in Austria and considered the highest waterfall in Austria. However it has three main steps, 50, 100 and 100 meters tall, between which there is a lot of small waterfalls and cascades. The total height of Walcher Waterfall is 500 m.
We can find it in the Land Salzburg, in the Hohe Tauern National Park, at the beginning of the mountain trail Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, near the village Ferleiten. Walcher Waterfall is accessible on foot from parking spot in Ferleiten, from where you can get to the first part of the waterfall. Then you can go ahead to the other parts of the waterfall following the trails.
The whole trip takes about 3-4 hours. However if you still have some free time, you could also visit a local park Wildpark Ferleiten where you can see many interesting natural attractions as well.
View Walcher Waterfall – the largest waterfall in Austria in a larger map
Have you driven the Grossglockner High Alpine Road or hiked to Walcher Waterfall? Share your Austrian Alpine road trip experiences in the comments! ⛰️
Explore more Austria travel guides and European waterfalls.
