Hike through the Rastenbach Gorge

Our hike starts at the parking place near the minigolf course at Lake Caldaro. We follow trail no. 10 towards the main street, which we cross, and walk in a southerly direction (to the Sonnleitenhof), turning right at the following two forks. Having crossed the Rio Rastenbach, we follow the asphalted road until we reach the last few houses. This is where we continue our hike on trail no. 13, which will directly lead us into the Rastenbach Gorge (Rastenbachklamm, in German).

After several steps and bridges we finally reach a waterfall. We make a short detour to the near St. Peter's Basilica, presumably the oldest church of Tyrol, simply following the relevant signposts. Back at the Rastenbach Gorge, we continue our tour and finally arrive at the small village of Castelvecchio (Altenburg). After having spent enough time to enjoy the wonderful panorama from the Castelvecchio Viewpoint, we follow the asphalted road towards north for about 700 metres, passing an old bridge (at a bend), until we reach the parking space Müllereck on our right.

From here, we continue our hike on the Bärentalweg trail no. 13. Walking down the valley through a beautiful deciduous forest, at the Vogelmeierhof farm we finally reach the trail on which we have ascended, and continue our tour back to the starting point. Surefootedness and hiking boots are recommended! The trail is well maintained but can be slippery at some sections - therefore we don't recommend this tour to families with little children.

Author: RD