Kuhflucht wasserfälle

Kuhflucht wasserfälleThe Kuhflucht wasserfälle is one of the highest waterfalls in Germany, at least they say it is. Actually it is a series of waterfalls in the river Kuhfluchtgraben near Farchant. With several major drops the Kuhflucht wasserfälle has a descent of 270 meter.

The Kuhflucht wasserfälle are located at the east side of Farchant, very close to Garmisch Partenkirchen. When driving in Frachant (on the Hauptstrasse) ) you will see a small green sign “Kuhflucht wasserfälle”. Follow the signs and after the bridge drive onto the Kuhfluchtweg. After 200 meter there is a nice parking (gps 47.529996, 11.119872).

Kuhflucht wasserfälleFrom the parking a path leads to the mountains and the river Kuhfluchtgraben. At the river there is a bridge but don’t cross it. Walk upstream along the river at the right side of the river. There is a yellow sign “Kuhflucht wasserfälle – 25 min”. The trail, called “Konigsweg” runs along the river and goes slightly up. Further upstream the trail gets a little more steep and just before the bridge it gets more steep. From here it will we difficult to reach the viewpoint (bridge) with a buggy (but it is possible).

If you don’t stop it is 20 minute walk (1,5 km- ascend 120 m) from the parking to the viewpoint on the bridge. It is also a perfect walk with children with some shelters, activities and question signs on the way.

Kuhflucht wasserfälleIt took me 35 minutes because I went of the track taking pictures of the smaller waterfalls. Before you reach the viewpoint at the bridge there are six waterfalls worthwhile to take your time. All of them with a height of 4-15 meter.

The major drops begin at the viewpoint at the bridge. From a distance you already notice the twinfall but if you don’t cross the bridge and go a little up at the right side, you will see a series of bigger waterfalls coming down the Kuhfluchtgraben.

At the end of the bridge you have a nice point of view on the twinfall from aside. DON’T stop here but after crossing the bridge follow the steep path (with steel cables) up for 5 minutes. Stay at the river side and follow the dead end path running into a gorge. This is the most beautiful part of the Kuhflucht wasserfälle. You also can see the biggest drop further upstream. I think appr. 30 meter. A detailed description of the trail (ending at the bridge) can be found on Wikiloc.

Kuhflucht wasserfälleI walked further up for another 10 minutes in the direction of the Weilheimer Hutte. The path stays steep and I wanted to go to the viewpoint on the upper Kuhflucht wasserfälle. But this was another 20-30 walk ascending 300 meters before you reach a viewpoint on the source of the Kuhflucht wasserfälle. 

The Kuhflucht wasserfälle is in my opinion one of the better waterfalls to visit in Germany and also a very special waterfall. You can walk along the river to the source of the Kuhflucht wasserfälle, a hole in a mountain wall where the water comes directly out of the mountain. The average volume of the Kuhflucht wasserfälle is 1,5m3/sec, but I have seen enough pictures of a low volume waterfall. When I visited the Kuhflucht wasserfälle end February 2020 there was quite an amount of water in the river. The evening before it had snowed lightly but the day before it was 16C at daytime!!

After visiting the Kuhflucht wasserfälle I can imagine why people say it is the highest waterfall in Germany with 270 meter but there are to much parts in the river without any significant drop that officially the total height is wrong. Nevertheless I will list it with a total height of 270 meter.

Best time to visit the Kuhflucht Wasserfälle is in springtime or after rainfall, in autumn. Maybe also at noon when there is more light coming into the gorge.

There are not that many waterfalls nearby but if you want to drive a little over the border of Austria (20 minutes from Garmisch Partenkirchen) there is a very nice and cosy waterfall Häselgehr wasserfall. Worthwhile to visit, easy to reach and a perfect playground for children.

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About Kuhflucht wasserfälle

CountryGermany
RegionBayern
LocationFarchant
RiverKuhfluchtgraben
Height270m
Latitude47.528100
Longitude11.136790
Best visitSpring-early summer
Rating

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