The Geo Path

Over thousands of years the force of water has removed large quantities of materials such as stone, scree and sand and carried them down into the valley, with the result that a gorge approximately 8 km. long and 400 metres deep has been formed.
The Geo Path was completed in autumn 2003, and runs through the Bletterbach gorge. A walk through the Bletterbach represents a journey in time through the Palaeozoic and earlier Mesozoic eras. 16 notice-boards at interesting locations along the path, starting from the car park below the Alpine hut Lahner (or from the Radein side starting from the Geo Museum) inform the visitor about the various rock strata. These strata were formed 280 million years ago in the Permian and Triassic periods and were exposed again by the force of the water in the Bletterbach. The notice-boards also provide information about the many valuable finds of carbonised plants and trees, fossilised micro-organisms, shellfish and cephalopods, and the many traces of very different types of prehistoric reptiles. The notice-boards also include information about metal that was extracted in the mining galleries, and the legend about gold and the giant Grimm.

An accompanying publication, a geological guidebook, has been published and is available in the Visitor Centre. At the Bletterbach Visitor Center are also available other publications about geology.

Routes and distances

Butterloch (waterfall) and back

From the Visitor Centre you walk until board 10. Then walk back via boards 15 and 16.

Duration: 2.5 to 3 hours of pleasant walk

Length: 3,600m

Difference in altitude: 200m

Gorzsteig (G) and back

From the Visitor Centre you walk until board 10. Then return to the Visitor Centre via the boards 11, 12, 15 and 16.

Duration: 5- 6 hours of pleasant walk

Length: 6.400m

Difference in altitude: 250m

Gorz (end of the valley) and back:

From the Visitor Centre you walk until board 10. Then follow the stream bed up to boards 11 and 14. Return to the Visitor Centre via the boards 11, 12, 15 and 16.

Duration: 5- 6 hours of pleasant walk

Length: 6,400m

Difference in altitude: 250m