Most beautiful hiking routes

To the source of the Lutz in the Metzgertobel

The Metzgertobel: a place made for a tourist brochure.

(Bild: Bergauer Rubina/Bergauer)

Steep rock, green alpine meadows and rushing white water characterize this scenic gem in the Großes Walsertal. From Sonntag/Buchboden, a hike leads past the Kessi Gorge natural monument to the Metzgertobelalpe.

Steep grassy slopes and almost vertical rock faces line the valley basin in the Metzgertobelalpe area, which belongs to the municipality of Sonntag. The Lutz is the main river in the Grosses Walsertal and has its source just above this alp. The wild water has dug its bed deep into the ground and still shows its original side here. Marked hiking trails lead from Metzgertobel via Unter-Alpschella and Lite to Biberacher Hütte or via Ober-Alpschella to Göppinger Hütte. Until 1762, the right-hand side of the ravine belonged to the large Schadona Alpine complex and served as a snow refuge. Until then, the left-hand side of the Metzgertobel was merely a Maisäß site and only later became an alpine pasture. The name goes back to the time when the respected butchers from the Feldkirch dominion brought their cattle and oxen to the alp for summer grazing.

Tips & info

Type: Alpine hike with varied scenery

Duration: a good three hours from Buchboden church and back

Starting point: small parking lot (fee required) at Buchboden church, Großes Walsertal

Equipment: ankle-high walking shoes with good tread soles, clothing suitable for the weather, daypack with drink and snack, sun protection

Refreshment stops: Gasthaus zum Jäger in Buchboden or Alpgasthof Bad Rothenbrunnen (after a good 30-minute detour before the Kessischlucht gorge)

Public transport: first take bus no. 570 (e.g. from Thüringen bus station) to Sonntag and then bus no. 571 to Buchboden church

A hike into the Metzgertobel is a scenic delight. It starts in Buchboden: The village was called Geiersboden in the Middle Ages. According to tradition, there were numerous bears and lynxes in the area at the time, whose prey attracted vultures, among others, which then circled in large numbers in the sky. Even before permanent settlement, Geiersboden was used as a corn field.

The swallow-wort gentian.

(Bild: Bergauer Rubina/Bergauer)

There are several information boards on the Walserweg trail between Sonntag and Boden, which inform hikers about the history of the valley. From Buchboden, follow the single-track road towards Bad Rothenbrunnen. Finally, you change to a gravel path that runs parallel to the Lutz. From here, the route to the Metzgertobelalpe is already signposted.

Schwalbenwurz gentian

The Schwalbenwurz gentian is named after its similarity to the Schwalbenwurz, whose leaves are also arranged in opposite directions. Other names include blue crosswort, autumn gentian and deer rutting gentian, which refers to the late flowering period. Each plant forms several upright to overhanging, multi-flowered stems. The flowers sit singly or in threes in the upper leaf axils. The corolla is dark blue on the outside and dotted red-violet on the inside, usually with light blue longitudinal stripes. The flowering period extends from August to October. The swallow-wort gentian provides nectar and is primarily pollinated by bees and bumblebees, but self-pollination is also possible. This gentian species is also a food plant for the caterpillars of the highly endangered lung gentian blue and the gentian alpine leaf moth. The plant thrives in the valleys and at altitudes of over 2000 meters. The lime-loving species usually prefers moist meadows, fens, forest edges, reed meadows and tall herbaceous meadows as habitats. In the past, it was believed that the plant could cure rabies, which is why it was used in folk medicine to treat dog bites.

Right at the start, you pass the Kessi Gorge, which has been a declared natural monument since 1992. Over thousands of years, the Lutz has carved a 250-metre-long, step-like gorge through a mighty rock bar in this area. This consists of several waterfalls with large, circular erosion pots at their base. The walls of these "pots", popularly known as "Kessi", or cauldrons, have been smoothed over time by the force of the rotating water. Along the hiking trail, there are always places with good views of the gorge.

An impressive waterfall.

(Bild: Bergauer Rubina/Rubina Bergauer)

The route then continues almost flat in the shade of the trees into the ravine. Finally, there is one more ascent to tackle, but it is moderate. Below the Heimenwaldalpe, you pass another impressive waterfall directly on the path, which tumbles over a massive rock face. The rows of trees then gradually thin out and you finally enter the basin in which the Metzgertobelalpe is located. The panorama of steep rock, green alpine meadows and the rushing torrent is impressive. Surrounded by this scenery, it is a wonderful place to rest before returning to Buchboden via the same route.