The Partnachklamm: the gorge that doesn't close for winter.
A short walk from Garmisch's town centre, the Partnachklamm is a narrow limestone gorge carved by the Partnach river, developed for visitors since 1912 with a walkway blasted directly into the rock wall. Unlike most Alpine gorges, it stays open through winter — when the walls turn to ice curtains and icicles instead of spray — making it one of the few genuinely different things to do here regardless of the season.
What the walkway is actually like
The path runs along a narrow ledge and through short tunnels blasted into the gorge wall itself, with the Partnach river's meltwater rushing anywhere from a few metres to well over ten metres below, depending on the section. It's engineered and railed throughout — this is a maintained tourist path, not a scramble — but the scale of the rock walls pressing in on both sides is genuinely dramatic, especially where the gorge narrows and daylight only reaches in a thin shaft from directly overhead.
Summer roar versus winter ice
In summer, snowmelt from the Wetterstein massif turns the Partnach into a genuinely loud, fast-moving torrent, and the walkway can get misted by spray in places. In winter, much of that same water freezes into ice curtains and icicles hanging from the gorge walls, and the site is often lit after dark for evening visits — a completely different atmosphere from the summer roar, and one of the reasons it's worth visiting more than once if you're in the area across seasons.
Hours, fees, and current closures
Entry is ticketed, at roughly €6–6.50 for adults with reduced rates for children, families, and local guest-card holders — treat this as an approximate figure and check the current price on arrival, since it's revised periodically. Summer hours run 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, extended to 8:00 pm from June through September; winter hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Entry is possible up to 30 minutes before closing. As of this writing, the connecting trail onward to Vordergraseck is closed for construction from 21 September through 20 November 2026 — the gorge itself and its main walkway remain fully open during that window, only the onward trail is affected.
Getting there and combining it with other stops
The gorge entrance is an easy walk from central Garmisch-Partenkirchen — no car needed if you're staying in town. It's genuinely combinable with the Reintal hike's trailhead, since both share the same approach valley; hikers heading up to Reintalangerhütte pass directly by the gorge entrance. In severe weather (heavy multi-day rain in particular), management can close the gorge without advance notice, so it's worth a quick check before you set out if conditions have been poor.