Trefflingfall

The Trefflingfall is a waterfall in a narrow gorge in the municipality of Puchenstuben in Lower Austria. It lies within the Ötscher-Tormäuer Nature Park and is one of the longest waterfalls in the province. The gorge is carved by the Treffling stream, a small tributary of the Erlauf, which rises at the foot of the 1,246-metre Turmkogel. The name comes from the Slavic word meaning ‘a river flowing through cleared land’.

The gorge stretches for about 280 metres with a total drop of roughly 100 metres, divided into several cascades each up to 20 metres high. After the final cascade the stream joins the Erlauf. The limestone walls enclose a well-maintained walking path that leads through the gorge from northeast to southwest. The entrance can only be reached on foot, lying 2,000 metres east of the parking area on the side road from Gaming and 1,600 metres southwest of the road from Puchenstuben.

The path to the waterfall was opened in 1897 by the Scheibbs Mountain Club. Today it remains a popular route, forming part of longer walks such as the Trefflingfall-Hochbärneck loop and the Puchenstuben-Trefflingfall-Wienerbruck-Puchenstuben circuit. Visitors follow the stream through the cool, shaded gorge to reach the final cascade where the water plunges into the Erlauf.