Welcome to Wonderland aka The Bluntautal Valley

The lake in Bluntautal Valley is a beautiful alpine spring with a surface like stained glass. This valley looks like it was pulled directly out of a fairy tale story. This valley is surrounded by a beautiful forest and huge mountains that jut into the sky like the teeth of an enormous saw. Bluntautal Valley is a good place for fishing, landscape photography, and relaxing strolls. The clarity of the water in the lake and the nearby river made them look like they were made out of polished stone. After the beautiful first lake, we went down to a less impressive second lake and made some trout quite happy, by throwing them a hail storm of fish food that is sold in a dispenser on the shore. After we told the concierge at the Schloss Fuschl where we went, he told us that Bluntautal Valley is a local’s favorite. Bluntautal Valley is a 100% bucket list destination for everyone traveling to the SalzburgerLand region.

That same day, we went to visit the Salzachöfen Gorge, which is a beautiful stone groove cut into the ground by the Salzach river many years ago. A very cool thing about this place is that it has immense value to both paleontologists and geologists alike with its rich mineral deposits and wealth of fossil discoveries. As a souvenir, I got a snail shell fossil with such defined curves that it looks like an enormous marble drill bit. My favorite part of the gorge is where this gigantic slab of rock stabbed into the walls of the gorge just after a fork in the river. The strength of the river depends on how much snow melts near its origin. You can usually expect the gorge to be quite lush and beautiful. On the way back up to the car, I saw an awesome black and orange snake snoozing on the stairs. Overall, stopping at Salzachöfen Gorge was very worthwhile.