Millstatt am See, Austria
The Schluchtweg runs up the Riegerbach gorge above Millstätter See in Carinthia, and starting from Obermillstatt rather than down at the lake is the version most people actually want. You skip the grinding climb out of Millstatt village and drop straight into the good part: a shaded ravine of wooden bridges, root-laced paths and cut steps that crisscross the stream as it comes down off the Millstätter Alm. About 45 minutes in you reach the Herzogfall, a protected waterfall with a shallow basin at its foot that's the obvious place to sit and put your feet in the water. The gorge stays cool even when the lake basin is baking, and the walls hold unusual flora including the spotted lady's slipper, a protected native orchid, so stay on the path rather than scrambling around for a better photo. If you keep climbing past the Herzoghütte, the trail eventually tops out at the Schwaigerhütte on the alm at 1,626 m.
From Obermillstatt the gorge section is roughly 5 km with about 430 m of ascent, a comfortable half day. The full route from the lake at 604 m is a different proposition: 6.6 km, 1,022 m of climbing, and 5 to 5.5 hours one way, graded difficult. Either way it's around 60% narrow footpath, so surefootedness and boots with real grip are the requirement, not a suggestion. Wet rock and wet wood here are genuinely slick. Summer is the season, precisely because the ravine is shaded. Two things people get caught by: sections have been closed or diverted since storm damage, with several bridges unsound, so check current status before setting off, and if you do walk the whole thing to the Schwaigerhütte, remember it's one way. Plan the descent in advance, either the Nockmobil shuttle or the "Vom Plateau auf die Alm" circuit back down.
