Gletscherschlucht Rosenlaui

Useful Information

Location:	Rosenlaui, CH-3860 Meiringen. 15 km from Meiringen, at the road Meiringen - Schwarzwaldalp - Grosse Scheidegg - Grindelwald. Access by car only from Meiringen. (46.6783882, 8.1554308)
Open:	Mid-MAY to SEP daily 9-18. OCT daily 9-17. [2026]
Fee:	Adults CHF 12, Children (6-15) CHF 6, Children (0-5) free. Groups (10+): Adults CHF 10, Children (6-15) CHF 5. [2026]
Classification:	Gorge
Light:
Dimension:	L=500 m, VR=80 m, A=1,370-1,480 m asl.
Guided tours:	self guided, L=1.2 km, D=45 min, VR=115 m, St=200. V=20,000/a [2005]
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Gletscherschlucht Rosenlaui, Rosenlaui, CH-3860 Meiringen, Tel: +41-33-971-2488. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

19th century	mentined in travel guidebooks.
Summer 1901	purchased by the hotelier Kaspar Brog from Meiringen.
28-OCT-1901	start of development.
Summer 1902	Development completed.
06-JUN-1903	opened to the public.
Winter 1930	extension of the path to its current length.

Description

Gletscherschlucht Rosenlaui is the gorge of the small river Weissenbach. With up to four cubic meters of water it cut a 500 m long narrow gorge with up to 80 meters high wall into the hard limestone. The gorge is entered from the Schluchthüttli (gorge hut), the ticket office and café. A path leads along the river upstream. At the border between the soft shists and the hard limestone, the gorge path starts with an artificial tunnel. The huge waterfall is only a first highlight of the tour. At first various Geology potholes were formed by the flowing water. In the middle section the gorge forms a dome-like overhang. A nice highlight for children is the elephant’s head at the end of the gorge, a fantastic rock formation.

The gorge was developed by Johann Berti from Tyrolia. He was assigned by the owner of the gorge, the hotelier Kaspar Brog from Meiringen. The development was difficult, and so it took more than a year. The path was created by 9000 blasts, 180 packs of dynamite were used. The expenses were 22,000 Franks, a small fortune at that time.

From the parking lot there is a short ascent to the ticket office, another ascend leads to the gorge. In the gorge there are 500 m of bridges and tunnels ascending 115 m on 200 steps. The gorge is visited one way, when you reach the end there is a gravel path with steps through a mountain forest back to the entrance. The tour is 1.2 km in total, but due to the elevation gain you should plan at least 45 minutes, depending on your physical fitness. Wear good hiking shoes with grip and weather-depending clothes. The start and end of the season depends on the weather, so you should check their website if it is actually open.