The Aar Gorge (German: Aareschlucht) is a section of the river Aar that carves through a limestone ridge near the town of Meiringen. The gorge is an indirect product of glaciation; 10,000 years ago, just as the Ice Age (not the movie 😉 ) was coming to an end, torrential runoff water from melting glaciers eroded a deep, narrow chasm through the limestone barrier. Although barely one mile long, this passage is bordered by sheer cliffs up to 165 feet (50 m) high on either side. At the bottom of this steep drop the river is only a few metres wide.
The gorge has been opened to the public since 1889, by building walking paths along the Gorge. Since then, the gorge is a popular tourist attraction for many visitors who like natural beauty and are attracted by the nearby Reichenbach Falls, which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle selected as the proper set for Sherlock Holmes’ murder by Professor Moriarty.
The paths through the gorge are linked to two stations on the Meiringen – Innertkirchen railway. At the western end of the gorge is Aareschlucht West station, whilst the underground Aareschlucht Ost station links opens directly through a door into the gorge. So access by train is quite easy. But also by car access is easy and parking is available at both entrances.
I want to show some of the pictures taken at the Aar gorge simply to show what a beautiful outdoors we have here in Switzerland. Enjoy 😉