A family visit to the Stubai Waterfall in the Ötztal Valley led me to discover this climb to Niederthai. The waterfall itself is the highest in Tyrol and highly recommended for a visit. You can access it from Umhausen, where a short walk takes you to the foot of the waterfall, or from Niederthai, located just above the waterfall. From personal experience, I would recommend starting the visit from Umhausen for the best views, where you can walk up to the top via a hanging bridge (though expect crowds). But today, our focus is on the climb. I start quite early, as the Kühtai climb is also on the agenda. I start the GPS at 06:50, parked near Umhausen along the Ötztaler Ache on the right side of the main road, coming from the direction of Oetz. It’s a bit tricky to park in Umhausen itself; tourists are directed to the central paid parking lot near the Stubaifall. From there, you can pick up the cycle path across the road towards Umhausen, where the actual climb begins.
The climb starts at the junction in Umhausen, as shown in the photo above. Initially, it’s relatively flat until you pass the parking lot near the waterfall. As you head towards the forest, the first hairpin bend appears, marking the start of the real climbing. The climb itself has an average gradient of 7.5% over 7.2 kilometers. This can be a bit deceptive because it includes both the initial and final flat sections of the climb, including a descent. The ascent starts in Umhausen at 1050 meters altitude and ends at 1566 meters (according to salite.ch), resulting in a total elevation gain of 541 meters.
The first part of the climb is through the forest, which is quite enjoyable with plenty of hairpin bends. Apart from the other turns, I counted 8 of them. Some sections are quite steep, with gradients regularly exceeding 10%. The smooth Austrian asphalt adds to the pleasure of the ride. At this early morning hour, it’s remarkably peaceful here. It might get busier in the afternoon due to visits to the waterfall. The stretch through the forest covers about 5 kilometers and constitutes the bulk of the climb. Not bad at all! It’s a delightful ride here in the early morning light.
Niederthai itself is a small hamlet, and I feel obligated to take a photo. It’s nice to take a little detour here. When you reach the main road in Niederthai (coming from the middle right on the photo above), you can turn left after the church to begin the return journey slightly higher. You’ll pass through a small hamlet called Höfle, where you’ll descend again in a left turn. This is followed by a short stretch of hard gravel, which shouldn’t be a problem. You’ll then return to the main road, and after a short climb, the descent begins (see the map below for clarification). As you saw on the way up, there’s a panoramic parking lot with a view of the Stubai Waterfall. It’s definitely worth a quick stop for a glimpse of the waterfall.
The descent is straightforward and enjoyable. Smooth corners and little to no gravel on the road. I wondered beforehand if this climb would be worth it, but in my opinion, it definitely was. The climb and descent took me about an hour in total, including taking photos.
