Just outside St.Johann, you get the opportunity to visit the Liechtensteinklamm, one of the longest and deepest gorges in the Alps. Beyond Schwarzach, you leave the Salzach and begin a tough stretch on panoramic streets past farmhouses, fruit trees, and alpine meadows. You now follow the Gasteiner Ache through its wild valley and, before that, also pass through a 1.5 km tunnel (lit and with separate cycle path). You can avoid this tunnel and the preceding climb by taking the train from Schwarzach for a bit. Via Dorfgastein and Bad Hofgastein, you cycle to the famous spa and winter sports resort of Bad Gastein at the foot of the Hohe Tauern. In the middle of the mountain town, the Gasteiner Ache makes a formidable waterfall. A stone's throw away is Böckstein, where a shuttle train from the Tauernschleuse takes you to Mallnitz on the southern side of the Alps in 10 minutes. Located in the middle of the Hohe Tauern National Park, the small village attracts many hikers and cyclists.
