Bregenzerachschlucht, Conservation area in Alberschwende, Austria.

Bregenzerachschlucht is a wooded gorge of the Bregenzer Ach between Egg and Wolfurt/Kennelbach, cutting between the Sulzberg ridge and Pfänderstock of the Allgäuer Alps on the right bank and the Schneiderkopf of the Bregenzerwald mountains on the left. Its slopes belong to the upended granitic Molasse, and on the right bank the strata tilt toward the river, so landslides are frequent. The lower section, from the Weißach mouth and the Alberschwende power plant to the valley exit, is the 434.02-hectare Natura 2000 area.

The area received official conservation status in 1995 to protect its geological features and maintain its biological diversity for the future. This designation recognized the ecological importance of the gorge and its natural habitats.

A signposted trail at the start of the gorge in Kennelbach commemorates log driving: from the 11th century felled trunks were marked and floated down the Bregenzer Ach to the Rhine valley, the only way to move timber here. The work was dangerous and caused serious accidents; conflicts over wood required legal rules. The Bregenzerwaldbahn (1900–1902) later took over transport.

There are no marked trails and no road into the gorge. Since 2010 a local pensioner has cleared the roughly 7.5 km former railway line between the Schindlerkanal in Kennelbach and the Rotachtunnel; since 2025 this stretch is walkable at your own risk, with makeshift footbridges. Camping and picking plants are forbidden, and bank sections may be closed from 1 April to 15 July for breeding waterbirds.

Since 1980 no road or official path has crossed the gorge, and the rails of the Bregenzerwaldbahn were removed. From 2010 a Bregenz pensioner cleared the roughly 7.5 km stretch between the Schindlerkanal in Kennelbach and the Rotachtunnel of stones and fallen trees, building footbridges and a bridge from old sleepers. The route remains walkable only at your own risk; no official release as a hiking or cycling path is planned.