Almbachklamm, Natural canyon in Schellenberger Forst, Germany.

The Almbachklamm is a gorge between Ettenberg and Maria Gern on the Untersberg in the Berchtesgaden Alps, cut by the Almbach stream. Its walls are mostly light Ramsau dolomite, a brittle rock that water splits when it freezes. The stream collects in pools and spills over pale, rounded stones and gravel.

The gorge began forming about 15,000 years ago, when meltwater from the glaciers of the last ice age cut into the formerly connected surfaces of Ettenberg and Maria Gern and separated them. The Almbach then incised itself ever deeper toward the Berchtesgadener Ache. In 1894 soldiers of the 2nd and 4th companies of the Ingolstadt pioneer battalion built the 3 km walking route through the gorge in a single month.

The name Almbachklamm combines the creek name Almbach with Klamm, the German word for a gorge. Since 1894 the path built by soldiers of the Ingolstädter Pionierbataillon has been the way through it, and the gorge is registered by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment as geotope 172R014 and as a natural monument.

Sturdy hiking boots are essential for navigating the many stairs and narrow, slippery paths along the rock walls. The best time to visit is during dry weather, since wet surfaces make the route considerably more difficult and hazardous.

The 3 km path through the gorge was built in 1894 in a single month by soldiers of the 2nd and 4th companies of the Ingolstadt pioneer battalion. They cut a tunnel, 29 bridges and 320 steps to master the 200 m height difference. The gorge is also a designated geotope (no. 172R014) and natural monument.