Rumpelbachschlucht, Natural monument in Winkelhaid, Germany
Rumpelbachschlucht is a narrow gorge near Winkelhaid carved through sandstone rock with steep walls on both sides. A small waterfall drops in stages through the center, and the creek runs year-round along the canyon floor.
The Röthenbach carved this gorge into Rhät-Lias sandstone and the Upper Feuerletten (Obere Feuerletten) over millennia. Around 200 million years ago, a shallow inland sea covered this part of Middle Franconia, depositing fine-grained and sandy sediments that later hardened into clay and sandstone. Because the Rhät and Lias beds cannot be clearly separated, geologists group them as Rhät-Lias transition layers.
The gorge is also called Röthenbachklamm after the Röthenbach stream, which joins the Pegnitz at Röthenbach and whose upper course runs through the rocky notch. The Bavarian State Office for Environment lists it as geotope 574R002 and as natural monument ND-05211. Similar Rhät gorges occur around Altdorf.
Access to the gorge is free and the path follows the creek downhill with no gates or barriers. Wear shoes with good grip since sections have wooden boardwalks and some parts can be wet or slippery, especially after rain.
The gorge is designated geotope 574R002 by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment and also protected as natural monument ND-05211. Its exposed sandstone banks belong to the Rhät-Lias transition beds, laid down about 200 million years ago in a shallow inland sea; similar Rhät gorges occur around Altdorf.
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