Lingenau tufa formations

This round walk to visit the Lingenau tufa formations is a low level and fairly easy walk to one of Vorarlbergs most impressive natural phenomena. It is a place where you can almost watch nature being fossilized. The walk crosses the Subersach twice and has a few short but steep up- and downhill sections. It starts and ends in Lingenau.

Start at Lingenau church and turn left along the main road. After a few meters you will see a few hiking signs pointing right on the other side of the road. Follow those signs and walk along a very quiet road. You are now leaving Lingenau. Soon the road ends and leads into a hiking path. Follow the path until a junction, where you turn right, Now it’s downhill rather steeply. At the bottom turn right and at the main path left again and soon you will reach the wooden bridge on which you cross the Subersach.

On the other side it’s a gentle uphill until you reach a quiet road. Turn right and follow it until you reach the houses at Heckisau. Shortly after the village there is junction again where you turn left and a bit later right again. The hike is now heading into Grossdorf.

In Grossdorf you will walk through some lovely houses. There is a short section where you turn left to walk along the main road, but at the junction in the center you leave it again by turning right, and walk through farmhouses until you reach the open fields. When you reach a small hut, keep walking straight through the fields towards the next crossing of the Subersach.

Now there is a steep set of stairs leading back down to the river. The bridge to cross it is a hanging bridge and this one is rather narrow and wobbly, so be prepared if you don’t like that sort of thing.

The uphill on the other side of the Subersach is rather steep, but you already see a first sample of the Lingenau tufa on the way. There is a bench on the way up and one on the top, so plenty of options to rest. Turn left on the top and very soon you will reach the stairs that lead down along the tufa.

The tufa is an amazing yellow stone that sediments from the water that runs down this slope. There are 5 information boards on the tufa along the way, so you can learn all about it. Note that the path along here is in places rather steep and may be slippery when wet, but there is a handrail along the way, so enjoy this amazing phenomenon.

Once you are past the impressive tufa formations, the path leads uphill again until you reach Lingenau. When reaching the main road, turn slightly left and across and follow the road past the Vitalhotel. At the next junction turn right. This road leads back to the church from where you started but it keeps you entertained with lots of information and riddles on the nature of Vorarlberg.