Gsieser Gorge

Updated 2024: Easy to hike border crossing with a great view. A cute rest area has been set up on the Italian side (see photo) with a table and bench, even covered.
Note: From the East Tyrol side you hike through the Lappachalm area. Numerous signs have been put up there saying that dogs are not allowed through because of the cows (see photo). There is no alternative route. We walked the path with a small dog without any problems. We only met cows shortly before the Törl, they were in the middle of / on the path, but very relaxed - although also without calves. At other times of the year this may be different and correspondingly more difficult!

The Gsieser Törl is a beautiful border pass with wonderful views of the Gsieser Tal (Val Casies) to South Tyrol and the not too distant Dolomites. The boundary stone is very suitable for photos of the pass.
But be careful: suckler cows graze up here. You enter the pastures at your own risk, which is indicated by some signs. Additional information applies to dog owners. Take a look at Strubbel's entry.

The Gsieser Törl is a transition (2306 m above sea level) from the rear Gsieser valley in South Tyrol over to Defereggental in East Tyrol. The Gsieser Törl forms the state border between Austria and Italy. There are many old smuggler stories around Gsieser Törl. It was especially in the 1920s and 1930s as a much used smuggler route between Italy and Austria, as well as the Jöcher between Gsieser valley and Villgraten valley. At that time, but even into the 1970s, this far-away transition, especially by Italian customs officials, was tightly controlled. Although the transition can only be reached after several hours of exhausting marching, it was used extensively by smugglers at night.

A few years ago, there were plans to expand the route to Gsieser Törl on both sides as a cross-border road crossing. However, these plans were never realized because the intervention in the landscape would have been immense and had no reasonable relation to the benefit.

from St. Magdalena
to Gsieser Törl
Length 18.07 km
Duration 04:00 hrs
Climb 1,098 m
Descent 1,103 m
Max. Height 2,306 m
Min. Altitude 1,398 m