The Glemmtal ("Glemm Valley") in the Austrian state of

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

is the valley of the roughly 30 km long upper reaches of the River

Saalach The Saalach is a river in Austria and Germany, and a left tributary of the Salzach. Course The river begins, as the stream, in the Austrian state of Tyrol in the Kitzbühel Alps at the lake below the high Gamshag. From there it flows i ...

. It belongs to the northern

Pinzgau The Bezirk Zell am See is an administrative district ('' Bezirk'') in the federal state of Salzburg, Austria, and congruent with the Pinzgau region (). The area of the district is , with a population of 84,124 (May 15, 2001), and population den ...

region and separates the

Kitzbühel Alps The Kitzbühel Alps (german: Kitzbüheler Alpen or ''Kitzbühler Alpen'') are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps surrounding the town of Kitzbühel in Tyrol, Austria. Geologically they are part of the western slate zone ( greywacke zon ...

in an east-west direction. Its main settlement is the village of Saalbach in

Zell am See Zell am See is the administrative capital of the Zell am See District in the Austrian state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg. Located in the Kitzbühel Alps, the town is an important tourist destination due to its Ski resort, ski resorts and shorel ...

district.

Geography

The ''Saalbach'' flows through the upper 10 km of the valley , whose largest headstream, the '' Schwarzenbach'', rises at about 1800 m above sea level between the

Geißstein The Geißstein, sometimes also called the Gaisstein, is a mountain in the Kitzbühel Alps with a height of that straddles the border between the federal Austrian states of Tyrol and Salzburg The Geißstein lies about seven kilometres southeast ...

, the ''Tristkogel'' and the Spieleckkogel mountains. After uniting with several streams and the

white water Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and w ...

s of the Voglalpgraben it flows as the ''Saalbach'' through the ''

Hinterglemm Saalbach-Hinterglemm is a municipality in the district of Zell am See (Pinzgau region), in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is well known for its skiing and other winter sports. A four piste network consisting of Saalbach, Hinterglemm, Fieberbru ...

(Hinterglemm valley)'', from where several summer and winter routes head north leading to the

Saalach Valley Ridgeway The Saalach Valley Ridgeway (german: Saalachtaler Höhenweg) is a roughly five-hour long ridgeway trail in the Salzburg part of the Kitzbühel Alps between Leogang and Saalfelden. The way runs along the mountain chain that separates the valley of ...

(''Saalachtaler Höhenweg'') and south to the

Pinzgau Ridgeway The Pinzgau Ridgeway (german: Pinzgauer Spaziergang or ''Pinzgauer Höhenweg'') is a roughly 25 kilometre long ridgeway in the Kitzbühel Alps in the Austrian federal state of Salzburg. Location and route The ridgeway runs parallel to the S ...

(''Pinzgauer Höhenweg''). Near the confluence of the ''Schwarzachengraben'' lie several scattered settlements and, on the southern valley floor is the

Karl Renner Haus The Karl Renner Haus is a former mountain hut and now a sport hotel in the Kitzbühel Alps in Austria. It lies in the upper Saalach valley ( Land Salzburg) on the edge of Saalbach-Hinterglemm at about 1,100 m above sea level and is managed by th ...

belonging to the

Friends of Nature Friends of Nature (international abbreviation: NFI, for German: Naturfreunde International) is a non-profit organisation with a background in the social democratic movement, which aims to make the enjoyment of nature accessible to the wider communi ...

. Several kilometres downstream the valley broadens and one enters the well-known Saalbach-Hinterglemm ski region and the village of Saalbach, from where the Saalbach is called the "Saalach" and the valley the "Lower Glemm Valley" or ''Vorderglemmtal''. Here the Spielbergbach joins from the north and several summer mountain trails begin here too including the one to the Schattberg. Now the valley runs for 15 km relatively straight and due east. The valley ends near

Viehhofen Viehhofen is a municipality in the district of Zell am See (Pinzgau region), in the state of Salzburg in Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying ...

, north of the Zeller See, the Saalach swings north the valley broadens to several kilometres to form the ''

Saalfelden Basin Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer is a town in the district of Zell am See in the Austrian state of Salzburg. With approximately 16,000 inhabitants, Saalfelden is the district's largest town and the third of the federal state after Salzburg and Hallein ...

'' around the town of

Saalfelden Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer is a town in the district of Zell am See in the Austrian state of Salzburg. With approximately 16,000 inhabitants, Saalfelden is the district's largest town and the third of the federal state after Salzburg and H ...

Sports

Skicircus Saalbach-Hinterglemm/Leogang The Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn is a winter sports area in the Austrian federal state of Salzburg. It extends on both sides of the valley over the mountains of the Glemmtal and has a link to Leogang and to Fieberbrunn, in Tyr ...

, winter sports area

References

{{Coord, 47, 23, , N, 12, 38, , E, type:waterbody_region:AT-5, display=title Kitzbühel Alps Valleys of Salzburg (state)