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Rifabecken Loop

1.3 km flat asphalt loop around the Rifa compensation basin with markers every 100 m – the tempo and interval track of the upper Montafon.

easy summer · 5-10 🍼 Stroller friendly 🎫 Included with the Freizeit-WildPass

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Elevation profile↗ 7 m ↘ 7 m

Between Gaschurn and Partenen, at 1,007 m, lies the Rifa compensation basin, a reservoir of illwerke vkw that has belonged to the Rifa power plant since 1969 and shifts water back and forth between Partenen and Rifa in pumped-storage operation. The circular path around the basin, asphalt according to OpenStreetMap, is exactly 1.3 km long and practically flat (7 m of ascent); every 100 m there are markers for checking pace and intervals. The guideline of 12 minutes is a walking time – as a running loop it is a 5 to 7 minute circuit you can repeat as often as you like, with views of the Silvretta peaks above Partenen.

The loop is suited to tempo runs, intervals and warming up before a mountain tour, and combines well with the Gaschurn village loop or the Tafamunt Trail, both of which pass by here. From our house it is 7 km up the valley, about 15 minutes on bus 650 towards Partenen; if you run there along the cycle path, it is around 7 km from Gortipohl.

🧭 Route description

The route leads via Ausgleichsbecken Rifa and back to the starting point.

The plotted track follows the marked trails according to OpenStreetMap; see the map, elevation profile and GPX file above. Please follow the signposting on site.

📍 Stages

  1. Start
  2. Ausgleichsbecken Rifa

💡 Tips & refreshments

Free and usable all year round; the path also suits pushchairs and beginners. The basin is an operational site – water level and current can change quickly, so do not enter the water. No shade: on hot days run in the morning or evening.

🚌 Getting there by public transport

Landbus 650 to Partenen (terminus), Tafamunt and Vermunt cable cars a 5-minute walk; approx. 20 min from St. Gallenkirch.

🅿️ Parking

Free parking at the Tafamunt/Vermunt cable cars in Partenen.

Last updated: 13 Sep 2026 · Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)

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