We visited this wonderful area in the late summer. The Gosau lakes area is simply amazing. There are no words to describe its beauty enough, so it is necessary to see it. The name of the three lakes comes from the village Gosau which is a much-loved alpine village and is famous for its famous lakes.
At the end of the 14 km long Gosau Valley, you are faced with an imposing creation of nature – the Lower (Vorderer 921 m above sea level) Lake Gosau with a view of the majestic Dachstein, on the right side bordering the Gosaukamm mountain massif. Your eyes will see a unique image that will never let you go again. And if you then follow the Dachstein, you will be rewarded with almost surreal natural phenomena – the middle Lake Gosaulacke and the Upper (Hinterer) Lake Gosau. In more detail:
The crystal-clear and clean water of the lake is a drinking water quality, so it is a perfect environment for many species of fish: the local trout (minnow), rainbow trout, perch, pike, arctic char, and eel rod. The lake has been dammed up by about 12 m for better water use and more effective energy generation. In 1913, the energy company built the Gosau power station, which draws its water directly from the lake, so it is also used as a reservoir. This water supplies approx. 2,200 households with clean electricity every year.
The small lake Gosaulacke (981 m) is a very special natural phenomenon. The episodic small water only appears in full splendor on days when the snow melts or when there is heavy rainfall. On these days the Upper Lake Gosau overflows and fills this Gosaulacke, which in turn passes the water onto the Lower Lake Gosau. This middle of the three Gosau lakes is also a place where you can recharge your batteries and where the peace will certainly do your soul good. Embedded in beautiful nature with a view of the mountains, the Gosaulacke is a very special place to stay.
At the foot of the Dachstein, Upper Lake Gosau (1,160 m) nestles perfectly into the beautiful mountain landscape. On particularly hot days you can also see a special event there: Cows cooling down in the water of the Upper Lake Gosau (usually cows avoid water).
If you think that Upper Lake Gosau feeds Lower Lake Gosau on normal days, you are wrong. Because the water of Upper Lake Gosau flows via underground springs directly into the stream Gosaubach. Only when the snow melts and on rainy days the overflow of the Upper Lake Gosau fills the Gosaulacke and this then fills the Lower Lake Gosau.
High above Lower Lake Gosau, there is the Zwieselalm area. Zwieselalm is a wonderful hiking area with a view of the Gosaukamm massif. With the panorama cable car (reached 1,510 m), you can travel daily from the Mother’s Day weekend until the end of October to the alpine pasture. At the top of the all, various hikes can be undertaken, like a hike to the mountain pastures (2,5 hours) or a hike to the Stuhlalm (1,5 hours). Or to do a more challenging hike to the Grosser Donnerkogel Peak 2,050 m.
Further official information about the Lakes Gosau area you find here.
RV Places
Parking lot near the Lower Lake Gosau, the coordinates: 47.533465, 13.495675
We can say that the Gosau Lakes area is camper-user friendly. In the Gosau Valley, there are many parking lots where overnight campers is allowed. However, with almost no services except the parking lot nearest to Lower Lake Gosau (in the picture) where are the toilets?
Hiking trails
The Lakes Gosau area is a hiking paradise. There are many hiking trails of varying difficulty as shown on the map below:
We did the most popular hike starting at the parking lot (pictured above) along the Lower Lake Gosau, continuing along the middle of Gosaulacke, and ending by the Upper Lake Gosau. Plus all the way back. The hike is about 14 km together and not difficult. You can see it on the interactive map with more details, photos, and a downloadable gpx file here. It takes about 4 hours altogether.
It is necessary to mention that we planned to continue the hiking trail to the mountain hut “Adamek Hut” but lack of time caused us that postponed it to the next time. The hike to the Adamek Hut is a bit more challenging. And you can see it on the interactive map here.
After finishing the above-mentioned trail from the Lower to the Upper Lake Gosau we took a cable car to reach the Zwieselalm:
There we did a short hike to the Gosaunet-Platzrl Monument, see an interactive map here.
The Zwieselalm area also offers the latest TOP attraction:
The new “Himmelsleiter”, is a 40-meter-long panoramic
sky ladder for climbing enthusiasts. It offers climbing up the free-floating ladder, taking in breathtaking views of the Dachstein glacier, the surrounding mountains, and across the entire Gosau Valley…we didn’t try it. And we are not sure if we want to…
Mountain Biking
We also did a wonderful mountain biking trail in the area. It was a combination of various existing trails that allowed us to start at the parking lot and reach another famous lake in the area – the Hallstätter Lake. The route was amazing indeed. We saw many amazing viewpoints and places like the Rossalm Hut below in the picture. We definitively recommend doing it to all mountain biking enthusiasts.
An interactive map of the trail together with the downloadable recorded GPX file you find here:
Attractions & Recommendations:
- We absolutely recommend visiting the Gosau Lakes Nature Reserve because of many reasons. Some of them:
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It is a camper-friendly national park
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It is a paradise for all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts like hikers, mountain bikers, and rock climbers; moreover, the Lower Gosau Lake offers bathing, swimming, fishing, and boat trips too, and the near Krippenstein offers a wonderful territory for paragliders; directly above the Lower Lake Gosau is a via ferrata which allows you to enjoy stunning views of the majestic Dachstein
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There are many mountain huts and alpine pastures available for refreshment, where you can enjoy culinary delights
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The winter ski area Dachstein West is located directly in Gosau and offers wide slopes, which are especially suitable for families. Over 40 km of cross-country ski runs are prepared daily, a toboggan run is also available. There are numerous winter hiking trails and snowshoe trails
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The Family Adventure Park „Urzeitwald“ offers children a paradise of games, fun, and excitement with a historical background. The children can expect 25 adventure stations, which promote their skills and mobility
You can see our photos here.
Our video blog about the Gosau Lakes Area you find here.
