The Area of Gosausee

The area of Gosausee is located in the southwestern part of the Austrian state of Salzburgerland. The lakes are easy to reach from Hallstatt and perfect for a day trip. It is lovely to hike around Gosausee. There are many beautiful lakes in Austria and on our road trip through Austria, Gosausse became one of our favourites.

What makes the area of Gosausee so unique is the view of the Dachstein glacier that dominates the background of the lake. One speaks of the Gosausee, but this often means all 3 “Gosauseen” (lakes) which consist of Vorderer Gosausee, Gosaulacke and Hinterer Gosausee. This can cause some confusion when talking about Gosausee. You can take a nice walk around the Vorderer Gosausee, but also continue walking along to Gosaulacke and then to the Hinterer Gosausee.

Vorderer Gosausee

The shortest walk is around the Vorderer Gosausee. The walk is about 4.5 kilometers long and there is no difference in height. Most of the path is paved, which makes it ideal for families with small children, prams or wheelchairs. The walk takes around an hour to an hour and a half.

To the Hinterer Gosausee

At the far end of the lake, around the middle of the 4.5 kilometers will find a swampy area with large boulders. If you go past this spot, you can go straight into the forest for an approximately 13.5 kilometer long walk to the Hinterer Gosausee. Along the way to Hinterer Gosausee you will  pass Gosaulacke. Along the way are a number of waterfalls, streams and rapids.

What else can you do in the area of Gosausee?

Rent a boat

Directly at the beginning of the Vorderer Gosausee is a small shop that also rents out pedal boats, row boats, SUP boards and electronic boats. We would have loved to rent a boat during our stay but the boat rental only opens from 1:00 PM and we were quite early in the morning at Gosausee and did not want to wait for hours.

Swim

You are allowed to swim in the Vorderer Gosausee, so bring your towel with you when the weather is warm and take a dip in the cold water. On the right side of the Gosausee is a kind of sunbathing lawn where many recreational people can be found when the weather is nice.

Diving

Gosausee is a popular spot for divers. Not surprising, since the lake is one of the clearest lakes in the region and divers can see many beautiful things, including boulders, tree trunks and fishes. We saw some groups of divers when we visited Gosausee that were really excited for their dive.

Klettersteigen

It is that I am terribly afraid of heights and climbing is just a step too far, but otherwise Maarten and I would certainly have ventured into this activity. To the left of the Vorderer Gosausee can you climb. The trail (Laserer alpin via ferrata) largely runs low along the water, crosses the hiking trail and takes you back to the starting point via a Seilbrücke at the top. You can reserve the materials at Gasthof Gosausee. If you have experience in climbing and are looking for an challenge is it also possible to climb on the Donnerkogel. Here you will defy the Ladder to Heaven, a 40 meter long ladder that is attached between two rocks. And not horizontally but at an angle of about 45 degrees!