Lake District
The Salzkammergut has around 76 lakes, rivers and brooks that are ideal for swimming in and lying next to, as well as for participating in water sports such as sailing, surfing, boarding, water skiing and diving. There is something for everyone here. Those who like fishing in tranquil locations can find no better places than these brooks, rivers and lakes, all of which are filled with crystal-clear water of the highest-possible quality.
You can find excursions to nearby lakes here:
Attersee – the source of the soul
Attersee is a fantastic bathing lake whose water is of drinking-water quality. Surrounded by stunning landscape, it represents the perfect place in which to recharge your biological batteries!
Water sports enthusiasts will find optimal conditions - above and below water - at Austria's largest lake, which each year attracts visitors from all over the world. With a surface area of 46 km² and a depth of 172 m, Attersee is more than just a paradise for freshwater divers.
A constant wind - referred to by insiders as the "rose wind" - provides enough speed to keep surfers and sailors happy. Fun and action in and around the water can also be had parasailing, waterskiing, and tubing, to name just a few.
Whether sailing, surfing, waterskiing, parasailing, boating or canyoning on the water or underwater, Attersee has something for everyone.
Traunsee
The Romans were the first to be enchanted by Traunsee, calling it the "lacus felix", or happy lake. Here you can find art and culture, tradition and customs, countless sport and leisure opportunities, outstanding food, and time and space in which to relax and take things easy.
Apart from the landscape and numerous sporting activities, this region also includes 2 cable railways, interesting museums and historic buildings as well as attractive excursion destinations. It takes around 20 minutes to reach Traunsee from Bad Ischl by car.
Schwarzensee – small but select
This wildly romantic lake is ideal for hiking through pristine nature and savouring the silence that envelops it. The lake, situated on a plateau between Wolfgangsee and Attersee, covers an area of 48 ha and has a depth of 54 m. It is surrounded by woods and alps. Although the water quality is excellent, bathing opportunities are limited due to the unfavourable shape of large parts of its shores. It nevertheless remains an ideal place in which to relax, stroll around and breathe in some fresh alpine air.
Bad Ischl – Schwarzensee: approx. 15 minutes by car
Nussensee (604 m) – Kleiner Waldsee at the foot of the Katrin
Many drive to Nussensee due to the fact that it is clearly signposted on the highway. But you can also walk to this small romantic lake at the northern foot of the Katrin. The best walk is probably the one from Bad Ischl. This is a walk that visitors and can complete almost the whole year round regardless of the weather.
From Bad Ischl to Nussensee:
Walk along the Traun Esplanade, followed by Leopold-Hasner-Allee in a westerly direction to Kaltenbachstrasse. Cross this road to reach the small connecting path to the Miramonte residential complex. Once past this, turn right into Mastaliergasse. After walking 50m you will see on your left a long, fairly steep road. Walk uphill through the woods for around 20 minutes until you reach an important junction. Turn right here and walk across meadows, past farmhouses, and continue in a north-westerly direction until you reach a track that crosses your path (Elisabeth-Waldweg). Walk uphill along this trail, keeping to the left, until you reach the woods (approx. 660 m) on the Gawanzerstein. Once past the woods continue westwards and downwards to Nussensee, which has a private house standing next to it. Walk straight ahead on the road, then turn left and walk around the lake to reach the western shore. No bathing allowed in the lake (private property).
Return: Return the same way as you came.
Walk duration: 2 ¾ hours.
Highlights:
View over the Ischl valley during the walk. Once at Nussensee, an impressive view towards the rocky spurs of the Rettenkogel and Bergwerkskogel.
Grundlsee South Shore Trail – A charming walk from the Seeklause barrage to Gößl
Starting point: the barrage next to Norduferstraße in Grundlsee (parking spaces available for cars)
The long, partly steep and wooded southern shore of Grundlsee is ideal for hiking in the shadow of the impressive southern precipice of the Toten Gebirg. It is especially suited to hikers who appreciate constantly changing scenery more than the hiking itself. The tour is never boring and provides nature-lovers with a never-ending kaleidoscope of magical lakeside landscapes.
Begin the walk at Norduferstraße, and walk along the road for 1 km until you reach the western end of Grundlsee. Turn left here and cross the effluent to the path on the other side, past the houses in a south-easterly direction until you reach the junction. Turn left on to the tarmac road and walk upwards through the forest. Now walk in an easterly direction along the steep wooded lakeshore, then head down to the open-air swimming pool. Walk 250m along the road then turn right and go up to the wide asphalt road that crosses it. Cross the open meadows on the left past the houses of Mitterau until you reach the end of the road in Hinterau, ½ hour. Walk along the path on the wooded northern slope of the Ressen, then up and down along the partly rocky flank and finally upwards to a forest road. Follow this road through the forest in an easterly direction until you reach the spread-out settlement of Wienern, approx. 750 m. Walk through the village on the asphalt road and cross the forest and meadows in a leftwards loop until you reach the eastern end of the Grundlsee. Go north, past the swimming area, to Gößl with its landing point, bus stop and car park. Return to the Grundlsee barrage by bus or boat.
Walk duration: approx. 1 ¾ - 2 hours
Front and rear of Gosausee – Alpen-Goldaugen and the Dachstein
Starting point: Large car park at the front of Gosausee (940 m), 7km from Gosau
The end of the Gosau valley, and notably the area around the front of Gosausee, ranks among the most magnificent mountain regions in the eastern Alps. The way in which the glacier-covered Dachstein rises from the dark depths of the lake is a sight to behold, and is an example of the Salzkammergut at its most magnificent. The lake, which is located further into the valley in a monumental erosion hollow at the foot of the Dachstein, is primarily known for its wild mountainous surroundings.
From the car park to the rear Seealm: Walk along path no. 614 on the northern shore of the front of Gosausee to the end of the lake and a junction. Go straight ahead through the wood to the valley bottom around the front Seealm (974 m), also called the Holzmeisteralm, then walk past the Gosau pond (occasionally dried out), the Launigg waterfall and Brandsee until you reach a steep step. Go over the step and carry on until you reach the rear Gosausee, 1154 m. Carry on along the right shore (south shore) to the idyllically-positioned Seealm (ca. 1160 m; also called the Holzmeisteralm).
Returning to the car park at the front of Gosausee: Go back to the junction situated just before the front Gosausee. Turn left and climb up to the southern shore path, past the picturesque Seeklausalm, and back to the north-western end of the front Gosausee with its tavern and car park.
Duration: 3 ½ - 4 hours.
Highlights:
The view from the northern shore path of the front Gosausee towards the Dachstein – simply breathtaking! The water from the front Gosausee is used to generate electricity. As a result, water levels are extremely low in the spring and autumn.
