The lake
Still water among pines.
Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Don-vip — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ferran Llorens — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ferran Llorens — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ferran Llorens — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ferran Llorens — CC BY-SA 2.0
Engolasters Lake is a glacial lake among pine woods on a mountainside above the Andorra valley. Calm water mirrors the mountains and sky; it is about 17 m deep and sometimes freezes in winter into a white sheet between the trees. The lake lies in Encamp parish, a hanging lake on the valley side above Andorra la Vella. Folk explanation says its name means the one that swallows the stars, though linguists trace it to a different Latin root. Nearby stands the Romanesque church of Sant Miquel d'Engolasters, its tall stone tower beside the road, one of Andorra's best-known images. You walk an easy path around the lake among pines with twisted roots, seeing the water from every side. Then you pass Sant Miquel church and its tower with tiers of windows, mountains behind. Summer brings pleasant shade and winter brings snow. The lake is 4 km in a straight line east of Andorra la Vella, and the church 1 km from it. It is open and free. The church interior may be closed, so view it from outside. The road is winding.
Still water among pines.
Stone and window tiers.
An easy loop.
Above Escaldes-Engordany, Encamp parish, on the mountain road
Yes, it suits families.
It may be closed; view it outside.
