The Dachstein
Behind the lake.
Dimitry Anikin — CC0 · Dimitry Anikin — CC0 · Michael Burgholzer — CC BY-SA 4.0 · AtterseeMM — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Michael Burgholzer — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Gosausee, or Vorderer Gosausee, is the largest of the three Gosau lakes in the Alpine southwest of Upper Austria, near the town of Gosau, about 11 km west of Hallstatt and 46 km southeast of Salzburg in a straight line. The Dachstein mountains encircle the lakes; their glaciers partly shaped the landscape and still influence the area's water. The front lake is the easiest to reach and has a cable car at its end, and two smaller lakes, the Gosaulacke and the Hinterer Gosausee, lie further up the valley. The clear, emerald-green water lies between towering rock walls with fir-covered slopes, and at the far end the white peaks and glaciers of the Dachstein rise, all mirrored on the still surface in the morning. The trees turn colour in autumn, and in winter the lake freezes under snow. Visitors walk the easy, family-friendly path around the lake, and some continue on foot to the two upper lakes in the valley. Others take the cable car for a higher view, and early morning on a clear day gives the best reflections.
Behind the lake.
In the morning.
On foot up the valley.
Gosau, Upper Austria, Austria
Yes, from Hallstatt or Salzburg.
A clear morning from spring to autumn.