Gosau Valley is an idyllic place surrounded by the Austrian Alps. The closest big city to Gosau Valley is Salzburg (1h drive). Before arriving to the uppermost part of the valley, the road leads you through wide Alpine meadows, grazing pastures and villages with clusters of houses scattered along the hills. At the head of the ~7mi / 11km long valley there is Gosaukamm, a jagged mountain ridge which is a part of the Dachstein massif. The mountains (including the Dachstein glacier) are reflected in the clear green water of the 3 lakes from the area. The lakes are known as Gosauseen. The largest lake is Vorderer Gosausee, the middle is Gosaulacke and the most remote is Hinterer Gosausee.
The area offers a wide range of activities, but the most popular in summertime is mountaineering. This was the reason why we decided to re-visit that region for the fifth time.
Click on the small arrow from the map (top left corner) to expand the map legend and visualize all the attractions mentioned in this article.
LOCATION
Gosau Valley, Seeklausalm, Upper Austria;
DURATION & MONTH
One weekend in June, 2019;
Previous day | DAY 1 | DAY 2
ACCOMMODATION
Camping Temel, Altaussee, Styria;
Previous day
- arriving in Austria (from Amsterdam);
- we camped at Temel, Altaussee;
Camping Temel
⚠️Prices: 9€/person + 2€/car + 3€/tent (prices are per day).
? Official website: camping-altaussee.com.
✅very quiet place;
✅beautiful landscape; the campground is surrounded by mountains and vast meadows; close vicinity to Altaussee lake;
✅flush toilets; free showers; very clean;
❌dogs are not allowed;
❌no natural shade;
Check out this article for more photos from Temel Camping.
DAY 1
- via ferrata – Laserer Alpin Klettersteig
The Laserer Alpine via ferrata is one of the most impressive in the region. You climb above Vorderer Gosausee lake in whose water is reflected the breathtaking Dachstein glacier.
?Difficulty: C (moderate).
?Total distance: 2.4km / 1.5mi.
?Duration: 1.5h.
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- Laserer Alpin Klettersteig map
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- Laserer Alpin Klettersteig
We ate at:
- Gasthof Gosausee Restaurant enjoying a panoramic view to lake Gosausee and the Dachstein mountain range;
DAY 2
- hike to Gosauseen (lakes Vorderer Gosausee, Gosaulacke and Hinterer Gosausee)
Vorderer Gosausee
The lake offers many outdoor activities like walking, hiking, climbing, diving.
Gosaulacke
Located 15-minute away on foot from Vorderer Gosausee, Gosaulacke is the middle lake and the one that has shallow water coming from the thawing snow. Sometimes it gets dry.
Hinterer Gosausee (Holzmeister Alm hut)
It is the most remote lake from all three (5.4km/3.3mi away from Vorderer Gosausee) and the place from where starts the hike to Hoher Dachstein, 2995m/9826ft (via Adamekhütte).
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