Gosau: Between Raised Bog, Gosau Lakes and Mountain Trails

Gosau combines impressive mountain landscapes with special nature experiences, waterways and a vibrant history. The surrounding area offers green alpine meadows and views of the Dachstein Glacier and the Gosaukamm massif. This makes it possible to plan your holiday in many different ways: with a manageable loop around the lake, a guided hike through the raised bog, an excursion to an alpine pasture or a visit to the museum.

Lakes, Trails and Water Experiences

Lake Gosau lies at the end of the Gosau Valley in Upper Austria’s Salzkammergut, nestled between the Gosaukamm and the Dachstein. Vorderer Gosausee is a mountain lake with views of the Dachstein and close proximity to the Gosaukamm. The protected area also includes the Gosau Lakes to the west.

For a well-planned excursion, you can walk around Lake Gosau in approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. The trail is mostly level and is also suitable for strollers. Another option is the route from Vorderer Gosausee via Gosaulacke to Hinterer Gosausee, which takes about 1.5 hours. These two options offer different possibilities for planning your day, depending on whether you want to take a loop by the water or walk between the lakes.

At Lake Gosau, you can rent electric boats and stand-up paddleboards to explore the lake from the water. Vorderer Gosausee also has beach areas for bathing and swimming. The lake is also interesting for divers: it offers good diving conditions, and ice diving is possible in winter.

Discover the Raised Bog and Mountain World

A guided hike at the Löckenmoos raised bog near Gosau follows historic paths through the blanket bog. Along the way, the route passes a small bog lake, karst caves, rare plants and still-active whetstone quarries. It is precisely this combination of landscape and traces of earlier work that makes the excursion a special discovery.

The Gosaukamm cable car takes you from Lake Gosau to Zwieselalm in four minutes. There, well-marked trails suitable for strollers lead across lush alpine meadows and through green mountain forests. Those looking for a more demanding activity should plan the Donnerkogel via ferrata: it is suitable for experienced climbers and is not a beginner’s route.

Culture between Farmhouse and UNESCO Landscape

The Gosau Open-Air Museum includes the Schmiedbauer ensemble. It consists of a farmhouse dating from the transition between the 16th and 17th centuries, a stable and various outbuildings. The Gosau Local Heritage Museum has been part of the UNESCO Cultural Landscape “Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut” since 2002. A cultural excursion therefore complements the nature experiences around the lake, bog and alpine pasture.

Getting There and Choosing Accommodation

Gosau can also be included in your travel plans without having your own car. After arriving by train at “Steeg/Gosau”, you can continue by bus 542 towards Lake Gosau. Bus route 470 connects Abtenau with Gosau; bus route 542 also operates between Bad Ischl and Lake Gosau.

If you are looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Gosau, it is worth deciding what you want to focus on during your holiday. For walks with a stroller, the level trails at Lake Gosau and the stroller-friendly paths on Zwieselalm are the main options. Other days can be devoted to Löckenmoos, the Donnerkogel via ferrata, swimming or the museums. This way, you can choose your accommodation based on the pace of your holiday and the experiences you want to combine in Gosau.

You can also open Mittertal as another destination for your travel planning. Other destinations to compare are Sankt Konrad, Grünau Im Almtal, Altmünster am Traunsee, Obertraun, Sankt Wolfgang Im Salzkammergut, Gschwandt and Laakirchen.

To the higher-level travel overview: Gmunden.