Vernago: Reservoir, Tradition and Mountain Trails

Vernago between Living Tradition and Mountain Trails

Transhumance, meaning the driving of sheep to pasture, in the Schnalstal Valley is an old and still living tradition and is part of UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage. Every year, shepherds with three to four thousand sheep travel from the villages of Vernagt and Kurzras in the Schnalstal Valley over the Niederjoch and Hochjoch passes to the summer pastures near Vent in Austria’s Ötztal Valley. During the transhumance from the Ötztal Valley to the Schnalstal Valley and back, people and animals cover up to 44 kilometres in two days. For you, this makes a trip to Vernago an opportunity to gain an exceptional insight into an alpine tradition whose scale extends beyond individual hiking experiences.

Vernago Reservoir and Leiter Church

The construction of Vernago Reservoir flooded the Oberörl and Unterörl farms with their Nuihaus, Obergamp and Untergamp, Oberleit and Unterleit, the small Leiter Church and the Spechtenhaus. The Vernago dam was completed in 1964; it is 64 metres high and 480 metres long. When the reservoir reaches its lowest water level in late spring, the bell tower of the old Leiter Church may become visible.

Today’s Leiter Church was built in 1997 and preserves the artistic furnishings salvaged from the former church. This means the place offers you not only a landscape experience, but also concrete starting points for discoveries of interest to culture enthusiasts.

Family Experience by the Water

The Ötzi Rope Park is a high-ropes course for the whole family, located directly at the end of Vernago Reservoir.

Hiking Routes with Their Own Character

The Lagauntal, Taschenjöchl & Berglalm route starts in Vernagt and is moderately difficult. It has an ascent of 847 metres and an estimated duration of 4 hours and 13 minutes. You can take elevation gain, time required and difficulty into account in your personal planning.

The circular route around Vernago Reservoir focuses less on a single ascent and more on the lakeside landscape. It follows a natural trail directly along the shore. This makes it a distinct option for experiencing the lake at a more leisurely walking pace, without transferring the details of the moderately difficult mountain route to the circular trail.

The Vernagt–Vent archaeological hike (A2) leads from Vernagt to the Niederjoch, offers views as far as the Tisenjoch and crosses the border to Vent. Depending on your preferred combination of lakeshore, elevation gain, culture and family experience, you can view the various routes as different elements of your trip.

A Holiday Apartment in Vernago to Suit Your Planned Daily Itinerary

For arrival, the SAD intercity bus route No. 261 takes you to the Vernagt stop. There is a free, unattended car park directly at Vernago Lake. When choosing a holiday apartment in Vernago, you can take these two specific arrival options into account, as well as the focus of your stay: a tour to Berglalm, a natural trail along the shore, the archaeological hike to Vent or a visit to the Ötzi Rope Park.

You can combine cultural stories surrounding the reservoir and Leiter Church with active days while also comparing different requirements in terms of length, elevation gain and type of experience.

More Places for Planning Your Trip

For further orientation, you can also explore St.Johann, Anterselva di Sopra, Weitental, Colle di Fuori, Wipptal, Wahlen, Ridanna and Obereggen.

To the overarching travel overview: Bolzano.