Jägersee

The Jägersee lies high in the Radstädter Tauern, a tame lake formed by a dam built at least in the 17th century across natural moraine thresholds. It sits at 1 099 m above sea level in the head of the Kleinarler valley, part of the municipality of Kleinarl. The dam was raised by material from the left-side Maureck and Rossfeld gullies and the right-side Jäger gully, and the Kleinarlbach stream keeps the basin supplied with fresh water. The hunting lodge beside the water, once called the Eil, was raised in 1718 by the Salzburg archbishops and has belonged to the Nesselrode family since the 20th century. They still run the hunting and fishing rights on the lake today. Because the lake lies inside a landscape-protection area, motorists and walkers alike reach it easily, either by road or by the smooth foot-and-cycle path that starts in Kleinarl a few kilometres down-valley. A wide, pram-friendly path circles the water, where visitors can sit on the lakeside terrace or rent a rowing boat. In summer families follow the two-lake trail up to the larger Tappenkarsee in about three hours. In winter a prepared ski trail from Wagrain ends at the lake, and the lakeside loop remains open for snowshoers. The water is stocked with Arctic char from the upper lake, and the outflow powers a small hydro plant built in 1979.