Lichtsee

Lichtsee is a small mountain lake in the Austrian Alps, lying just north of the village of Obernberg am Brenner at an altitude of 2,100 metres. It sits in a sheltered hollow above the valley, surrounded by steep slopes and alpine meadows. The lake covers 3.93 hectares, making it one of the larger bodies of water at such a high elevation. Reaching it requires a walk of about an hour from the village along well-marked paths. No roads lead to the lake, preserving its quiet setting. The lake’s isolation helps maintain excellent water quality, graded as class A. Even in the hottest summers, the water rarely warms above 14 °C, keeping it refreshingly cool. Along its southern shore, patches of blueberries and cranberries grow among the grasses. Several species of trout live in the clear, cold water, though they are not easy to spot. Rain and melting snow provide all the lake’s water, with no streams feeding into it. Visitors find a peaceful, high-altitude lake framed by rugged peaks and open slopes. The shoreline is rocky in places, with patches of low vegetation where berries ripen in late summer. The water remains so clear that the lake bed is visible in shallow areas. The only sounds are the wind across the slopes and the occasional call of a bird. The walk to Lichtsee offers wide views over the surrounding valleys and distant ridges.