Oberlech to the Butzensee

Nestled between Mohnenfluh, Braunarlspitze, and Zuger Hochlicht lies a picturesque high mountain lake. The circular hike to the sometimes emerald green, sometimes steel blue Butzensee leads you through the picture-book landscape of the Lechtal Alps – over rolling alpine pastures, past rugged peaks, and around the impressive gypsum sinkholes. While you gain about 700 meters of altitude on this tour, sure-footedness and stamina are required.

After just a few steps from your starting point, the mountain station of the Oberlech cable car, it becomes quieter. The village is left behind and your gaze wanders over the gentle hills of the high plateau. Past Skyspace-Lech, you climb up to the Obere Gaisbühelalpe – grasses sway in the wind, marmots whistle in the distance, and the jagged peaks of the Mohnenfluh rise up before you.

After a short, steep ascent, you finally reach the Mohnensattel, the highest point of the tour. It gets breezy here, wind blows in your face as you enjoy the mountain panorama. After a steep descent, you finally reach the Butzensee, glittering in the sun. The silence up here invites you to pause. After a short rest, you descend on narrow grassy paths on the south side of the Zuger Hochlicht towards the gypsum sinkholes, where over a thousand rain-formed dolines form a bizarre lunar landscape.

From there, a relaxed descent leads back to Oberlech, where the cable car, a café terrace, and a steaming portion of Kaiserschmarrn await you. The bus or cable car will take you comfortably back to Oberlech and later back down into the valley.