Gosausee lies at the end of the Gosau valley, in the Dachstein mountains of Upper Austria, in a bowl of limestone cliffs that rise nearly two thousand metres above the water. On a calm morning the lake is a mirror, and the great glacier on the Hoher Dachstein, the highest peak in the range at almost three thousand metres, is reflected upside down in the deep green water. It is one of the most photographed views in the Salzkammergut, and with good reason: the combination of dark forest, grey rock, white ice and blue sky is hard to beat. The lake lies at about nine hundred and thirty metres, and the air is cool and clear, even on hot days.
The valley beyond is a well-trodden path for walkers, with a circuit round the lake and a trail up to the Hintere Gosausee, a smaller, wilder lake, and to the Dachstein glacier. The Gosau valley has given its name to a type of geological formation, the Gosau Group, a layer of Cretaceous sediments full of fossils, which geologists around the world know. It is a place where history is written in the rock, and farmers have lived on the mountain meadows for centuries.
For riders, the road to the lake is a short, rewarding run. From the village of Gosau the road winds up the valley, with a few bends and a gentle gradient, passing farms and pasture, and ends at a car park beside the lake, where a fee is charged. It is part of a greater loop through the Salzkammergut, which crosses the Gschütt Pass, at about nine hundred and sixty metres, a smooth, easy road, and continues to Hallstatt, with its famous salt mine and the lakeside village of painted houses on the water. Summer weekends can be crowded, especially around Hallstatt, so aim for weekday mornings.
Gosau is small, with limited fuel, so fill up in a larger town such as Bad Goisern or Abtenau before the valley. The lakeside cafe serves simple food, and the mountain inns offer dumplings and strudel. The best months are June to October, with autumn light spectacular, and the lake sometimes freezes in winter.