Lake Misurina

Level of difficulty 1 |  Gastronomy 1 |  Length 2.4  Time 30 – 40 minutes

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An abandoned hotel and insurmountable rock massifs in the background, that's what stand-up paddlers glance at around the tourist hotspot of Lake Misurina. At 1800 m above sea level, you certainly are a rare breed when paddling on alpine waters.

General information

• Dolomites Guest Cards
• South Tyrol Guest Pass
• Lake Misurina tourist information
• Lake Misurina Wikipedia
• Tour Video
• Climate
• Wind, waves, weather

Navigation rules

The lake is located in the middle of a Natura 2000 area and its surroundings offer breeding and nesting sites for many, sometimes rare, water birds. The wetlands in the north of the lake are particularly sensitive biotopes. Paddlers are therefore required not to make noise, not to leave any rubbish behind and to enter the reed landscape in the north with respect. Bathers at the lake have priority.

Dangers and risks

In some places the bank is made of brick and raised about half a meter, so getting in can be difficult. This applies to the south and west banks of the lake. However, there are plenty of other easy access points to the water.

On nice days there can be quite a lot of pedal boats and rowing boats on the lake. In this case, you should give way as a stand up paddler.

There are sometimes fishermen on the bank, so bypass them early enough!

Directions

The best way to reach Lake Misurina is by car, like many other SUP spots in the Dolomites. Due to the northern Italian topography, access is only possible from the north and south.

From the town of Toblach (Italian: Dobbiaco) in the north, take the SS51 through the Valle di Landro Valley. Turn left one kilometer after Lake Landro, taking the SS48 to Lake Misurina. You reach Lake Misurina about 6.5 km after the junction.

Or you can get to the lake from the south, for example from the famous ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Bus line 445 takes you from the north (Toblach) directly to Lake Misurina. The bus stop is at the campsite north of the lake (600 m from the lake).

Apparently there are also buses from Cortina d’Ampezzo to Lake Misurina. However, we cannot confirm this yet. If anyone knows more, please let us know! The local bus companies are Cortina Express and Dolomiti Bus.

National and international bus, train and flight connections can be found via the comparison portals Omio, Busbud as well as RailEurope. Those arriving by plane have several options, as the nearest airports are in Venice, Treviso, Bolzano and Innsbruck.

Parking

Except for the eastern shore, there are paid parking spaces all along the lake (2€/hour - as of 2024). However, it is a real nightmare during the day, so in summer it is best to go paddling early in the morning before 9 am or in the evening after 6 pm. It should also be noted that the parking lots are quite narrow when they are full, which makes turning and parking difficult, especially with larger vehicles.

It is quite tempting to park on the left side of the road at the beginning of Via Monte Piana, which leads up to the Three Peaks. The verge is wide and, surprisingly, there may be one or two vacant parking spaces, where otherwise everything is full. But this is definitely a trap, because the police hand out parking tickets here, at least in summer, which many people apparently do not know.

Swimming

For a mountain lake, Lake Misruina has pleasantly warm water in the summer (around 20°C). Even though the region around the lake is teeming with crowds, not many people swim in the lake, even though you can easily get into the water from all sides.

In addition to Lake Misurina, Lake Landro and Lake Dobbiaco also offer refreshing bathing fun in the surrounding area.

Furthermore, the Acquafun Experience Pool in Innichen (San Candido) offers bathing options for the cold season.

From the north bank, paddle along the bank until you reach the starting point again.

Length

2.4 km

Time

30 – 40 minutes

Start and landing

On the north bank between the parking lot and the pizzeria.

SUP rental

None

Mystical view at the film location

After the disappointment that you are not allowed to go out on the water with private boats on the beautiful Lake Dobbiaco, I drive to the next large lake in the region with mixed feelings. Lake Misurina also has boat rental stations and I fear that they too do not want their monopoly position to be undermined by paddlers.

But first I enjoy the approach between the imposing rock giants and keep an eagle eye on the road, because the traffic in this holiday region is sometimes borderline. On the way, a short stretch goes from South Tyrol to Veneto and past Lake Landro, which is very small but can still offer an interesting SUP experience.

Even before I reach Lake Misurina, I admit to myself that it will be difficult to find a parking space. The shoulder of the Strada Provinciale 49 di Misurina is already hopelessly full of parked cars one kilometer north of the lake and when I arrive at the Misurina plateau, I struggle through all the car parks until I finally find one lot on the north bank.

However, like so many others, I park semi-legally on the side of the road and dutifully feed the parking meter. The parking situation is not surprising, however, when you know that the lake and its surroundings were an important filming location for the Italian television series Un passo dal cielo (aka One Step From Heaven), in which the eternally young Terence Hill still brings his youthful charm to the fore at the age of 70+.

I can already feel the charm of this lake when I get out of the car. My first duty is to go down to the rowing boat rental by the water. After asking, the guy there confirmes that you can also paddle here with a SUP. I needed this nod to enjoy a paddle trip in the Dolomites today.

I pump up my SUP right on the waterfront and look expectantly over the lake, which is 1,780 m above sea level. 600 m in front of me stands the former Grand Hotel & Savoia, which was called the Grand Hotel delle Alpi e Misurina after the First World War and was a children's sanatorium for lung diseases from the 1970s onwards. The Istituto Pio XII was unique in Europe and very popular due to its great work for children's health, as can be seen from the last social media posts before its closure at the end of 2022.

Unfortunately, today only the facade remains, and it was only when I was looking for a parking space over there that I noticed that this old building was empty. The longer I stare at the scenery in front of me, the more obvious this feeling of déjà vu becomes. I have seen such a large, empty hotel before. Of course, the famous Stanley Hotel from the horror classic The Shining looks somewhat similar to this former hotel and health center in the Dolomites.

An imposing old hotel, empty, if not lifeless, in front of an inhospitable mountain backdrop. Even though there is a lot going on around and on Lake Misurina, this empty building exudes something strange, maybe even creepy, if you don't know more about its history. Who knows, maybe it will soon become a hotel again?

I shake off all these thoughts and start paddling to the left, past the Locanda Al Lago and in the direction of the northern reed belt. The promenade is full of hikers and walkers. SUPs are probably not often seen on this lake, so my presence seems to make a few heads turn towards the water. Meanwhile, I make a few turns and enjoy myself along the waterways in the northern reed belt. The bottom is only a few decimetres below my board, but luckily the fin doesn't get stuck.

At its deepest point, Lake Misurina is only about five meters deep, and you can see that clearly in many areas. The water is so clean that I dicern all sorts of aquatic plants growing from the bottom to the water surface. I can't say what plants float to the surface, but the stuff isn't particularly tasty, as I can attest after a few taste tests.

The eastern shore is completely wooded right up to the water, with only the footpath peeking through between the trees and bushes. In some places people lie comfortably by the lake between old tree trunks and on soft grass. Away from the parking lots, the atmosphere is very relaxed.

Small bays invite you to stop for a moment and admire the mighty vertical rocks of Monte Popena to the west. Although the lake is surrounded by steep mountains, you don't feel overwhelmed by them. To the south, towards the shining-like former hotel, the wide view unfolds freely and inevitably meets the massive Sorapiss Mountains.

The south bank also has a pedal boat rental, which is why I keep my distance here and let my gaze wander over the small reed island in the lake. Lots of people are enjoying the sun on the meadow, but no one seems to be daring to go into the pleasant water today. Hotels and restaurants are lined up on the west bank, so you could simply moor your SUP on the bank and go across the street for a drink.

Instead, I exercise restraint and paddle leisurely back to my car. I keep looking in all directions and taking in the mighty mountains around me. What a change to paddle in the middle of the Dolomites instead of by the sea or a normal bathing lake.

Now I understand why the lake is considered a real gem in the region, because not only does the clear water shine, the surrounding mountains round off the whole experience. Paddlers can enjoy a natural spectacle of a special kind with a little touch of mystery at the venue of the speed skating competitions of the 1956 Winter Olympics. No wonder that TV series are filmed in this region.