Lake Weißensee - double longitudinal crossing

Level of difficulty 5 |  Gastronomy 2 |  Length 23 km |  Time 5 - 6 hours

---

The highest bathing lake in the Alps is not only delightful because of its unique water quality. The play of colors on and around the lake is reminiscent of postcards from the South Seas. The seclusion here is incomparable and also extremely relaxing.

General information

• Carinthia Card
• Weißensee PremiumCard
• Carinthia tourist information
• Weißensee Wikipedia
• Weißensee tourist information
• Climate
• Wind, waves, weather

Navigation rules

There is ample boat and ship traffic on the entire lake during summer. Therefore, it is important for us paddlers to keep our distance and give way. You should also keep your distance from the small villages along the shore so as not to disturb the bathers.

In addition, since 2006 the lake and its surroundings have been a nature park. A careful and respectful treatment of nature is therefore also demanded of us paddlers.

Dangers and risks

The mirror-smooth lake can be whipped up very quickly by the wind, especially in its middle or towards the west. In addition, you should always keep an eye on swimmers and shipping traffic. Keep a distance of 30 to 50 meters between yourself and ships. 

Directions

Coming from Villach on the highway A10 Tauernautobahn you take the Paternion exit. From there, follow the road for 23 km and the signs to Weißensee Ostufer.

Getting to the parking lot in Mösern by public transport is rather inconvenient. The nearest train station is in Greifenburg, 6 km west of the lake, and there don't seem to be any buses going directly to the lake. Connenctions to Greifenburg are easy to find, but then you should start the tour on the western shore.

There is no road network around the lake due to the forest areas. In principle, only the east and west banks are connected to the regional road network and in order to get to the other side you have to drive around the lake and its forested surrounding area. So if you want to start in Mösern on the east bank, as described below, you will usually only be able to get there by car.

Parking

At the end of the only access road to the east bank there is a spacious parking lot including toilet facilities.

Swimming

Lake Weißensee, which is up to 99 meters deep, is good for water temperatures up to 24° C. Even in September, temperatures of up to 22° C are possible. The bathing hotspot is mainly the western basin and the villages of Techendorf, Weißensee and Neusach. But there is also a beautiful and free lawn on the eastern shore near the parking lot. Furhtermore will you find countless romantic lake access points along the circular hiking trail, which are perfect for a refreshment break.

Strandbad Stockenboi/Weissensee
Mösel 11, 9714 Stockenboi
Phone +43 (0)4761 258

Strandbad Knaller
Techendorf 61, 9762 Techendorf
Phone +43 (0)4713 2234-50

Worth seeing

During the so-called Culinary Tour you take a raft across the lake from Neusach, learn a lot about the animal world during the habitat inspection and will be served local fish specialties on the way back.

Anyone who would like to watch a fisheries biologist at work can watch Martin Müller collecting the crayfish population and thus support and promote water protection on site.

In the historical Greifenburg Castle not only is it possible to get married, the regular concerts and dinners are also highly recommended.

If you're ever in the vicinity, it pays to pay a short visit to the small town of Hermagor, for example to visit the Gailtal Local History Museum.

Extra Tips

If you want to convince yourself of the extent of the lake in advance, take a tour on one of the passenger ships .

Possibly the purest bathing lake in the Alps is also a real diving paradise. Even though you see pretty deep down standing on your SUP, a dive in the clear water makes for a completely new experience. 

The Weißensee Mountain Railway takes its guests to almost 1320 m above sea level in twelve minutes. From there you have a wonderful all-round view and can enjoy great mountain bike trails and hiking routes.

The weekly market takes place from June to September, every Thursday from 9 am to noon. 

The Weissensee Classic Festival marks the end of the main season every September and is a small but fine highlight of the Carinthian culture. 

Tour

From the east bank across the lake to the west bank and back again.

Length

23 km

Time

5 - 6 hours

Start and landing

At the bathing lawn in Mösel.

SUP rental

Das Bootshaus (The Boat House)
Neusach 30, 9762 Weißensee
Phone +43 (0)4713 2114

Waterpoint Weissensee Aktiv
At the bridge in Techendorf
Phone +43 (0)660 1491544

Diving Weissensee
in the lido Strandbad Stockenboi
Mösel 11, 9714 Stockenboi 
Phone +43 (0)676 6517178

Overnight Stay

Apartments and Camping Knaller-Möd 
Techendorf 16, 9762 Weissensee
Phone +43 (0)4713 2234-22

Hotel Nagglerhof am Weissensee 
Naggl 2, 9762 Weissensee
Phone +43 (0)4713 2106

Landhaus Vogel 
Oberdorf 64, 9762 Weissensee
Phone +43 (0)4713 2501

Der Ronacherfels
Neusach 40, 9762 Weissensee
Phone +43 (0)4713 2172

Gastronomy

Das Löwenzahn
Neusach 46, 9762 Weissensee
Phone +43 (0)4713 93080

Restaurant die Forelle
Techendorf 80, 9762 Weissensee
Phone +43 (0)4713 2356

Café Ronacherfels
Neusach 40, 9762 Weissensee
Phone +43 (0)4713 2172 

Maldives feeling in Carinthia

In many respects, Lake Weißensee is one of a kind. It lies at an altitude of 930 m, making it the highest of the large Carinthian lakes, and stretches for almost 12 km. The natural lake is particularly impressive due to its remoteness, as most of the shoreline can only be reached on foot or by water.

In combination with the microorganisms in it, the water creates a colorful spectacle ranging from emerald green to turquoise, reminiscent of the Maldives or distant South Sea destinations. The lake is fed by its two tributaries and underground springs, with the Weißenbach draining the lake towards the river Drava on the east bank.

The circumnavigation or double-crossing of the lake (distance the same) is already a marathon route for hardened paddlers, and every meter pays off. The weather forecast for this morning was optimal – with sunshine and clear visibility. From noon, thunderstorms would slowly rise over Upper Carinthia and blow to the east. That's why I get up early to be on the cool lake by eight in the morning. 

The journey from Villach takes about 40 minutes, leads through a beautiful valley landscape and ends in Mösel on the eastern shore of the lake. The free parking lot is still completely empty, the air is pleasantly cool and the lawn by the water is deserted. On nice days, you should definitely try to be here before 10 am if you don't want to be circling around in your car looking for a parking space.

There is a nice meadow right on the shore, which will be densely populated with bathers in a few hours. Here you can calmly prepare for the upcoming SUP marathon before entering the water and paddling right towards the north shore. The low water level forms a light turquoise band spreading up to 130 m wide into the lake.

The first swimmers coming from the campsite Ronacher and from the public bath Weißensee activate themselves for the day ahead in the surprisingly warm water. I do that too, by first going leisurely towards the floating loungers on the north bank of the lake.

Since the lake curves slightly to the right, I can't even see Techendorf in the west from here. This place is an important signpost on this tour because the only bridge across the lake runs there and this will be a good indicator of my paddling progress. The distant view is awesome today, and only a few paddlers are out and about.

The lake is as smooth as glass and the water is transparent right down to the bottom. Here you can see not only fish (lake trout, carp, pike, perch, tench, whitefish, zander, rudd) swimming around, but also a lot of old trees and tree trunks lying on the ground. In 1974, a lake trout weighing an incredible 22 kg was caught here. The water view can definitely compete with the distance view. You have to take advantage of such smooth, even resistance-free water, so I focus my morning energy and find an optimal and brisk paddling rhythm. This water tempts me to dream and gives me the feeling that I can stay well below the target time today.

I paddle the first four kilometers along the northern shore with absolutely no wind and pass the so-called small stone wall and the wooden viewing platform. Both are located by the circular hiking trail above a rocky outcrop. To the left in front of me there is a small sandbank on the south bank, and I can see the bridge of Techendorf about 5 km in front of me. So I have just come around the long right-hand bend of the lake and notice how the wind increases slightly and causes the water to swell a bit. No problem, but it's a shame about the smooth surface, which gave me great gliding conditions.

However, the light breeze becomes a breeze and the water becomes a little more choppy, so I have to pull harder on the shaft to keep my pace until getting to the village of Neusach. But the headwind also has an advantage: when looking at the waves splashing towards me, I get the feeling of traveling faster than I actually do. This effect is motivating, even though you know it's just your imagination. Nevertheless, such an illusion is not insignificant on such a kilometer-long straight stretch.

This first test of strength against the wind ends about a kilometer before the now clearly visible bridge, and I glide into still water again while enjoying the green meadows on both sides as well as the wide view over the hilly landscape. Lake Weißensee wakes up and fishermen, paddlers, swimmers and ferries make their way to and into the water.

After almost two hours of loneliness, I am finally back in civilization and watch the hustle and bustle in the tourist west of the lake. In the villages of Neusach, Techendorf, Gatschach and Oberdorf there are a lot of accommodations, private lake properties and restaurants - in contrast to the hardly developed east of the lake.

The bridge in Techendorf offers a ship landing stage and is very popular as a vantage point. I paddle under it and into the western basin of the lake, because it is still almost one and a half kilometers to the complete longitudinal crossing. On many occasions I only paddle over one meter high water and the underwater world can be seen clearly and unblurred.

The goal of the first stage is the bathing beach of campsite Seecamping Müller in Oberdorf. There I settle down, visibly relieved, and enjoy my break in the water. By now it is time to eat solid food, because the intake of carbohydrates and protein is crucial for performance during such long paddling sessions.

Halfway recovered, but already too mentally accustomed to the passivity of the break, I get back on the board after about 20 minutes and make my way back. By now, the place is teeming with kayakers, stand-up paddlers and bathers - no comparison to the peace and quiet of the morning. At the bridge, the MS Alpenperle prepares to set off, while the youngsters have fun on their SUPs.

The break lethargy is over and I am back out on the open lake, which will offer me another 10 km of SUP fun. Again there is a light breeze and unfortunately the headwind from earlier didn't turn into a tailwind. Step by step I grind over the emerald green water, and the further I get away from Techendorf, the fewer paddlers I see. The wind is already sapping my strength when I hear the Alpenperle behind me, which is about to pass. But I use this as a boost of motivation to keep the ship behind me for as long as possible and to work my way forward with strong paddle strokes. 

The midday sun is pleasant but not excessively hot, and the occasional look back confirms the correctness of the weather report. The clouds are slowly moving from the state of East Tyrol towards the western basin of the lake, and it won't stay that pleasantly sunny forever. Ideally, the wind and the waves stop again as soon as I complete the left turn after the Ronacherfels rock and I have a view of the east bank again. I am in flat waters again.

At the countless small bays and natural bathing spots, rows of paddlers are bustling about again. Next to the wooden viewing platform on the north shore, children and their parents jump from the makeshift rope swing into the almost poisonous green water. Time for another banana and drinking break so I can finish the last three kilometers just as fast as the first 20 kilometers of this tour. 

The clouds are quickly coming over the lake, but upon arriving in Mösern there is still enough time for a refreshing swim. The access to the water and the sunbathing area are now full of bathers, and I carefully navigate my SUPs to the gravel beach. Perhaps the first double longitudinal crossing of this lake ever (who knows?) is now over with. I'm exhausted, but quietly enjoy this triumph over myself and my initial doubts.

Being one with the board, the paddle and the water. That's what drives us paddlers again and again and why we keep looking for new adventures as soon as the sore muscles have subsided. 

Alternative: if the double longitudinal crossing is too much, you can of course only paddle in one direction and take the ship back to the start.

Find similar SUP tours on Carinthian waters in the SUP Guide Carinthia (available in German only).