Short info:
- Where is the Green Lake? The Green Lake is a karst lake in Styria in the municipality of Tragöß-Sankt Katharein in the district of Oberort.
- What can you experience here? Walk and enjoy the view.
- How much does entry cost? No entrance fee for the lake. The day ticket for the parking lot costs 6€
- Can you swim in the Green Lake? No, it is a nature reserve.
- When is the Green Lake most beautiful? From May to late summer. When the water level is high, you can discover submerged hiking trails, wooden bridges and benches.
- How long to walk around the lake? This is extremely dependent on the season, as the water level and thus the path changes. But reckon with about 1 hour.
How to get to the Green Lake?
You cannot drive straight to the lake. There is a large parking lot in front of the lake, but you have to walk the last 20-30 minutes. The day ticket for parking costs 6€, if you don’t have enough coins, you will also find an exchange machine there. In spring and summer the car park can fill up very quickly!
Attention: there are 2 ways to get to the lake. From the car park, a path leads to the right through the forest to the back of the lake (walking time approx. 30 minutes). If you continue on the paved road, you will come to the front part (walking time approx. 20 minutes)
The Green Lake General
The lake gently fills with very clear water as the snow melts on the surrounding mountain slopes. The water is therefore cold (5 to 6 °C) and the water level depends heavily on the season. When we visit it in October, it’s not even 3 meters at its deepest point. In early summer, it can quickly become 10 meters deep. Meadows with hiking trails and benches are then again above the water level.
Why is the lake green?
Pure water absorbs red light components and therefore appears blue-greenish in thick layers. Finely ground rock suspended in the water primarily reflects the blue-green components of the light. The lake is perceived as “shimmering emerald green”. It lacks its own dark muddy subsoil in large areas of permanent lakes. The extraordinarily high visibility in the water is up to 50 meters.
Why is the lake so famous?
On October 25, 2014, viewers and a jury voted the Green Lake the most beautiful hidden place in Austria on the Austria-wide ORF TV show 9 places – 9 treasures. In addition, there were always photos of the sunken park bench in social media. Since then, the lake has attracted an international rush of tourists.
As a result, on October 8, 2015, the Tragöß Tourist Association announced a diving ban and a ban on any other use (swimming, boating, etc.). This is justified with the negative effect of the whirling up of sediment by water sports and diving activities. The ban has been in effect since January 1, 2016