This excursion destination was recommended to us by the Mayrhofen Tourist Information Office, where you can also get very useful maps and brochures free of charge. We cannot undertake our planned tours to the Schlegeisspeicher and hike to the Olpererhütte due to closed roads. The weather is so bad that the Ice Palace in Hintertux doesn’t make any sense, after all, we want to enjoy the view there too. So we want to dare the insider tip Stausee Zillergründl.
The way there:
We drive towards the reservoir and soon come across a toll booth. Once again they charge us € 8 for the journey. Quite a lot, we think. But there is no other way to get there. We soon notice, however, that the path itself is well worth seeing. The heavy rain showers of the last few days have formed numerous waterfalls along the valley … but we also pass a large rockfall that has cut a furrow through the forest and fields. Construction workers are currently in the process of dismantling it in order to be able to transport it away.
The public road ends at the Bärenbad at 1,450 m above sea level. From there there is a bus to the reservoir every half an hour. From here the trip costs 2.6 € (you could also travel directly from Mayrhofen for a correspondingly higher amount). The bus takes another 3.7km to the lake. We are lucky because it turns around the corner when we arrive.
The reservoir:
One of the five reservoirs in the Zillertal, the Zillergründl reservoir, is located at 1,850 m above sea level. The view from here is breathtaking … said the woman in the information center. We don’t see anything. When we arrive, we can hardly see any water against the fog and clouds, and we cannot even see the end of the dam. We are very disappointed and almost want to take the next bus back because the weather forecast also isn’t encouraging. More rain is announced. However, we ask the bus driver for his opinion, who appeals to us and says that the weather situation can change up here at any time. Since we have no other plans, we decide to walk along the long side of the reservoir. First you go through a tunnel through the mountain, a really unique experience.
The stroller can be pushed relatively easily, even if it is a little uphill. When we come out on the other side after a few minutes, the fog is already clearing a little. Since it is not raining, we decide to go to the end of the reservoir. Again and again it goes up and down undulating on well graveled sidewalks. Even if it is sometimes strenuous, the path can be mastered well even with a stroller. The view is getting better and better and we are overjoyed that we did the hike.
It takes about 1 hour to get to the end of the lake, but we have made a few photo stops. The view is beautiful, you keep passing waterfalls that you can admire up close or even on the opposite side of the lake. At the end of the lake we turn around again and go back the same way. If you want, you can also go to the Plauener Hütte at 2,364 m above sea level.
There are also a few other hiking routes that cannot be done with a stroller. But it doesn’t matter, as the weather is getting better and better and the view is getting more and more impressive. Now you can finally see the entire dam wall. Shortly after noon we come back to the starting point. The restaurant “Einkehr zum Adler Blick” is also located here.
Restaurant “Einkehr zum Adler Blick”
When the weather is nice, you have a wonderful view of the reservoir from here, as it was built a little higher on the rock. Since it is still inconsistent, there are hardly any visitors in the restaurant. We find it extremely comfortably furnished and the view does the rest (although it is already closing again).
We order a fried potato soup and a Graukassuppe (Grey Cheese Soup). Never heard of it, but it tastes fantastic, comes highly recommended. As we will hear later, it is a Zillertal specialty.
For the main course we take homemade Tyrolean-style Schlutzkrapfen (a kind of donut). The waiter recommends them because they are homemade by his mother. That’s exactly how they taste, just fantastic. The Kaiserschmarren with applesauce is in no way inferior. The portion is also huge.
At 1:50 p.m. we take the bus back to our parking lot after the barrier (the first bus station)
Another tour, which is only recommended for experienced hikers, leads to the 2,690 meter high Rambachköpfl. In principle, all hikes around the lake should offer a fantastic view. In winter you can even climb the Reichenspitze on skis from the Zillergrund.
