We start our circular walk at the southern edge of the village of Vernago al Lago (1,700 m a.s.l.) at the dam wall, which we follow (signpost “Seerundweg). It is 65 m high and was built in the 50s of the 20th century, when the reservoir was created. The path continues through the forest without any considerable ascents, again and again we enjoy nice views on the lake and the village of Vernago. At the western end of the lake we pass a high rope course. Now we walk along the shore of Lake Vernago and reach a suspension bridge and a viewpoint from where we can admire the mountains of the Val Senales valley.

While the Seerundweg path would take about 2 hours, we now decide to extend our hike via the farms above the reservoir. On the path 8A we walk up to the Finailhof farm. Situated at 1,973 m a.s.l., grain was cultivated here until 1967, so the farm is considered the highest grain farm in all of Europe. We enjoy our lunch in the beautifully panelled parlour. Then we continue to the Raffeinhof farm and down to the Tisenhof farm and finally back to Vernago al Lago, where we finish our three and a half hour hike.

Please note: From Lake Vernago it takes 3.5 hours to reach the Similaun Mountain Hut at 3,019 m a.s.l. and from there further to the site, where Ötzi the Iceman was found near the Passo di Tisa (Hauslabjoch) at 3,200 m a.s.l.

Author: AD