Route: Wildmoos from Mösern
Area: Austria, Tyrol
Date of walk: 22nd June 2025
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 6.2 miles
Ascent: 1,300 feet
Weather: Sunny and hot (30c)
On the first day of our walking holiday in the Austrian Tyrol we awoke to blue skies and sunshine. The forecast was for very hot weather so we planned a circular walk that would provide some shade, taking us through woodland paths around the village of Mösern. From our base at the Inntaler Hof Hotel in Mösern we followed a quiet lane and then a path uphill to nearby Möserer See, a natural lake in an idyllic setting. The lake is popular with swimmers as its waters heat up to 25c. We made a quick visit to the lake but would walk around some of its shores later, so continued along a lovely woodland path lined with wildflowers, with occasional views of the surrounding peaks
At a junction which is the highest part of the Wildmoos plateau at 4,900 feet we had the opportunity for a there and back detour to the viewpoint of Brunschkopf. We ignored the detour as we planned to visit the viewpoint later in the week. We started a long descent down a path which was sometimes quite rough and steep, though there were never any difficulties
Eventually we arrived at Wildmoossee, which is an ‘aperiodic’ lake, a natural phenomenon by which the waters only appear for a short time, regardless of snowmelt or rain, and then suddenly disappear. It is thought that the cause is the interaction of water levels in underground karst systems, but the exact reason the the appearance and disappearance remains a mystery. A wide track took us past another such lake, Lottensee, where refreshments are available at the Lottenseehütte in Wildmoos. We didn’t stop, and carried through the woods back to Möserer See following an easy wide track for most of the way. We walked round a short section of the lakeshore before meeting up with our original path out of Mösern and from here we retraced our steps back to the start. The walk didn’t take as long as we expected and we still had time for another shorter walk from Mösern to Seefeld in the afternoon
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View from the Inntaler Hof Hotel in Mösern - Hohe Munde (8,734 feet) dominates the scene and is the easternmost point of the Mieming Chain
Having left the hotel we follow a lane uphill which leads out of the village
Looking across to Hochwand and Hochplattig as we continue up the lane
We follow a stepped path uphill
Looking over Mösern
We arrive at Möserer See, and will walk round its shores at the end of the walk
We head across the Wildmoos plateau
Wildflowers were growing everywhere, attracting many butterflies
I think this is a false heath fritillary but if anyone knows for sure feel free to correct me
We continue to climb gently uphill, following an easy forest track
The trees provided some relief from the intense heat - it was around 30c
Hohe Munde again
Common spotted orchid - they were growing like weeds. Very frustrating, when we've been trying to establish a population in our meadow, which is limited to a single specimen
Views of the surrounding peaks as we continue over Wildmoos
We are now at an altitude of 4,895 feet, almost the highest point on Wildmoos. We ignore the sign for Brunschkopf and carry on
We descend a narrow path...
Looking down to Wildmoossee - we follow the track beyond the hut
We follow an easy track past Lottensee which eventually brings us back to Möserer See
We follow the path around Möserer See...
Having closed the loop, we retrace our steps back into Mösern
A rather hazy view of the River Inn and the Inn Valley
The end of the walk as we pass by the lovely baroque church of Maria Heimsuchung, dedicated to Mary of the Visitation and dating back to the 17th century...
