Gear:
Shots from my first visit were taken with the Nikon D7000 + Nikkor 35 mm f1.8.
Shots of my second stay with the Sony a7III + Sony FE 4/24–105 mm G OSS.
So to take wonderful, breathtaking pictures in the mountains, you don’t need much!
Last late summer we visited the beautiful lake in the Salzburg region for the second time. Our first visit was a hike around the Gosaukamm, where we descended from the Adamekhütte down to the two Gosausee lakes on the last day. The last visit, was as part of our family holiday. With our 1 1/2 year old daughter, we walked around the front Gosausee and took the gondola up to the Gosaukammbahn and visited the Sonnenalm.
For the circumnavigation of the Gosaukamm, we recommend using the overnight accommodation at the Gablonzer Hütte, Hofpürgelhütte and Adamekhütte. Depending on the routes you take, the 4 stages add up to a total of approx. 33 km and over 2000 m of altitude. You will be rewarded with breathtaking views and beautiful landscapes.
Those who have a not too long journey can test their leg muscles directly on the first day with the ascent to the Gablonzer Hütte. If you arrive late and are worried about getting there in time, it is best to use the Gosaukamm cable car and save yourself about 3 km of walking and 600 m of ascent. In either case, the starting point is one of the many parking possibilities at the end of the Gosauseestraße, or the mountain station of the Gosaukammbahn.
Freshly invigorated the next morning, you hike on the side of the Gosaukamm facing away from the Gosausee from the Gablonzer Hütte to the Hofpürglhütte. Depending on the route, you can walk over the ridge (very demanding with climbing passages) or around the ridge. We are pleasure hikers and decided on a high trail with a great view, which involves about 10 km and 500 m of altitude.
On the most panoramic stage from Hofpürgelhütte to Adamekhütte, of all places, we unfortunately had a bit of bad luck on our circumnavigation and for most of the day we walked in the clouds, looking for our way over stony paths in hard scree. In this approx. 9km long stage with almost 1000m of altitude difference there is a technically demanding and at the same time dangerous section. Here you should definitely be fit enough and not set off recklessly.
This and all other shots of this post you can request under “Prints” as an art print for your wall at home directly from me.
The last stage leads over approx. 12 km and almost no ascent down past both Gosausee lakes. This stage is rewarding for the exertions of the previous days with its beautiful landscape. The weather also helped us to enjoy the last day and the end of the hike. Here I took one of my earliest portfolio shots “Above the clouds in the Dachstein mountains”.
With the birth of our little daughter, such multi-day tours became less attractive. Instead, we keep looking for nice day hikes that are quite easy to master with a hiking stretcher or, if necessary, a pram.
The easiest option, and easy to do with a pram, is to walk around the front of the Gosau lake. This is an easy 4.5 km walk that can be completed in 1.5 hours. So there is plenty of time for photographers to take pictures.
If you want to fill your day a little more, you can hike to the back Gosausee and back again. At the end of the day, you will have hiked a little over 10 km and almost 300 m of altitude gain, and if you carry your child in a carrier, you will be exhausted.
We had decided on something different and therefore took the Gosaukamm cable car to the mountain station, after we had previously walked around the front of the Gosausee. At the mountain station there are also all-terrain prams that you can borrow free of charge. This is perhaps a valuable tip for all parents. Once at the top, you can use some hiking trails to the Sonnenalm and enjoy the view of the Gosaukamm and the Gosausee from there.
Around Lake Gosau there are many motifs for great landscape shots. Especially on cloudy days or directly after rain, exciting dramatic shots can be taken. If it is reasonably calm, the great reflections of the water alone provide motifs on the opposite shore. Take a standard focal length or telephoto with you. I probably don’t need to mention that there are many photographic opportunities in the mountains around the Gosaukamm. But even if you can’t walk that far, a ride on the Gosaukamm cable car is interesting to take some pictures from there.
All in all, Lake Gosau offers a wealth of opportunities for photographers to take unique photos. So what are you waiting for? Pack your camera and explore the Gosausee!
EN 
DE