Formarinsee

The Formarinsee sits at about eighteen hundred metres under the Rote Wand, a red-brown limestone wall rising to nearly two and a half thousand metres above it, and it is the source of the Lech - the river that runs from here through Vorarlberg and Tyrol into Bavaria and the Danube, and one of the last wild river systems in the northern Alps, which is why the Lechweg long-distance path starts at this lake. The road up from Lech is narrow and restricted to a shuttle bus in season, private cars being turned back, which keeps the numbers manageable. The Freiburger Hütte stands above the lake. Snow lies here late and the road opens only for a few months; in a cold year the lake is still partly frozen in June.

What you actually see

• The source of the Lech - the start of one of the last wild Alpine rivers.
• The Rote Wand - the red-brown limestone wall rising above the lake.
• A bus-only road - private cars turned back in season.
• The Lechweg trailhead - the long-distance path starting at the water.

When to go

July to September; the road opens only for a few months. A day.

Honest expectations

Private cars are not allowed - budget for the shuttle and its timetable. The road opens late and closes early. Weather at 1,800 metres is cold and turns fast. Facilities are one hut.

Nearby

Lech am Arlberg is below; the Lechweg runs on down the valley.