Lunersee

Lunersee lies at close to two thousand metres in the Ratikon, a broad sheet of dark blue water in a bowl of grey limestone with Schesaplana rising behind it. It is a reservoir, raised by a dam in the middle of the last century and still used for hydro power, so the level moves through the season and the dam wall is part of the view rather than hidden from it. A cable car from the Brandnertal does the climbing. From the top station an easy path runs right around the shore in about two hours, mostly level and stony in places, with the walls mirrored in the water on still mornings.

What you actually see

• The shore circuit - a flat path around the whole lake, roughly two hours, with the aspect changing completely as you go.
• Schesaplana - the highest peak of the Ratikon standing over the far end, a long day walk from the lake for fit hikers.
• The dam wall - the concrete barrage at the outflow, with the valley dropping away sharply below it.
• The water colour - deep blue in sun, flat grey in cloud, with the level noticeably lower late in the season.

When to go

The cable car and the path are a summer proposition, roughly late June to early October depending on snow. Mornings are calm and give reflections; afternoon cloud often swallows the peaks. Weekends in August are busy on the first cars up. Outside the season the lift stops and the access road is closed by snow.

Honest expectations

The season is short and weather-dependent, and the last cable car down is early enough to catch people out. It is cold and windy at this height even in August, and there is no shelter on the far side of the lake. Swimming is not really an option. Cabins fill quickly on fine mornings.

Nearby

Brand and the Brandnertal are below, with Bludenz and the Montafon a short drive away.