Klontalersee

The Klontalersee fills the floor of a side valley west of Glarus, with the Glarnisch massif rising directly from its southern shore in walls and hanging glaciers. It was a natural lake, dammed and raised in 1908 for hydropower, and the level is still managed - low water exposes wide gravel flats and the stumps of drowned trees. A path runs round the shore, about eleven kilometres and nearly flat, with the mountain reflected in the water on calm mornings. The Klontal was a favourite of nineteenth-century writers and painters and has a literary association with Salomon Gessner. Swimming is possible but the water is cold and the drawdown makes access awkward at times.

History

The lake was formed by a rockslide. Closed seasons for fishing were introduced in 1550, timber was floated across it in the 18th century and ice was cut from it from 1860 to 1953; between 1905 and 1908 an earth dam 21.5 m high raised it for hydroelectric power, and it is considered the oldest major reservoir in Switzerland (Wikipedia, Klöntalersee).

Highlights

• The Glarnisch straight off the shore - walls and hanging glaciers to the south.
• An eleven-kilometre level circuit - the shore path right round.
• Managed water levels - gravel flats and drowned stumps at low water.
• Reflections on calm mornings - the massif doubled in the lake.

When to go

May to October. Half a day.

Things to know

Drawdown can leave the lake looking bleak, usually late winter and spring. The road in is narrow and parking fills at weekends. The water is very cold. There is little shade on the south side of the circuit.

Nearby

Glarus is down the valley; the Pragel Pass road continues west in summer.

Key facts