Lauenensee

The Lauenensee lies at about 1,380 metres in a side valley south of Gstaad - two small lakes, the larger about nine hectares - with the Wildhorn massif closing the head of the valley. The whole basin is protected: it holds raised and transitional bog of national importance, and the boardwalks and marked paths exist to keep feet off the peat, which grows at a rate measured in millimetres per year. A circuit of the lake takes about an hour on the flat. Above it the Geltenbach comes down the headwall in falls that are heaviest in the June melt, and a longer path climbs past them toward the Gelten hut. In winter the valley is a snowshoe and cross-country area. The Bernese band Span made the lake the subject of its 1982 song Louenesee.

What's there

• Two small lakes - at about 1,380 metres in a protected bog landscape.
• Protected bog - boardwalks keeping traffic off peat of national importance.
• The Gelten falls above - meltwater down the headwall at the valley head.
• The Wildhorn massif - closing the view south.

When to go

June to October; the falls peak in June. Half a day.

What to expect

Stay on the boardwalks - the bog is the reason the site is protected. Parking fills at summer weekends and the road up is narrow. The lake is small and the circuit is short. Mosquitoes in the marsh in high summer.

Nearby

Gstaad is down the valley; the Simmental and Lenk are north-east.

Key facts