Vilsalpsee

Elevation: (1 150 m) / Lenght: (14 km) / Time: (7,5 hrs)
Visit rate: 5/5 / Rating: 4/5

The first and most important necessity is to arrive at the Vilsalpsee parking lot before 8:00 a.m. The road from the toll gate near the town of Tannheim is closed between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. During that time, access is only possible by bus, bicycle, or on foot.

The picturesque Vilsalpsee is very photogenic and worth a visit in itself. There are also two restaurants, which I used while waiting for the 5 p.m. reopening of the road.

On the way to the summit of Lachenspitze, you'll encounter several scenic stops. The first is the Traualpsee reservoir, from which you can already see the goal of your long hike.

I took a break at the alpine hut Landberg, enjoyed a cold beer, and planned to continue on the Lachenspitze via ferrata (C/D). However, the locals strongly advised against it due to snow at the starting point. I was disappointed because I had been looking forward to this ferrata, but I didn't want to take the risk, so I continued on foot instead.

In the end, I didn't regret it much — the views along the way were stunning, and I even encountered a few families of marmots. I managed to twist my ankle during the ascent, but somehow made it to the summit.

The views from the top were truly excellent. I was slightly annoyed to see a via ferrata climber on the supposedly closed route to the summit — a little jealousy there — so I quickly headed back down.

Be aware that the route from Lachenspitze to the Östliches Lachenjoch pass is very dangerous and can hardly be called a trail. In the past, there was definitely a landslide here, and part of the path is simply missing. By the end of 2025, the trail is even marked as impassable on maps.

After that, there's only a stop at Schochenspitze (2,069 m), followed by a descent of 900 meters over about two hours back to the parking lot. I noticed that most hikers go just to this summit, and by midday it was quite crowded.

Long circular route to the summit. The descent from Lachenspitze toward Lachenjoch was rather dangerous. The toll gate is only open from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.!