Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The paddling route
Put in from the slipway by the Kessel bathing place at Hallstatt-Lahn, at the south end of Hallstatt village, and follow the shore south and east round the head of the lake. The Dachstein massif rises straight out of the water here, with the village's houses stacked up behind you. Keep outside the reeds where the rivers come in, then follow the east shore north into the wide bay at Obertraun, by the village's free lido, and turn there to come back the same way.
It is 6.4 km there and back; allow about 1½ hours in a canoe or kayak and 1¾ on a paddleboard. The grade is Moderate because it is all open lake, but the line stays close to the shore and never crosses the lake.
The lake belongs to the Austrian state forests and anyone may paddle it without a permit. Private motorboats are banned, but passenger ships run between Hallstatt and Obertraun and a ferry crosses to Hallstatt station all year: keep clear of every landing stage. From 1 May to 30 September boats must keep out of the signed protection zones near reeds and river mouths. The water is deep and cold, and gusts drop off the mountains on summer afternoons. Wear a buoyancy aid and check the conditions before you set off.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap waterways (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Along the southern shore under the Dachstein, from Hallstatt-Lahn to Obertraun and back
- Part of the UNESCO Hallstatt-Dachstein Salzkammergut cultural landscape, inscribed in 1997
- Salt has been mined in the mountain above Hallstatt since the Bronze Age
- No private motorboats: only electric boats and the licensed passenger ships
On the water
- Put in: Slipway 47.55286, 13.65126
- No locks or weirs on the way.
- About 6.4 km (4.0 mi) on open water, up to 166 m from the shore: wind and waves build quickly.
- River level: Hallstättersee lake level (Hydrographischer Dienst Oberösterreich). Check it before you go, and don't paddle when it is high.
- Rules and licences: Österreichische Bundesforste, Land Oberösterreich. Check whether you need a licence before you go: on many inland waters in England and Wales you do, and Paddle UK membership includes one for many of them.
- Suits canoes, kayaks, paddleboards.
Getting there
Start: Hallstatt-Lahn, shore by the Kessel bathing place. 47.55286, 13.65126
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Hallstatt-Lahn: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Water levels, flow and the weather decide the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; wear a buoyancy aid, check the river levels and the forecast, keep well clear of weirs and powered boats, and don't go out in flood.