Great Winterleiten Lake
Travelling from Judenburg via the Schmelz you can comfortably reach the Winterleitenhütte (Winterleiten Hut) at just under 1800 metres above sea level. It lies on the banks of the Kleiner Winterleitensee (Little Winterleiten Lake) and is a popular starting point for hikes on the Zirbitzkogel, which, at 2396 m is the highest elevation in the Seetaler Alps. From the hut, you can quickly reach the Großer Winterleitensee, a magnificent clear mountain lake.
It is a typical tarn, a remnant of the glaciated ice age, and lies embedded in soft pines forests, bushes of Alpine roses and Green alder, as well as a wide range of Alpine grass species with numerous botanical treasures of Alpine flora. From the banks you can easily see water striders, other water insects and minnows. Common frogs are seen often. Particularly in the inlet area you can observe the silting-up of stagnant waters. A low moor with mosses and sedges is developing here.
|