Lake Barmsee is an approximately 1.12 km long and approx. 0.49 km wide lake near Krün north of Mittenwald. Surrounded by woods and meadows, in front of a panorama of the Karwendel Mountains, the lake is a popular destination.

Tour profile

Difficulty level: easy
Route length: approx. 5.5 km (total)
ascents: 100 hm
descents: 100 hm

In summer, there is a small swimming area on the northwest shore, and the Grubsee with a bathing establishment is located in the immediate vicinity of Lake Barmsee. A 5.2 km long circular trail leads around Lake Barmsee. Now in winter, Lake Grubsee and Lake Barmsee are frozen over. Winter peace has returned.

My mother is visiting Grainau once again and on this beautiful winter day, we are drawn to Barmsee for a short hiking route. We are quickly in Krün by car and park in the large parking lot in front of Alpengasthof Barmsee (for a fee). It is still very cool in the morning, but the sky is bright blue and the sun will certainly send us a few warming rays.

In front of Alpengasthof Barmsee, the hiking trail branches off to the left. We follow the signs and then turn right (turn left towards Grubsee) to get through the forest to the shore of the lake. After a few hundred meters, the trail descends somewhat steeply. We have to be careful here because the night was very frosty and some icy areas can be slippery. Then we reach the shores of Lake Barmsee.

Once at the lake, we stand in the sun and let the sun's rays warm us up again after the shady, frosty forest. The frosty winter days have created true works of art on the shores of the lake and covered the reed grass, shrubs and branches with masterly ice crystals, which now shine brilliantly in the sun and conjure up a magical sparkle and glitter across the landscape as if we were in a winter fairy tale.

From the lake, we enjoy a magnificent panorama of the Soiern Group and the northern flank of the Karwendel. If the temperatures were not so frosty, we would probably take a nice break here to enjoy the view to the fullest. However, the cold winter temperature ensures that we keep moving. We continue to follow the signs and first walk very close to the lakeside. The trail bends right and after a while we reach the designated swimming area, which is now covered with light snow. On the left, cross-country skiers pass us by while we once again enjoy the view of the mountains.

At the next fork in the road, we ask ourselves where our journey will continue. Until now, the Barmsee circular trail has been signposted as a circular trail on the signposts, but there is nothing to read about the “circular trail” here. Since we have to go around the lake once, we decide to take the path on the right, which leads into a wooded area. The lake disappears completely from our sight, we only see trees around us. Is the path really the right one? The forest opens again and we reach another fork in the road. Fortunately, the circular route is signposted again and we turn right once again. Unfortunately, the last stretch of the circular trail is not “close to nature”, because we get to the road where we have to keep right once again to get past a residential area back to Alpengasthof Barmsee.

The winter hike was good for us, our faces may be red from the cold, but the blood supply to the body is good. Now we'll treat ourselves to a latte macchiato or hot chocolate before heading back to Grainau.

Tips & info:

• How to get there from Hotel am Badersee: Drive from Grainau towards Partenkirchen and then follow the B2 towards Innsbruck. After Klais, take the exit “Barmsee/ Grubsee”.
• Refreshment options: Alpengasthof Barmsee (note closing times)
• The trail is suitable for strollers, but the first part of the trail is slightly uphill and then downhill to the lake.
• The hiking car park at Alpengasthof Barmsee is chargeable. Attention, some parking spaces are reserved for Alpengasthof guests. When the car park at Alpengasthof Barmsee is full, there are more parking spaces along the road, which you reach at the end of the tour.

‍