Hike from the Dolomitenhütte hut to Lake Laserzsee

The easy mountain hike leads us to the beautiful Laserzsee in the Lienz Dolomites

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View from the car park at the end of the Dolomitenstraße in Lienz - our hiking tour leads us into the heart of the Lienz Dolomites.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The starting point of our hike is the Dolomitenhütte mountain hut which is only a stone’s throw from the car park.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The first section runs along a large, flat path.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Our destination: the Karlsbader mountain hut and Lake Laserzsee.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The Instein-Alm chapel by the wayside.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Until now the path was easy but now we have to choose between the shorter path no. 12 (intermediate) and the easier but longer forest road.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Path no. 12 proceeds up through the forest along some sections with steps.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The higher we climb the more beautiful the surrounding mountain landscape gets.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Above the forest limit a rocky landscape awaits us.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Our destination, the Karlsbader mountain hut, is already in sight.
Foto: AT, © Peer
View towards the main chain of the Alps and the Hohe Tauern.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Unspoilt natural landscape: the Lienz Dolomites are reflected in the water of the Laserzsee lake.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The Karlsbader mountain hut is only a few steps from the lake at 2,260 m a.s.l.
Foto: AT, © Peer
A wonderful place for a rest…
Foto: AT, © Peer
… finally it’s time for a break before we return to the valley.
Foto: AT, © Peer

The Lienzer Dolomitenstraße (toll road starting from the Kreithof farm) starts in Tristach near Lienz and takes us to the car park near the Rauchkofel at 1,600 m a.s.l., the starting point of our hike. After a 5-minute walk we already arrive at the Dolomitenhütte hut at 1,620 m a.s.l. where we enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the peaks standing out from a ridge, the so-called Bischofsmütze.

Initially we walk along a gravel road past the memorial chapel Instein-Alm where we take a steeper, partially stepped path. We follow the signposts to the Karlsbader Hütte at 2,260 m a.s.l. and walk across the Laserztal until we reach the forest limit. At the foot of the impressive rock walls of the Dolomites we can already recognise the mountain hut.

After less than two hours of walking we arrive at our destination but we decide to undertake a side trip to the nearby Laserzsee lake, a wonderful natural treasure, before enjoying a delicious lunch at the hut in a stunning mountain landscape. For the return we take a slightly longer but less steep gravel road.

Date of the hike: 20 September 2015
Last updated in: 2025

Author: AT

difficulty: moderate route with lake

Starting point:

parking space at Rauchkofel at the end of the Lienz Dolomites Road (Lienzer Dolomitenstraße)
Overall time:

03:30 h
Total route length:

9,6 km
Altitude:

from 1.592 m to 2.266 m
Altitude difference:

+705 m | -705 m
Route:

Dolomitenhütte Mountain Hut - Instein Chapel - Laserztal valley - Karlsbader Hütte Mountain Hut - Lake Laserzsee
Signposts:

no. 12, Karlsbader Hütte
Destination:

Karlsbader Hütte mountain hut, Laserzsee Lake
Resting points:

Karlsbader Hütte
Recommended time of year:

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Download GPX track:

Hike from the Dolomitenhütte hut to Lake Laserzsee