Göscheneralp

A walk at the Göscheneralp reservoir under the Dammastock in the middle of October — nothing more ambitious than that.

Göscheneralpsee, 1792 m / Lake circuit

T2 / ~8.5 km / ~420 m ascent / ~3 h / start Dammagletscher, 1773 m

The Göscheneralpsee sits at 1792 m at the head of the Göschenertal, an earth-fill dam holding back the water below the Dammastock and the Damma glacier. The classic day here is the loop around the lake from the Dammagletscher restaurant at the dam: stony alpine pasture on the way out, slabs around the Egg, then moorland back to the start. About 8–8.7 km, roughly 420 m of ascent, around 3 h, T2.

In mid-October it is the quiet end of the season up there — the last of the larch colour, snow already on the tops, and the bus service down to Göschenen running on the winter timetable. The slabs on the northern side are slippery when wet, which is worth remembering that late in the year.

Logistics

Approach

Postbus from Göschenen station to Göscheneralp, Dammagletscher (or drive up the toll-free but narrow road and park at the dam). Parts of the circuit lie inside a military training area and can be closed for firing exercises — check before going.