By Vicky · Published Sep. 3rd, 2025 · Updated Sep. 23rd, 2025
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The hike to Brechsee in Pitztal is a lovely walk with a beautiful mountain lake at the highest point and huts selling refreshments on the way.
Brechsee, Pitztal, Hiking Map
Location
This hike starts from a small car park in the hamlet of Rehwald in Pitztal. By public transport, you can take a bus to a bus stop near Haus Tyrol and walk from there. There’s a hiking trail next to the bus stop on the downhill side. This adds on roughly 200 metres of climb and 1.5 km each way.
Tips
- Hiking poles* are useful on this hike, and make sure to bring a rain jacket as the weather can change quickly.
- You could swim in Brechsee Lake… but it’s very cold.
- You pass two Alms on this hike – one on the way up and one on the way down. They are open from roughly mid-June to early October.
- Check out other great hikes on our Austria or Germany Hiking Page.
Brechsee, Pitztal, Hiking Route
This hike to Brechsee starts on a track opposite the car park, leading upwards into the woods. Follow this track around two large zigzags, and continue straight along the flatter track rather than taking the steeper track to your right (you will descend via this other route).
After about 800 metres, shortly after a stream, take the small hiking trail signposted to your right. This leads straight up the hillside, then crosses the stream to your right, through a meadow, then through a mix of trees and open land to Mauchelealm. This is a small mountain hut that sells drinks and basic food when it’s open in summer.
Brechsee Lake
Continue along the hiking path as it continues heading fairly steeply upwards. Ignore the path on the left, but follow the signs to Brechsee. Soon you’ll reach the treeline and enter the open mountainside, with great views all around. The path heads over a gentle ridge, and then you’ll get your first sight of Brechsee.
Head onwards and the path will lead you to the lakeshore and the high point of this hike. Have a break, go for a paddle (cold) and enjoy some snacks, lunch, or just a drink. Brechsee is a lovely lake and it’s almost all downhill from here, so enjoy your time.
Hiking back down from Brechsee
Return a short distance and now take the path to the left. This leads down across the mountainside and eventually back into the trees. A little bit further, you’ll reach Söllberg Alm and a track. This is another mountain hut, slightly bigger than the previous one, and it’s a great place to have a break.
When you’re ready, head right on the track, bend around the corner to the left and then take the small, signposted path on the right. This leads you through a mix of trees and open land, over a river, then slightly uphill to a track on the other side.
Turn left on the track and follow it downwards. You’ll reach the route you came up on, and a little futher is the car park and the end of the Brechsee Lake hike in Pitztal.
Guidebooks for Hiking in the Alps
Check out other great hikes on our Austria or Germany Hiking Page.
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