Loop around Obernberger See

Technical difficulty: 1/10
Fitness: 1/10
Objective danger: 1/10
Landscape: 6/10
Busy: 5/10

An easy but extremely picturesque round around Obernberger See. Great option for an easy day out.

Starting point: Obernberg am Brenner
Ending point: Obernberg am Brenner
Length: 11km
Vertical: 250m
Speed: very runnable trails

Route:

I had a race on the weekend, so digging up an old trail for you today. To make it topical to how my body feels, it is going to be a really easy one. Today, we'll be tackling a simple loop that begins and ends in the village of Obernberg am Brenner.

Finding a parking spot in Obernberg am Brenner is straightforward. There are numerous options around the tourist office in the village. Once you've parked, the first step is to get behind the houses, away from the main road. Here, you'll find a trail leading through picturesque fields and forest that brings you to the Obernberger See parking lot. Alternatively, if you're seeking a shorter route of about 7km, you could choose to start and end your run at this location.

For this route, I chose to run it in the shape of a number 8, beginning on a hiking trail that leads uphill towards Obernberger See. This segment accounts for most of the vertical gain of the entire route. The lake has a forest road on one side and a single track trail on the other, with a charming little chapel situated on a small peninsula in the middle. It's a definitely worth a picture-stop as well as taking a moment to appreciate.

Around the lake, you'll also find a few Alms, which are great for a pit stop if you want to grab some food or a drink. As for the trail around the lake, you're free to pick and choose which one to run on. You could follow the GPS track from this post for one possible way.

Once you're done with the lake segment, you have two choices to return to your car. You can retrace your steps along the same trail, or for a less technical option, you could opt to run down the forest road. Either way, the loop offers a low-intensity run that's perfect for recovery days or easy runs.