7 things about Tovel’s lake that will make you want to go

You just need to see Tovel’s lake one time to be enchanted, perhaps to fall in love forever. Blue and green waters, incredible autumnal colours, different and spectacular glares on the water in every season and unique landscapes in winter.

If you need one perfect sentence to explain Tovel’s lake, perhaps it will be “a lake for everybody”: perfect if you want to walk or go fishing, if you want to restore yourself in the nature or smelling its scents, if you are passionate about photography, drawing or poetry.

A place suitable for every age and for every taste, but also for every season because, if the weather conditions are not dangerous, the lake is reachable also in winter, when it turns in an evocative landscape, white and silent, ideal for a legendary tale.

One of the greatest natural water catchment in altitude

With 370 thousand meters square of surface, it’s the biggest natural lake in Val di Non and in the whole Parco Naturale Adamello Brenta, at 1178 meters of height. The lake is part of the hidrogeographical catchment of the Noce river, its waters create the Tresenica creek, that flows along the valley of Tovel from south to north, then abruptly changes its direction to end in the Noce.

The red lake

It’s a nature wonder that made Tovel’s lake popular, and has attracted many experts. During the summer, the south-west side of the catchment used to turn blood red, an incredible and very rare phenomenon that isn’t happening anymore since 1964. Today we can admire just the pictures of that period, that show us the surreal reddening of its waters. According to recent studies, the phenomenon was probably caused by the Tovellia sanguinea, an alga that exists just in minimal quantity in the lake today, because of the lack of nutrients.

Tovel’s valley

From the town of Tuenno, the valley goes on for 17 km between Monte Peller at west, the massiccio della Campa at east, up to the huge rocky circle that defines the high valley and Tovel’s lake in the middle of the dolomitic massif. One of the most beautiful alpine valley, starting 600 meters from Santa Emerenziana’s bump to the access of the valley (on which there is a church built between 11th and 12th century) to the 2900 meters of the highest peaks, with wild landscapes, pure woods, a lot of wild animals and many paths to follow.

Dolomiti di Brenta, Unesco’s heritage

The show is not only the lake and its crystal waters, looking up toward the peaks that surround it at west, you’ll be astonished. Starting from 2520 meters of Cima Uomo heading north, to Cima Tuenna, Corno di Denno, Corno Flavona and Cima Vagliana, the eye arrives to the 2935 meters of Pietra Grande. These are the northernmost part of Dolomiti di Brenta, declared in 2009 Unesco’s world heritage, that frame the lake beautifully.

Adamello Brenta’s Natural Park

The lake is one of the jewels of Parco Naturale Adamello Brenta, the greatest reserved area of Trentino since 1967, between the valleys Giudicarie, Val di Non and Val di Sole. In 2008 the park received the Adamello Brenta Geopark award, entering the European and global network of geoparks, confirming the extraordinary richness of its geological heritage. The whole park has 48 lakes, but just 4 of them in the Brenta zone where, because of the high permeability of the dolomitic rocks, the water disappears in too deep.

House of the Red Lake

The House of the Red Lake, built on the lake’s shore, is one of the seven houses built from Parco Naturale Adamello Brenta to offer information to its visitors. Open to the public, with free entrance during the summer, it will help you know the extraordinary phenomenon of the reddening of its waters and to understand why it’s not happening since 50 years.

Tovel’s lake path

This little paradise it’s the ideal place for those who love to walk and restore in the nature. A thematic path around the lake will help you find out its naturalistic sides, it’s suitable for everyone, and it’s completed in about 1 and half hour, starting from the parking, and with a very little difference in height. Keep your eyes opened because you could see frogs, fishes, and also beautiful sculptures in the woods, made by the Brenta Wood Art’s artists on pines, spruces, larches.

How to get to Tovel’s lake

The lake is reachable by car, getting route 14 of val di Tovel, from the town of Tuenno.

During the summer the traffic of cars is directed and there is a bus service from Cles, from Tuenno or from the Capriolo parking, which is at the half of the valley (this one is upon payment). In winter the road is often closed because of avalanches danger, so you will have to get information upon arrival.

For information:

Parco Naturale Adamello Brenta
Tel. +39 0465 806666
info@pnab.it

Credits: for cover image Luigi Sandri, for the first image of the text Gino De Concini, for the second image of the text Maria Teresa Mosna, for the third image of the text Alberto Concini.

This article is translated by

Valentina Bonvini 

Intrigued by the world and by its stories, I’m passionate about foreign languages and forgotten traditions. I love the mountain and I spend my days dreaming about the snow and far away countries.

Incuriosita dal mondo e dalle sue storie, mi appassionano le lingue straniere e le tradizioni dimenticate. Adoro la montagna e passo il tempo a sognare la neve e i paesi lontani.