My love of all things Franconian is fairly obvious. Sometimes it’s also blinding. It’s not unusual that things harder to obtain are typically valued more highly. Who doesn’t want what they can’t have? Sadly, this kind of tunnel vision can lead to missing things closer at hand, right in your backyard. I live in Munich and while I’ve explored the areas around it more extensively than many, there are plenty places I’ve missed. For instance, Grubsee.
how could you miss something like this?
I often get tips on places from students but with COVID-19 eliminating not only income on that front but also contact with this valuable information source, I’ve had to rely on different outlets. Oddly enough, I found this majestic mountain lake on Instagram. I saw it, investigated it and it was very close to an area I’ve been in tons of times. Hiding perhaps behind a wall of peaks called the Karwendel. This massif rises from its relatively flat and low elevation surrounding in spectacular fashion. In fact, I can see it when I cross the street in my neighborhood in Munich, some 100 km away.
no, this is not from Munich but from the road you cross by the station
Thankfully, my wife keeps me from straying entirely away from what is obviously some pretty outrageous scenery just south of our adopted hometown. She was the force behind our excursion this past weekend but I pulled the Grubsee out of my hat, little known to her. We still caught the end of the autumn foliage. That she was ecstatic is an understatement.
the magic of autumn in the Alps
I found a bunch of trails and pieced together a 10 km stroll with minimal elevation change. The only thing missing was a brewery within walking distance but it would have been easy enough to go to either Mittenwald or Murnau afterwards as they are both on the line we used to access the Grubsee but I found a couple of places on our route and knew we’d not go without a beer in either. It is, after all, Bavaria. Of course, we weren’t alone on the trail. It was about as much bang for you buck as you’re likely to find anywhere.
a stunning countryside hike
As a bonus, the walk took in a second mountain lake, Barmsee too. The section between the two was the steepest and many cyclists were seen walking theirs up or down. The second lake was less dramatic but not without its charms. I’d probably do the route in the opposite direction next time to save the best for last.
Barmsee in Autumn
Perhaps unsurprisingly, since the walk was busy so was my potential choice for lunch. The terrace of one with a great view was packed and we couldn’t bear to sit inside on such a gorgeous day so we pressed on towards the station in Krun. The little place at the station was closed for vacation so we backtracked to another restaurant back up the road and secured a nice table half in the sun. The food was so-so and the Augustiner Helles a bit on the fizzy side but we couldn’t argue with the view of the Karwendel.
Details on beer and hiking in Bavaria in my book, Beer Hiking Bavaria oder auf Deutsch: Bierwandern Bayern.
What stunning scenery! The autumn foliage is just amazing, we don’t really get that here.
Missed the best of it but it was still there. The mountains really are amazing down there, one of the nicest ranges I’ve seen.