The best waterfall hikes and walks around Neves-Stausee - Lake di Neves

The Neves Reservoir (also known as Lake Neves, Italian: Lago di Neves) is located in the Zillertal Alps at the upper end of the Mühlwald Valley near Lappach (municipality of Mühlwald). It is surrounded by the Hoher Weißzint (3,371 m), Großer Möseler (3,479 m), and Turnerkamp (3,418 m) mountains. Before the dam was created, the end of the valley was a wide, flat alpine pasture. The dam (arch dam type) was built between 1960 and 1964; the crest height is 94 m, and the water level is approximately 1,860 m.

Neves Lake is one of the treasures of the Valle dei Molini. It rises at 1,857 m, in a spectacular Alpine panorama surrounded by the majestic Zillertal Alps. A place of extraordinary beauty and serenity; a technological and environmental jewel that represents a harmonious fusion between human intervention and the magnificence of nature. Neves Lake is in fact the result of an ambitious hydraulic engineering work that dates back to the 1960s. The main objective was to regulate the flow of water for hydroelectric and irrigation purposes. The area was strategically chosen for its topography: a narrow and deep valley, surrounded by imposing mountains. Today it holds two records: - Neves Lake is the northernmost artificial basin in Italy; - with its 95 meters of height, the dome dam is the highest in South Tyrol. The reservoir has a storage capacity of more than 15,000,000 m3, equivalent to 5,000 Olympic swimming pools. From here, the water is conveyed through a 5 km long pressure tunnel dug into the mountain. The route ends with a steep penstock that conveys the water at high speed into the power plant, located further downstream, in the Lappago di Sotto area. In front of the power plant is the transformer station, thanks to which the energy produced is raised to 132 kV so it can be fed into the national high voltage electricity grid. HOW TO GET THERE Once you reach Lappago, a hamlet of Selva dei Molini, continue to the toll booth of the narrow road that leads to the lake in just under 2 km (open only in the summer; after 4 hours the daily rate is €12). There are numerous parking options near the dam, as well as along the eastern shore.

Neves Lake is in fact the result of an ambitious hydraulic engineering project dating back to the 1960s. The main objective was to regulate the flow of water for hydroelectric and irrigation purposes. The area was chosen strategically for its topography: a narrow and deep valley, surrounded by imposing mountains. Today it holds two records: - Neves Lake is the northernmost artificial basin in Italy; - with its 95 meters of height, the dome dam is the highest in South Tyrol. The artificial basin has a storage capacity of more than 15,000,000 m3, equal to 5,000 Olympic swimming pools. From here the water is conveyed through a pressure tunnel about 5 km long dug into the mountain. The route ends with a steep penstock that conveys the water at high speed into the power plant, located further downstream, in the Lappago di Sotto area. In front of the power plant is the transformation station, thanks to which the energy produced is raised to 132 kV so that it can be fed into the national high-voltage electricity grid. This section offers the possibility of walking along the pedestrian walkway on the domed dam, which at 95 m is the highest in all of South Tyrol (pedestrian transit permitted from 7 am to 8 pm, from 1 May to 31 October).

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The dam runs in an arc along the lower side of the lake and can be accessed at your own risk

Beautiful arch-shaped dam that can be accessed at your own risk 👍

The dam serves to provide electricity and protect against flooding.

Impressive view, whether on the mountain side or down into the valley