As part of my Iron Lake Challenge Bavaria, Simon and I wanted to do a leisurely GA1 run around the Simssee today. According to the route descriptions, about 18 kilometers of great views of a beautiful Bavarian lake near Rosenheim await us.

With an area of 6.5 square kilometers, Lake Simssee is the tenth largest lake in Bavaria and about 22.5 kilometers deep at its deepest point. Its history is extremely exciting, as it is the last remnant of Lake Rosenheim, which extended into the current area of Lake Simssee at the end of the Würm Ice Age.

Simon and I wanted to circumnavigate it in a casual winter trail run and thus reach the smallest lake of the Iron Lake Challenge Bavaria manage.

Circumnavigation of the Simssee as a trail run - Short and sweet

• Start and finish: We start from the parking lot of the bathing place Baierbach
• Waypoints (coarse): Umrundung im Uhrzeigersinn
• Kind: Trailrun with partly asphalted passages
• Tour length: about 17,5 kilometer
• Altitude (climbs): approx. 200 meters
• Rating: Medium
• Trail run date/Hike: 29.01.2023

Running around the Simssee - Simssee circumnavigation

We park our car at the parking lot of the Baierbach bathing area and admire the beauty of Lake Sims for the first time. Today is a beautiful winter day with temperatures just below freezing, but nevertheless we see already here at the bathing place a hardy bathing. But despite this already from watching triggered temperature shock, we run at an easy pace (clockwise on the west bank towards the north).

The beginning is difficult, because we try to keep too close to the lake and get so again and again on private property and are thus forced to bring a little more distance between the lake and us. So the first three kilometers are not particularly spectacular, because except for forest we see the lake at most sporadically shimmer through between the trees.

But that soon changes, because we reach a lookout tower with a sweeping view of the lake and the neighboring villages. A dream!

We meet numerous hikers and runners who have the same goal as us, but strangely enough in the other direction (so counterclockwise). On the eastern shore it becomes a wonderful trail run on narrow forest paths. Again and again we find small bays with beautiful viewpoints, even if we accept that we have to run small detours again and again.

From the village "Pietzing" a developed gravel path leads us around the lake. We see that this path is built as a bird adventure trail, certainly interesting for children. We trot along easily and about two kilometers before our parking lot we take a little break at a wonderful spot with two benches.

We reach our car and Simon treats himself to another swim in the cool Simssee. Our watches show about 17.5 kilometers. A perfect mileage for a "long Sunday run".

Summary

Lake Simssee is ideal for both hikers and (trail) runners. The circumnavigation is also possible and worthwhile for (experienced) hikers. Even if the restaurants along the way had closed due to the season, you can combine this circumnavigation with a tasty snack in spring or summer. For runners it is an optimal route, especially for a long GA1 run. I suggest you the run/hike clockwise, so you have the most beautiful routes at the end.

Simssee Trailrunning Simssee Umrundung Simssee