Lago di Tovel

Updated October 2026 · Sources: Adamello Brenta Nature Park, Visit Trentino, Val di Non tourist board, Province of Trento, Edmund Mach Foundation

Find a place to stay near Lake Tovel

Lake Tovel (Lago di Tovel) is in Trentino, northern Italy, at the head of the Tovel Valley, a side valley of the Val di Non, in the municipality of Ville d’Anaunia. It sits at 1,178 m inside the Adamello Brenta Nature Park, on the north-east side of the Brenta Dolomites. You drive up from the village of Tuenno on a road of about 12 km. Trento is about 50 km away (1 hr 10 min by car), Bolzano about 75 km.

At around 38 hectares, it is the largest natural lake in the area. It is known for two things: green-blue water with the Brenta walls reflected in it, and the story of the “red lake”. Until 1964, in hot summers, a microscopic alga turned the water red. That no longer happens, and we explain why below.

The key thing to know is practical: in summer and on autumn weekends the valley car parks charge a fee and can be booked online. In 2026 the scheme ran every day from 13 June to 20 September, then on Saturdays and Sundays only until 1 November. In winter the road is closed. Below you’ll find the rules, prices, the lake loop, hikes to the mountain pastures, day trips in the Val di Non and where to stay.

The lake loop takes about an hour and a half on foot. With a full day, add a hike to a mountain pasture or a trip around the Val di Non. The lake itself is free: you only pay for parking or the shuttle.

The lake and the Brenta walls

The lake is ringed by forest and closed off by the peaks of the northern Brenta. Early in the morning, with no wind, the mountains reflect in the water: the best time for photos. The colour shifts with light and depth, from pale green near the shore to deep blue in the middle.

Pebble beaches

Along the shore there are strips of pale gravel where you can sit and cool your feet. Swimming is allowed in some spots, but the water is cold even in August. Follow the park signs: some parts of the shore are protected.

“Lago Rosso” park visitor centre

On the south shore, the park’s visitor centre has a small exhibition on Tovel’s natural and cultural history, the red alga and the research that still goes on today. In October 2026 it opened at weekends, 11 am–1 pm and 2–6 pm, with free entry. Summer hours change every year.

The Tovel Valley

From Tuenno the road climbs about 12 km through a narrow, wooded valley along the stream. It is a proper mountain road, with narrow sections and rock walls: take it slowly. The lower car parks (Capriolo, Tamburello, Glare) are along the valley.

The Glare and the seasonal lakes

Below the lake lies a huge scree field called the Glare. At its foot, usually from late May to early summer, two small lakes appear with the snowmelt and then vanish. The Sentiero delle Glare links the Capriolo car park with the lake in about 5 km.

Adamello Brenta Nature Park

Tovel is one of the gateways to the park, Trentino’s largest protected area. Brown bears live in the valley too: meeting one on the tourist trails is rare, but stay on marked paths and follow the park’s advice.

For centuries Tovel was the “red lake”. The first written record of the colouring dates from 1875. In hot summers a microscopic alga, Tovellia sanguinea, multiplied at the surface and turned whole sections of the lake red. Local legend blamed the blood of a battle fought by Princess Tresenga.

The last intense red bloom was in 1964. Since then the water has stayed green and blue. The alga hasn’t disappeared: it is still there, just in quantities too small to change the colour. According to the scientists who have studied the lake for decades (it is now a long-term ecological research site of the Edmund Mach Foundation), the conditions changed:

• Fewer nutrients: cattle used to graze around the lake, adding nutrients to the water. When grazing changed, so did the lake’s ecology.
• Cooler surface water: since the mid-1960s the upper layers of the lake warm up less, and the alga needs warm water to bloom.

So don’t expect a red lake. The visitor centre has historic photos and explains the phenomenon.

The loop is about 3 km long and takes an hour and a half at an easy pace. It is waymarked, starts from the lakeside car park and can be walked in either direction. It’s almost entirely flat and in the woods, with little climbing.

• Rock steps: one short, narrow section has steps cut into the rock. With a pushchair, do an out-and-back on the wider side instead.
• When: early morning for the light and a calm lake, or after 4 pm when the day visitors leave.

Parking in the Tovel Valley is managed by the Adamello Brenta Nature Park. The rules change every year; these are the ones for summer and autumn 2026. The 2027 rules are not out yet: check the park’s booking portal before you go.

When you pay

• In 2026: 30 May–2 June, the weekend of 6–7 June, every day from 13 June to 20 September and weekends from 26 September to 1 November.
• Charging hours: 8 am to 5 pm.
• From 28 September to 1 November 2026 you pay on Saturdays and Sundays only; Monday to Friday access is free.

How to book

The park recommends buying your parking online on its website by 6 am on the day. On site, staff sell tickets only if spaces are left, and at a higher price. On summer weekends and in August, booking online is effectively essential. After payment you get a QR code by email.

Car parks and prices

The closer to the lake, the more you pay. Daily rates for a car in 2026 (weekday = Monday–Friday; weekend = Saturday, Sunday and 8–23 August):

• Lago car park (at the lake): online €10 weekday, €12 weekend; on site €12 / €14.
• Lavacel (1 km from the lake): online €8 / €10; on site €10 / €12.
• Tamburello (4 km) and Capriolo (4.5 km): online €6 / €8; on site €8 / €10.
• Glare (2.5 km): mid-range rate, see the park’s price list.
• Each extra day €5. Motorbike €5. Campervans at Lavacel only, €12.

Free for fully electric cars, disabled badge holders (ask the park for a discount code) and ParcoKey holders.

Road closed 11 am–2:30 pm

When the valley car parks are full, traffic is diverted to the Ex Cofco car park in Tuenno village, where a paid shuttle runs to the lake. On shuttle days, the road above Lavacel is closed to cars from 11 am to 2:30 pm. Note: even with a booking for the Lago car park, you must get through before 11 am, or you’ll have to park lower down.

Trails lead from the lake to mountain pastures and into the heart of the northern Brenta. Times and elevation gains are from Trentino’s official route sheets.

Lake Tovel – Malga Tuena

An 8 km loop, about 3 hr 15 min, 570 m up and down, between 1,165 and 1,735 m. Moderate. Follow trail 309, signed “Malga Tuena”, from the lakeside car park. Views over the lake and the Brenta peaks. The hut is no longer run: bring food and water.

Lake Tovel – Malga Flavona

A long loop: 17.9 km, about 6 hr 45 min, 950 m of climbing, up to 1,895 m at Malga Flavona. Moderate, but you need to be fit. You climb through the Selva di Flavona, one of the wildest forests in the park, on trails 314, 369 and 371, returning on 330.

Sentiero delle Glare

About 5 km between the Capriolo car park and the lake, through the woods and along the scree. Easy, and it lets you walk up while leaving the car lower down, where parking is cheaper. In late spring you pass the seasonal lakes.

For mountain huts, via ferratas and multi-day treks, see our guide to the Brenta Dolomites.

The Val di Non is the valley of apples, castles and canyons. From the lake you reach Tuenno in 25 minutes and Cles in half an hour.

Orchards and the PDO apple

The valley floor is covered in orchards: this is home to the Mela Val di Non PDO apple. In spring the blossom turns the valley white and pink; autumn is harvest time.

San Romedio sanctuary

Near Sanzeno, at the end of a gorge, five churches are stacked one on top of another on a rock spur about 70 m high, linked by a covered staircase of 131 steps. At the bottom, since 1958, an enclosure has housed bears that cannot live in the wild. From Sanzeno (Museo Retico) the “path in the rock” runs almost flat along the gorge wall; it closes in winter when icy. Entry to the sanctuary is free.

Castel Thun

Above Vigo di Ton, on a hill at 609 m, stands one of Trentino’s most complete castles: built in the mid-13th century, it was the seat of the Thun family for about eight centuries. Towers, drawbridge, furnished rooms and a library of about 10,000 volumes. In 2026 a full ticket cost €8, free up to age 14 and with the Trentino Guest Card.

Rio Sass Canyon

In Fondo (Borgo d’Anaunia) the stream has carved a narrow gorge beneath the village. Visits are guided only, on walkways and stairs: about 2.5 km and 2 hours, with around 1,200 steps there and back. Booking is required. Usually open April to mid-November; in 2026 an adult ticket cost €12.

Further afield

• Val di Sole: to the north-west, with the Trento–Malè railway and the Folgarida and Marilleva ski areas.
• Madonna di Campiglio: on the other side of the Brenta, about 1 hr 20 min by car.
• Andalo and Molveno: on the east side of the group, with Lake Molveno, about an hour away.
• Trento: the old town and Castello del Buonconsiglio, about 50 km.

In winter the provincial road into the Tovel Valley is closed to traffic because of rockfall risk, under a provincial decree from 1995. It usually stays closed from late autumn to spring. The lake is then isolated and often frozen: not a winter trip to improvise. If you’re thinking of going up on foot or on snowshoes, check first with the Ville d’Anaunia municipality or the park. For snow and skiing, see the resorts in our Trentino guide.

• June: green forests, the seasonal Glare lakes, fewer people on weekdays.
• July and August: the busiest time. Book parking the evening before and arrive early. Remember the 11 am–2:30 pm closure on shuttle days.
• September and October: the best time for many. The woods turn yellow and orange, the water stays clear. In 2026, from 28 September access was free on weekdays and paid only at weekends.
• November to spring: road closed.

To have the lake almost to yourself: a weekday in June or late September, before 9 am.

There is very little accommodation at the lake itself. Most people stay in the Val di Non and drive up for the day.

• Tuenno and Ville d’Anaunia: the closest villages, at the mouth of the Tovel Valley, about 25 minutes from the lake. Best for getting to the car park early. Apartments, B&Bs and farm stays among the orchards.
• Cles: the valley’s main town, with shops, restaurants and the Trento–Malè railway station. Best without a car and for exploring the whole valley.
• Upper Val di Non (Fondo and around): higher and cooler, close to the Rio Sass Canyon. Good for families and week-long stays.
• Andalo and Molveno: on the other side of the Brenta, about an hour away. For combining Tovel with the lakes and lifts of the Paganella.

For one or two nights, Tuenno or Cles; for a week of lake, pastures and castles, anywhere in the Val di Non works. Book early for August.

By car

On the Brenner motorway (A22) take the San Michele all’Adige exit (or Trento Nord) and follow the SS43 into the Val di Non towards Cles. In the valley follow signs for Tuenno and Lago di Tovel: from Tuenno the SP14 provincial road climbs about 12 km to the lake. Trento is about 50 km, Bolzano about 75 km, Milan about 270 km (3 hr 30 min). On managed days, book parking first (see above).

By train

Take the Brenner line to Trento (from Verona, Bolzano, Innsbruck or Munich). The Trento–Malè railway station is about 200 m from the main station: take the local train to Cles. Timetables at Trentino Trasporti.

By bus

There is no year-round scheduled bus between Cles, Tuenno and the lake. In summer the park runs shuttles from the Ex Cofco car park in Tuenno when the valley is full, and in recent seasons a shuttle has run from Cles and Tuenno: check the park’s website to see whether it’s running and whether you need to book. Without a car, a taxi from Cles is the simplest option.

By plane

The nearest airport is Bolzano (about 75 km). For international flights, Verona (about 150 km, just over two hours), then Bergamo and Milan. From Verona airport you can also take the train to Trento and continue on the Trento–Malè line, but with luggage a hire car is much easier.

Parking

Five car parks in the valley: Lago, Lavacel (1 km), Glare (2.5 km), Tamburello (4 km) and Capriolo (4.5 km); in 2026 between €6 and €14 a day for a car. If everything is full, use Ex Cofco in Tuenno and the shuttle. Campervans at Lavacel only. Details and prices in the access section above.

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: Llorenzi (CC BY-SA 3.0), ValeJappo (CC BY-SA 4.0), Bops92 (CC BY-SA 4.0), Llorenzi (CC BY-SA 3.0), Syrio (CC BY-SA 4.0), Zairon (CC BY-SA 4.0), Bops92 (CC BY-SA 4.0), Bops92 (CC BY-SA 4.0).