Jöriseen lakes in the Silvretta Alps, Switzerland

© Florin Baumann/Getty Image

The height of Alpine beauty. Jöriseen lakes in the Silvretta Alps, Switzerland

Today we're exploring a place of otherworldly beauty: the Jöriseen, a group of alpine lakes near Davos, Switzerland. On sunny days, the lakes glow an ethereal blue, contrasting with the dark, jagged Silvretta Alps that encircle them. The sunlight is reflected in the water by 'rock flour'—silt-sized rock particles generated from the grinding of bedrock by glaciers.

The Silvretta Alps sit across the Swiss-Austrian border and are themselves surrounded by glaciers in an area known as the 'Blue Silvretta.' If you want to enjoy these stunning views up close, you'll have to work for it. Bring your best hiking boots, plenty of water, and some strong legs.