Hillestausee, Reservoir in Winterberg, Germany

Hillestausee is a reservoir in the Rothaar Mountains near Winterberg, formed by damming the Hillebach valley and surrounded by meadows and forest. It has a sandy beach, open grassy areas, and paths that run along the shoreline.

The lake was created in 1979 by damming the Hillebach valley, originally to serve as a water storage facility for the region. Over time, the area around it was developed into a recreation space for nearby communities.

The Hillestausee draws families and locals who come regularly for walks, picnics, and swimming on warm days. The sandy beach and the grassy areas nearby make it a natural meeting point for people from the surrounding villages.

A 1.6 km circular path runs around the lake, with a parking area on the L 872 near the eastern shore and a mini-golf course nearby. The L 872, called Grönebacher Straße there, passes just east of the water.

The reservoir's dam, the Hillebachtalsperre Niedersfeld, is an earth-fill embankment built in 1978–1979: 250 m long at the crest, 13.4 m high above the stream bed, holding 112,000 m³ of material. Its overflow funnel can discharge up to 34.2 m³/s. The operator is the town of Winterberg.