3 short winter hikes in Switzerland

Get out into the fresh air, clear your head, fill up on vitamin D and then return home in all freshness. That’s exactly the idea behind these three short, crisp winter hikes that I present in this blog post. Three short trips that allow you to leave the stress of everyday life behind you for half a day and fill you with new energy. Promised!

Winter hike in the vicinity of Zurich: Hoch-Ybrig

The winter sports resort of Hoch-Ybrig is only 1.5 hours by train and post bus from Zurich, making it one of the nearest larger ski resorts. The only unpleasant thing is that you have to change trains twice to the Laucheren valley station in the ski area. This can be a bit tedious on skis – but it doesn’t matter much with hiking boots. In addition to a wide range of slopes, there are also various groomed and signposted winter hiking trails in the ski area. If you want to save yourself the cost of the ascent and descent with the Laucheren-Steinboden chairlift, you can hike up from Hoch-Ybrig to Fuederegg.

We, on the other hand, opted for the leisurely version, solved the ascent and descent with the Laucheren chairlift for 18 CHF per person and started hiking at the Steinboden mountain station. The signposted winter hiking trail leads us to the Fuederreg in 20 minutes. There is the possibility to attach an arch around the frozen Seeblisee, which is popular with ice fishermen, and then look for a sunbathing spot on the terrace of the Fuederegg restaurant. The way back takes us via Steinboden back to Laucheren. Theoretically, a 2.5-kilometre-long toboggan run leads from Steinboden down to Laucheren – the problem: unfortunately, the toboggans can only be rented at the valley station. Otherwise, the winter hike would be well combined with the toboggan run.

Facts about the winter hike Steinboden – Seeblisee – Fuederegg – Steinboden:

Starting point	Chairlift Laucheren
Length	4.5 kilometres
Elevation gain	↗ 120 m 120 m ↘
Duration	1:30 p.m.
Destination	Chairlift Laucheren
Refreshment stops	Laucheren / Fuederegg

Winter hike with a view: Chäserrugg

Since the opening of the new summit restaurant built by Herzog & de Meuron on the Chäserrugg, the easternmost peak of the Churfirsten has been on my bucket list. This winter I seized the opportunity and went on a trip to the Chäserrug. In winter, a perfectly groomed winter hiking trail awaits you on the summit, including a phenomenal panoramic view from Lake Walen over the Glarus Alps to the Säntis. The only negative point of this excursion is the price of the winter hiking ticket Unterwasser-Chäserrugg back. This costs 46 CHF. With GA/Half-Fare travelcard, you can get the same ticket for 29 CHF.

From Unterwasser you first take the funicular to Iltios. There we change to the cable car, which chauffeurs us up to 2,262 m above sea level. The winter hiking trail is clearly signposted and leads in an “8” over the Rosenboden high plateau. An easy, one-hour round that can easily be walked with children or relatives and acquaintances who are less familiar with the mountains.

Afterwards, it is worth stopping off at the summit restaurant, which not only knows how to inspire with its simple but refined wooden construction, but also scores with good cuisine. If you want to be sure of a table in the serviced part of the restaurant over lunch, I recommend making a reservation in advance. But if you’re on the road early like we were, you’ll reach the restaurant before the lunch rush – that’s how it should work without a reservation (at least it worked for us).

Facts about the winter hike Chäserrugg in Toggenburg

Starting point	Underwater Chäserrugg
Length	3 kilometers
Elevation gain	↗ 160 m 160 m ↘
Duration	1:00 p.m.
Destination	Underwater Chäserrugg
Refreshment stops	Gipfelrestaurant Chäserrugg

Winter hike with pleasure: Lake Lauenen

In contrast to Hoch-Ybrig and the Chäserrugg, a full day must be allowed for this winter hike starting in Zurich. For Bernese residents, on the other hand, the trip to Lake Lauenen is feasible as a half-day trip. For me, this winter hike is one of the most beautiful I’ve done this season. On the one hand, I was incredibly lucky with the weather and had a beautiful day – on the other hand, you can expect a wonderful peace and quiet back here. From the Geltenhorn post bus stop, follow the pavement into the valley until the signposted winter hiking trail branches off to the right at the Hotel Alpenland and leads with a gentle, steady incline to Lake Lauenen. At this time of year, it hides under a thick blanket of snow. The way back follows the road on the other side of the valley and is less attractive than the way there.

While the Lauenensee restaurant is closed in the winter months, another culinary gem awaits us in a forest clearing behind the lake. For 14 years, Veronika Brand has been welcoming guests to the Mattestübli restaurant in her cosy parlour. The menu is deliberately kept small and Veronika Brand uses ingredients from her own production in most of the dishes. My tip: reserve a table, plan an extra hour and also enjoy the homemade fondue mix.

Facts about the winter hike Lauenensee:

Starting point	Lauenen Rohrbrücke (Geltenhorn stop)
Length	8 kilometers
Elevation gain	↗ 240 m 240 m ↘
Duration	2:30 p.m.
Destination	Lauenen Rohrbrücke (Geltenhorn stop)
Refreshment stops	Restaurant Mattestübli / Alpenland

More beautiful winter hikes

• Another beautiful and crisp short winter hike can be found in the Gantrisch Nature Park. The Selibüel winter hiking trail leads from the Gurnigel Berghaus in 4 kilometres to the watershed and from there (with a few extra metres in altitude) up to the Selibüel viewpoint. Time required: 2 hours
• A phenomenal view awaits you not only on the Chäserrugg, but also on the 2-kilometre-long winter hiking trail on the highest point of the Lauchernalp in the Lötschental.
• The 40-kilometre-long winter hiking trail network in Sörenberg im Entlebuch offers some entertaining routes. These include the almost 4-kilometre-long Panorama Circular Trail and the 8.5-kilometre-long Gastronomic Circular Hike.
• The winter sports resort of Braunwald is also easy to reach from Zurich. Various circular hikes start at the Grotzenbüel mountain station, which take between 1.5 and 3.5 hours of hiking time.

 

For more winter tips, check out our article on 33 winter excursions.