4 lakes hike between Engelberg and Melchsee-Frutt

The past weekend was once again all about mountain lakes. This time we headed for Central Switzerland. An area where there is a lot to discover and I spend far too little time. On Saturday, the alarm clock tore me out of my sweet dreams at five o’clock. Still half asleep, I boarded the train towards Lucerne with all the staggering night owls. Two hours later I reached the starting point of the hike – Engelberg.

Engelberg is world-famous thanks to the mighty snow-capped Titlis. At the cable car station we were sandwiched between two Chinese tour groups. However, we only used the cable car for the first few meters up to the Trüebsee station. The second stage to the Titlis was left entirely in the hands of the tourists.

However, the mighty Titlis remained a faithful companion on the first stage of the hike. After passing the Trüebsee, the most strenuous part of the hike followed after a few minutes with the ascent to the Jochpass. Step by step we mastered the altitude meters and paused in between to marvel at the great panorama.

After the sweaty ascent, the reward follows. A few minutes after passing the Berghaus Jochpass, the fantastic Engstlensee comes into view. The mirror-smooth, deep blue surface of the water shows the upside-down world with razor-sharp precision. We were also incredibly lucky with the weather. In any case, due to countless photo stops, we probably needed twice as long as signposted for the descent from the Joch Pass down to the Engstlensee. Anyway, I could have spent days here. So much beauty concentrated in one place. Incredible.

The time at the lake seemed much too short and the late hour urged us to march on. The trail continues past the Hotel Engstlenalp up to Tannalp and on to Tannensee, the only artificial lake on this hike. On the way, due to the good accessibility by post bus and “Fruttli train”, you will meet some hikers, bikers and other mountain connoisseurs. In between, I would have liked a little more solitude.

After a short refreshment stop at the Tannensee, we set off on the last stage to Melchsee-Frutt. The path leads through a pretty plateau and offers a great mountain panorama. Shortly before the finish, there was the second wow moment of the day. Thanks to the idiosyncratic sun, which only sent isolated rays through the cloud cover, the Melchsee presented an almost perfect reflection of the surrounding mountain slopes and the picturesque chapel. Magic in the mountains.

At the end, we had a well-deserved reward on the terrace of the Hotel Frutt Lodge & Spa. The concrete block has been standing above the Melchsee for two years. The many construction sites all around make it clear that the structural development is far from complete. As unnice as the external appearance, as surprisingly pretty as the lobby and terrace. The dessert menu shows the creative will of the chefs, only the very inattentive and slow service caused slight confusion for most of the guests (including us). Somehow, I had the feeling that I was disturbing the staff during their afternoon nap.

Finally we made our way home with the cable car (to Stöckalp) and post bus (Stöckalp-Sarnen).

The map shows our route. The route is about 14.5 km long and includes an elevation gain of 750 meters. At a normal walking pace, without excessive photo breaks, 4.5 hours should be planned. All intermediate stations can be reached either by post bus or cable cars. The 4-lake hike is also part of the Nidwalden High Trail – SwitzerlandMobility Route 88, which leads 82 kilometres around the Engelberg Valley.