Arnisee Trail – great snowshoe hike for beginners

The 2020/2021 winter season has many unknowns in store. There are those of us who absolutely don’t want to make friends with winter and have so far outsmarted it with clever holiday planning. Then there are the passionate skiers, for whom there is nothing better than carving down freshly groomed slopes. And then there are all those who have already preferred the decelerating winter activities in previous years.

In recent years, we have also left our skis or snowboards at home more and more often and have instead set off with snowshoes. And I have found that no winter activity brings the same feelings of happiness as a snowshoe hike through fresh powder snow. And so I floated on the Arnisee Trail – our first real tour of the season – in seventh winter heaven.

Snowshoeing for beginners: good to know

This winter season is likely to further increase the popularity of snowshoeing. On the one hand, that’s great – because winter hiking and snowshoeing are both more sustainable winter sports activities than classic skiing. Nevertheless, there are a few principles to keep in mind here as well:

• As with hiking in summer, the same applies to winter hiking and snowshoeing: follow signposted routes and don’t just trudge back and forth through the landscape. An overview of the marked trails in Switzerland can be found on Global Trail and Switzerland Mobil
• Respect and avoid wildlife rest areas and wildlife sanctuaries
• Be on the road with good shoe material (I myself use a sturdy, crampon-proof, ankle-high mountain boot) and test two or three snowshoe models before you decide on a suitable one for you
• Pay attention to the weather forecasts and snow conditions and study the altitude profile of the tour
• Away from secured routes, avalanche protection equipment consisting of an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel should be in the backpack
• Don’t overestimate yourself – snowshoeing is exhausting (the first time anyway) and the right walking technique needs to be practiced

And if you want to try snowshoeing this season, then I have a tour for you that is very suitable for beginners thanks to easy, protected terrain and various start and finish locations. Of course, this tour is also worthwhile for the advanced among you. The pictures of this wonderful winter day speak for themselves!

Jewel of Central Switzerland: Arni High Plateau

I had been flirting with a detour to the small high plateau Arni not far from Amsteg in the canton of Uri for a long time. It’s not just around the corner from Zurich, but it’s close enough to make the detour here as a day trip. At the same time, it is also away from the more well-known winter sports resorts of the region. There are no ski lifts up here – but there is a well-signposted snowshoe trail and a beautiful winter hiking trail. Both lead past the shores of Lake Arni, where the public fireplace is occasionally used by local day-trippers for “brätlä”, even in winter.

The high plateau with its lake and charming scattered settlement (or, depending on how you look at it, a typical example of Swiss urban sprawl) is accessible by two cable cars. From Amsteg, the Amsteg-Arnisee cable car provides access to the area. However, if you arrive by public transport, you have a better connection to the Intschi-Arnisee cable car. With this you can reach the high plateau at 1,370 metres above sea level in five minutes. And then: mount snowshoes, set off and a few minutes later dive into the winter wonderland at the frozen Arnisee.

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Ideal practice area for beginners

We started the snowshoe tour “late” for our standards (around 10:00 am) and were amazed that we still get to enjoy the first tracks of the day. Since both the snowshoe hike and the winter hiking trail are shorter or medium-long routes that can be carried out well in the form of a half-day trip, the morning rush is limited here, even on weekends. The snowshoe trail leads over the high plateau in a kind of “8” and passes both cable car stations. Thus, it is possible to vary the length of the tour depending on your taste and the form of the day. There are no steep inclines or exposed steep slopes here either. Ideal terrain to take your first snowshoe steps.

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Varied and promising ups and downs

We first headed for the loop via Rüti to Vorder Arni. This leads from Lake Arni down a few metres in altitude to Mittel, Arni and then climbs again a few metres in altitude to the viewpoint in Vorder Arni. The scenery is varied and the panorama of the mountain scenery all around is impressive – even if the mighty breeze initially gallantly holds back behind the clouds on our tour. At Vorder Arni, the effort is rewarded with a view of the Reuss Valley and Lake Lucerne beyond.

Afterwards, the route is similarly varied through wooded sections and past the scattered settlement of Mittel-Arni back to Lake Arni.

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Back at the starting point, you can either end the tour or add another loop towards Törli. We spontaneously opted for the latter. The 45-minute additional loop offers a different perspective on the high plateau and the Uri peaks behind it – and the extra metres of altitude make the pulse soar again. With a hiking time of just under three hours – and that with pre-tracks – we are also fast on the way for the first tour of the season.

Practical tips for your snowshoe hike on the Arnisee Trail

You can see our route on the map below. The Arnisee Trail is marked by red and blue posts and signposted with the route number “882”. Thanks to the two access points, the length of the tour can be varied quite flexibly and shortened as desired. The Intschi-Arnisee cable car runs every 20 minutes and offers an hourly connection to the bus connection in the direction of Erstfeld. The adult ticket costs 16 CHF (round trip).

Switzerland Mobil gives a guideline time of 3:35 h for the Arnisee Trail. It took us just under 3 hours to complete the full loop.

Arnisee Trail: Key data of the tour

Starting point	Mountain station of the Intschi-Arnisee cable car (1,370 m above sea level)
Reachability	accessible by public transport
Length	7.3 kilometres
Elevation gain	↗ 350 m 350 m ↘
Duration	3:00 – 3.30 p.m.
Destination	Mountain station of the Intschi-Arnisee cable car
Catering	Berggasthaus Alpenblick (directly at the mountain station of the cable car and with takeaway option)