Stoos Ridge Hike – Fronalpstock to Klingenstock

With its great panoramic view of ten Swiss lakes and dozens of well-known peaks, the Fronalpstock is one of the most popular excursion destinations in Central Switzerland. Word has also spread far and wide about the range of sunset cruises from May to October. But did you know that you can also spend the night on the Fronalpstock? A night on the popular excursion mountain not only gives you a unique start to the day, but also the exclusive enjoyment of the Klingenstock-Fronalpstock ridge walk.

Admittedly, a detour to the Fronalpstock didn’t particularly appeal to me for a long time. Of course – the panorama is supposed to be fantastic. But this is widely known and accordingly the Fronalpstock is also a magnet for day trippers on nice days. When I discovered a few weeks ago that the summit restaurant also has eight pretty casual-looking hotel rooms on offer, my curiosity was piqued and we took a closer look at the offer on a magnificent October weekend.

 

 

Overnight stay—One night on the Fronalpstock

The summit restaurant can be reached all year round with the Stoos-Fronalpstock chairlift during operating hours. Depending on how you plan your arrival day, you can also hike up from Stoss (this takes about 1.5 to 2 hours). Since we combined our arrival day with a hike on the Rigi, we used the feeder function of the chairlift in the late afternoon and reached the summit restaurant about an hour before sunset.

The hotel rooms are located in the basement of the summit restaurant and are a real positive surprise for us. Recently renovated and refurnished, they present themselves in a restrained but absolutely contemporary style. We booked a room with a balcony, whereby the “balcony” turns out to be terrace access – but not too much was promised with the room view. And anyway, the advantage of terrace access is that you can explore directly from your room.

We are not alone on the summit this evening. It is the last sunset ride of the season and some day-trippers have taken advantage of the beautiful day and made their way to the Fronalpstock like us. These days, the hills around Lake Lucerne really present themselves from their most beautiful side with their autumnal dress.

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The early bird on the Fronalpstock…

While the hotel room exceeded our expectations, the subsequent dinner in the summit restaurant Fronalpstock dipped them quite well. The food is okay, as long as the expectation is set to “typical Swiss mountain restaurant fare”. But we are not here for the food, but for the panorama. And that can easily top the mood of the evening before the next morning.

This time we stand alone on the viewing platform and admire how the rising sun makes the sky glow in all shades of red. My gaze wanders from the Great Mythen, where we had a little less luck with the weather two weeks earlier during a sunrise hike, to the sea of fog in the Swiss Plateau. Some mountain choughs are already circling – otherwise nothing can be heard except a deep calm. I watch as the first rays of sunshine make the Rigi glow golden and how the light works its way down the mountain flanks metre by metre, until shortly before 8 o’clock the autumn colours of the forests on Lake Lucerne are also illuminated.

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We are only a handful of guests this morning. And while most of us will have a leisurely breakfast and take the first chairlift back to Stoss at 9 a.m., we are a bit more jagged on the road.

Start of the hike on the Fronalpstock

Shortly before half past 9 o’clock, we shoulder our backpacks and follow the hiking trail signs in the direction of Klingenstock. The advantage of the early morning hours wants to be used for the hike on the well-known ridge path between Fronalpstock and Klingenstock. With the early start of the hike, we not only benefit from little oncoming traffic, but also from an unexpected encounter with a large group of chamois. They use the quiet morning hours to graze on the extensive pastures above the steep flanks.

The hiking trail first leads down almost 200 meters in altitude from the Fronalpstock to Furggelen. From there, the ridge hiking trail to the Klingenstock is signposted with a walking time of 1:45 h. Now the narrow path winds around the partly exposed rock flanks and leads up to the saddle a few meters below the Huser Stock (the third summit in the group) on pleasant stairs.

Now follows the classic ridge hiking trail, which runs in a constant up and down to the Klingenstock. The ridge walk offers less than 500 meters of altitude in total, but some of the climbs are quite steep and make the pulse jump up briefly here and there. Until shortly before “Rot Türen” we enjoy the hiking trail all to ourselves. It is only on the last kilometer that oncoming traffic picks up, and I am happy about the decision to combine the ridge walk with the overnight stay on the Fronalpstock from the oncoming mixed group of hikers (many are on the road with unsuitable shoe material or do not have their hiking poles under control).

Additional loop for foodies

Another argument in favor of an early hike is the choice of nearby gourmet restaurants. Not far from the valley station of the new Stoos funicular is the Landgasthof Adler, which I have already raved about here at the beginning of the summer season. This time, after the hike, we went for lunch to the Magdalena restaurant in Rickenbach near Schwyz, which is also not far away. The restaurant is run by a young team led by chef Dominik Hartmann. Apart from the fantastically composed and vegetable-dominated menu, the atmosphere here inspires us. Bright, airy, urban. And all this in the middle of the Schwyz valley basin. A stop for all those who like to be surprised by creative dishes.

Practical tips for your excursion with a hike to the Fronalpstock

The following map shows the route of the ridge hike from Fronalpstock via Huser Stock to the Klingenstock. Most of the route descriptions that can be found online assume that you start the hike on the Klingenstock and hike to the Fronalpstock. For all those who don’t spend the night on the Fronalpstock like we do, this makes sense, in particular because you always have a view towards Lake Lucerne. In addition, you save a few meters in altitude, as the Fronalpstock is a modest 14 meters lower than the Klingenstock. The additional detour to the Huser Stock takes only 10 minutes and is worthwhile for all those who are looking for a particularly beautiful picnic spot with a 360° panoramic view.

The ridge hiking trail is a mountain trail of difficulty T2/T3. The trail is well secured throughout, but has some narrow and exposed passages. A head for heights, surefootedness and good shoe material are therefore strongly recommended. Also note that the trail can get muddy/slippery after heavy rainfall.

In addition, please note that the Klingenstock chairlift only operates in good weather during the low season (the current operating hours are updated daily on the Stoss Muotathal website). However, there are also various ways to get back to Stoos on foot from the ridge hiking trail (this takes about an additional hour).

The summit restaurant on the Fronalpstock is open daily until the beginning of November. In the mid-season from mid-November to mid-December, the operating hours are reduced to weekends and holidays. Overnight stays are possible from Saturday to Sunday during this period. The prices for an overnight stay in a double room with breakfast start at around 203 CHF. More information can be found on the website of the summit restaurant.

Key data of the ridge walk Fronalpstock – Klingenstock

Starting point	Summit restaurant Fronalpstock (accessible by chairlift)
Length	4.8 kilometres
Elevation gain	↗ 435 m 415 m ↘
Duration	2:00 p.m.
Destination	Klingenstock chairlift mountain station