Family-friendly Tobel hike: through the Wissbachschlucht to Degersheim

Today I have a hiking tip for you that can be used very “flexibly”. The tour through the Wissberg Gorge easily combines a wide variety of requirements under one roof. Do sun and clouds change every minute and you don’t know how long it will stay dry? You need a change of scenery and a good dose of fresh (forest) air, but don’t want to exhaust yourself with sports? Or would you like to get out into the countryside with your children and not too many but still have a maximum of exciting kilometres? Then you’ve come to the right place. And if you still get the hiking bug on the way, you can easily extend this tour to a multi-day hike – but more on that later.

Family hike from Gossau

We start the hike through the Wissbachlucht on a cloudy afternoon at Gossau train station. With a distance of just over eight kilometres and few “tough” climbs, the hike is well suited to undertake as a family with children. The introduction is accordingly gentle. We walk past the Buechenwald sports field across the residential area southeast of the train station. At the edge of the settlement, the hiking trail follows an ascending field path towards the hamlet of Mult. Once this first ascent has been overcome, the trail continues leisurely along wide gravel paths along orchards and cow pastures to the first ravine of this tour – the valley of the Glatt.

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The jagged descent is followed by an equally brisk ascent. At the height of Tobelmühle, we not only walk over the happily rippling Glatt, but also cross a cantonal border at the same time. For the time being, we leave the canton of St. Gallen behind us and march uphill towards the oldest documented settlement in the Appenzell region.

To the oldest settlement in the Appenzell region

The ascent from the bottom of the Glatt valley to the hamlet of “Schwänberg”, which is almost 100 metres higher, is also the most strenuous part of this tour. But at the sight of the pretty ensemble of venerable Toggenburg block and timber frame buildings, the effort is soon forgotten. Every first Sunday of the month, the museum in the Old Town Hall of Schwänberg opens its doors to free visitors with background information on the history of the hamlet.

Through the secluded Wissbach Gorge

In Schwänberg we cross the “Appenzellerland Cultural Trail” and from now on follow the first stage to its starting point in Degersheim. This in turn leads us over pastures down to the next ravine – the Wissbachtobel with the gorge of the same name. If you choose the direct route towards the ravine, you will pass the “Schwänbergbrücke” – a beautiful wooden bridge. Alternatively, there is the option of hiking via the higher path in a version that is easier on the knees into the Wissbach Gorge.

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Either way, the paths cross again at the level of the nameless reservoir at the end of the gorge. The reservoir as well as the subsequent smaller industrial buildings in the gorge are part of a small hydroelectric power plant, which was built in 1892 and can therefore be described as an industrial monument. Despite its industrial use, the Wissbach Gorge offers some secluded corners to linger, refresh your feet in the cool water, build mini dams or admire the thick green canopy.

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Shortly before Degersheim, the hike has a few meters of altitude in store at the end – if there is still plenty of energy, you can stalk Degersheim over the Freudenberg. Otherwise, there is also a “Direttissima” through the residential quarters to choose from.

Practical tips for your trip to the Wissbach Gorge

The route of our ravine hike through the Wissbach Gorge can be found on the following map. The distance of the tour (from Gossau train station to Degersheim train station) is just under 8.6 kilometres. The hike includes two climbs of a total of 375 meters in altitude. The walking time alone is around 2.5 hours at a leisurely pace. In the Wissbach gorge there is also an official fireplace including the possibility to swim in the river (which is allowed). From Degersheim there are train connections back to Gossau every half hour.

Alternatively, the hike through the Wissbach Gorge can be combined with a detour to the Gasthaus Rössli in the Mogelsberg and/or a tour along the Neckertaler Höhenweg.