English Forum Switzerland - View Single Post - GPS-Tagged Hikes

Longbyt · #25 14.09.2009, 12:38

Unfortunately no GPS hiking boots but Photos and Maps to the second and third hike on Flickr.

Menzingen (Canton Zug) to the Hikers Hut Gruemel above Lake Aegeri
If you want to hear only Swiss German and avoid ex-pats, this is the place for you.
Plenty of paths to choose from for this short hike but even the 25.000 maps don’t show the name of the building. Swiss Coordinates: 688886 222675
Bikers and hikers also come from over the Raten Pass so there are sometimes more folk there than expected so be prepared to wait for your food and drink. The view is beautiful though and enjoying the sunshine is pure pleasure. Check the opening days and times!

The whole area is a walker’s paradise and this site has a lot of ideas for shorter walks. (in English)

Toggenburg SG - from Nesslau over the Windenpass to Unterwasser. Time – 5,5 hours, Uphill - 600m, Downhill - 800m.
Photos and Map

In Nesslau we took the bus towards the Schwägalp Pass, getting off at Schiltmoos. We crossed a lovely boggy stretch, then saw several alpine huts as we made our way up towards the pass. Mostly the path was well marked, but on occasion the marking seemed to have been done on the way down, as the familiar white, red, white stripes were not as clear from our direction.

On the higher slopes, traversing the mountain, it was less easy going. Narrow, a bit damp and the path in some places eroded. Not dangerous though, as had one missed ones step one could only fall into the roots and bushes to the right.

The last slope was steep and rocky, and I, for one, needed both hands to get up it. Not my favourite sort of route, but the view coming over the top of the pass was quite something. The Churfirsten, all in a magnificent row. Unexpectedly, from ‘straight behind’ as it were, we saw the ‘valleys’ between them all. From a more usual, diagonal angle, they look closer together.

Coming down was child’s play, even though we had an extra 200m to descend. The Lake (Gräppelensee) gave us a place for a break. Some people were swimming and it must be a ‘secret tip’ for bikers on a warm day.

Some folk doing the Windenpass get off the bus a stop earlier at Luttertannen and go up via the Risi Pass. Perhaps this is slightly easier, as reports of the route imply that ‘our’ way included one of the roughest bits.
An excellent tour but perhaps not ideal for female no-longer-golden Oldies!

Schächentaler Höhenweg UR. Biel to Balm (Klausenpass) Time – 5 hours, Uphill – 500m, Downhill – 300m.
Map and Photos.
Other routes in the region. (Only in German)
We set off from Bürglen (near Altdorf) and took the cableway up to Biel. After the hike we came back down the valley from Balm to Bürglen by Postcar (infrequent service).

The cabin of the cableway from Bürglen only holds eight people. Although the scheduled service would have been a twenty minute wait, we were able to ascend immediately, as a group of six other hikers were right behind us!
The route is a well walked, well marked path with no difficulties anywhere. Part of the way is farm-vehicle track – watch for the turn-offs to the real hiking path which is more interesting walking. Views over the whole valley are magnificent. No restaurants until Balm though so food and drink out of the rucksack.
Another great day out.