Hike – Graubünden - Rhine Gorge from the railway station Valendas-Sagogn to station Reichenau-Tamins.
Time - 5 hours; Distance - 18 km; Uphill - 650 m; Downhill - 720 m

Link to Map and Photos

This is a day's hike along the 'Vorderrhein'. If there is a lot of water in the Rhine, the path between Valendas and Versam station will be flooded. Seeing all the areas flooded a year or so back and the devastation caused to the railway line, one understands why the train tickets around there are more expensive than others over a similar distance in other regions.

The path are, for the most part very clearly marked and easy walking. From time to time there is a short stretch walking on the 'dam' where gravel has been piled up away from the rock-fall area to protect hikers. The path is very clear as everyone tramps the same route.
We drove to Reichenau by car, parked at the station and caught the Rhätische Railway to Valendas. (a train each hour).

At the very start of the hike, the map shows the path incorrectly. The path goes across the level crossing in the direction of Sagogn.
Later, in spite of the signs, it is necessary to go over a building site as the path, after going through a small tunnel 'stops' in front of it and 'continues' at the other end of the mud!

As several of the villages are nowhere near the railway stations (or the stations nowhere near the villages if you look at it the other way round), it's a case of taking your own food. There is one café at Versam station, very much in the shade, but tables are set up and food served on the other side of the railway line!

There are various choices of tracks to take in this region. A new path has been made between the Station in Trin and Reichenau. A suspension bridge crosses the Rhein at Trin and the railway bridge by Reichenau now has a pedestrian walkway. These paths and the bridge are not yet on the ordinary hiking maps but more details on the area are to be found here. We enjoyed this trip very much.
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Two other recent Hikes - more details of this one later I hope.

Hike – Euthal SZ > Wildegg > Euthal SZ
Time - 3 1/2 hours; Distance - 11.81 km; Uphill - 631 m; Downhill - 631 m

Link to Map and Photos.

A lovely walk which could easily be lengthened to include the Gross Aubrig (see other GPS hike). We were too late starting off to do the extra and get down in Euthal in good light. The trip can be done easily by public transport Zürich > Wädenswil > Einsiedeln > Euthal. However there are not very many buses from Einsiedeln up to Euthal and back from Euthal to Einsiedeln so check times carefully. Boots are, as usual, best.For the not-quite so sure footed, it is better done this way round and not reversed. There is a short stretch just short of the Wildegg which is a single track slope which was muddy and not ideal to come down. The 'steps' which hikers make on well-walked paths get smoothed off again by the bikers riding over them. No problem going up though. Alpine café (live alpine music while we were there) with super view.


Hike – Alpthal SZ > Hagenegg SZ > Brünnelistock > Trachslau SZ
Time - 4 1/2 hours; Distance - 14.1 km; Uphill - 767 m; Downhill - 700 m

Zürich > Wädenswil > Einsiedeln > Alpthal by public transport. Bus from Trachslau on the return journey.

Wonderful autumn views with a panorama of 'snow mountains'. Restaurant at Hagenegg with view towards the Mythen and the lakes below. Chamois can be seen on the rocky slopes if you are lucky. Considering the ease of the walk, it's another rewarding one.

Hike – Amden SG > Hintere Höhi; Time - 4:48 hours; Distance - 11 km; Uphill - 700 m; Downhill - 700 m

Link to Map and Photos

Another easy hike taking advantage of the wonderful autumn days on a sunny slipe above Amden. It was cold in the morning and in the shadows there were patches of hoar frost but in the sun it was quite warm in spite of being November!

A bus goes up to Amden from Ziegelbrücke SG. We did the trip on a Friday in the middle of November and at this time of year the Chairlift from Amden up to Niederschlag only runs at the weekends. Regrettably the Naturfreundehaus is closed on weekdays too and the house at Furgglen is now closed for the winter. We took our food with us and sat on the benches in the sunshine there though.

On the Hüttlisboden, we tossed up whether we should go up the last 280m to the top of the Gulmen (there are several mountains/hills of that name in Heidiland) but we decided against it as the descent would be all in shadow, would be cool and would make us later than we wanted to be. The light fades early at this time of year.

We saw globe flowers which had decided that it was already spring. Another interesting sight was a nesting box with a clock on the front at Furgglen. So that’s how the birds know when to wake in the morning.

Easy going. Well marked but keep an eye on the tracks across the meadows. There is no real path but the colour of the grass shows where others have followed this route.

For anyone who wants a flatter walk, one can catch the chairlift to Niederschlag and walk along the ‘Höhenweg’ to Arvenbühl and take the bus back down to Amden from there.

Niederschlag is also the start of the narrow path up the Mattstock. The avalanche barriers on the slope look for all the world like teeth braces. The view from the top is said to be very good though!

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Hike – Rietbad (Toggenburg SG) via Hinterfallenchopf, Ellbogen, Chräzerenpass to Steinchräzeren
Time - 4:35 hours; Distance - 10.8 km; Uphill - 700 m; Downhill - 500 m

Link to Map and Photos

This hike can be done using public transport but it takes a fair while from Zürich (1 3/4 to 2 hours). Check bus and connection times for the more 'remote' parts.

Once again, we enjoyed wonderful autumn weather. In Rietbad, on the road up to the Schwägalp, there is a skilift with parking area and a post bus stop. The only restaurant en route was Chräzerli and at this time of year it is closed. Not surprising as we only met two hikers on the whole trip.

Again, a chilly start as we set off before the sun reached the valley floor but soon we were up in the warmth. The track is well marked and easy walking. One narrow, steeper part but still correctly marked as a yellow walking path, not a red and white mountain track.
The path down from the pass to Chräzerli could be pretty wet and slippery after rain. We just had dusty hiking boots at the end of it.

Regarding bus connections back down to Rietbad, we had changed our plan and extended the hike a little, coming down by a different track. We were lucky in that although we hadn’t even glanced at the post bus timetable for this route and missed one bus by a short margin, there was another 1¼ hrs later – the last one - which ran at 15.20!! It took us over the Schwägalp back down to Rietbad with more impressive views of the mountains as we descended. Switzerland at its best.

Snowshoe Hike

Hemberg SG > Salomontempel > Rigelschwendi > Hemberg
Link to track and photos

Distance – 7.9 km, Time – 3 hours, Uphill – ca. 200m, Downhill – ca. 200 m
Post buses run between Wattwil and Hemberg. For motorists there are several places where one can park on the route between Hemberg and Bendel. (For anyone who is interested in politics, Tony Brunner, president of the SVP farms in Bendel). Snowshoes can be rented at the Pension Missionshaus Alpenblick, 9633 Hemberg

An easy snowshoe hike suitable for beginners. The track is marked with small blue markers (the arrows on them showing the direction for turn-offs are very small indeed) The track was not yet much walked but clearly visible, quite a bit of the way with powder snow. From time to time it ran parallel to the cross-country ski loipe. Switzerland at its best. The 'family' ski lifts above Hemberg were running so we could enjoy a drink at the ski hut at the top of the piste.

Ebnat-Kappel SG > Bütschwil SG
Time - 4 hours; Distance - ca. 16 Km; Uphill - 350m; Downhill - 350 m.

Link to Track and photos
This 'afternoon' hike took us along the River Thur - it is even marked as the Thurwanderroute. We travelled first to Bütschwil and went to Ebnat-Kappel by train, so that on the way back there would be no 'waiting' for a connection. We were late starting on what would otherwise have been a shortish day hike.

As the going was so easy and the weather not particularly warm to begin with, we set off at quite a decent walking pace. Places to stop for a break were Wattwil, Lichtensteig and Dietfurt. Lichtensteig, now with a bypass which means that the centre is pretty quiet, is a lovely old town. Steep going up though. We now know why it is called 'Steig'!

To avoid the ‘rush-hour’ traffic coming back, we treated ourselves to an excellent pizza at the Restaurant Schäfli. I couldn’t quite finish mine and the waiter offered to pack the rest up for me had I wanted to take it home. I turned the offer down but I noticed that people at the next table had theirs ‘boxed’.

Very easy walking. It wouldn’t be a bad trip for visitors from abroad who can cope with distances but not Swiss hills!

Which had got the largest O' gauge model railway in the world which is good if you've got kids and the weather turns bad!

Waldstatt AR > Teufen AR (Appenzellerland)
Distance – ca. 18 km, Time – ca. 5 hours, Uphill – ca. 700m, Downhill – ca. 660m
Link to track and photos

This hike takes a zig-zag course, both in the horizontal and the vertical.
After reaching our destination, we travelled back to our starting point by train. The journey back takes about an hour, either via St. Gallen or Appenzell. The latter choice means changing just once and affords beautiful views of this lovely area including the chance to have a look at the likely location for another outing - the Kronberg. Interesting place if you have a young family full of energy!

The hike itself took us across the steep-sided valleys of the Urnäsch, the Sitter and the Rotbach. (The idea of the Hike comes from Thomas Widmer who regularly writes up his hikes in the Tages-Anzeiger.
We chose the route via Stein AR to enable us to have a look into the ‘Cheese Making Showroom’. The Appenzeller Folklore Museum is right next door to it. On Wednesday and Saturday afternoon, groups can ‘make cheese themselves’ in the alp hut.

There are many other possible variations to the route from Waldstatt to Teufen. Instead of following the Fitzibach, there is a more direct path to Stein AR via Pfand and Sonderau. From Ebne (misnomer if ever there was one) Point 1006, there are two ways to Haslen – Oberhaslen and also three more possible tracks to Teufen.

Important: Until at least mid June 2012, there is no bridge where the Rotbach joins the Sitter. As can be seen from our map we made a detour, slipping and slithering through the mud to get past the workings for the new bridge and followed the path on the same side of the stream up out of the valley. It meant going back down again later to cross by the bridge opposite the Abbey Wonnenstein but the path (mostly steps) was good.

A very worthwhile hike and in spite of the ‘interesting’ footbridges and walkways it wasn’t hard going. Only downside was the downside! After a lot of biking this spring which made going uphill easy, the legs were surprised at being expected to master large steps downwards too.

Bisisthal SZ - Schlänggen SZ > Schlänggen SZ
Distance – ca. 9.6 km, Time – ca. 2 ¾ hours, Uphill – ca. 450m, Downhill – ca. 450m
Link to map and photos.

For those who don’t know the area - the Muota flows into Lake Lucerne near Brunnen. Follow the Muotathal, driving passed the station Schlattli (railway up to the Stoos). On leaving the village of Muotathal, take the right fork, still following the Muota. The road in Bisisthal is narrow but surfaced with frequent passing places. We left the car at the Schlänggen bus stop and took the path up from there. The bus from Muotathal Post and the aerial cableway from Sahli up to the Glattalp only run from mid-June to mid-October. I suggest you check the timetables of both and the ‘Betriebsstatus’ of the aerial cableway if you want to use them.

The whole walk was well-marked and the route pretty easy to follow. However, as parts were on farm tracks up to the alpine huts, one had to keep an eye on the map when striding along on the easier surface, to avoid missing the turn-off where the hiking track left the ‘road’. No difficulties, a tree fallen across the path and the couple of gravel slips across it were easy to negotiate and the two snow slides were no longer icy and soft enough to be crossed without any worries. Part of the route has been ‘down-graded’ from a red and white marked mountain path to a yellow rhombus walking path as the route has obviously been improved fairly recently. Although the cows were not yet up on the alp, the Alp Restaurant Hinderst Hütte on the Waldisee was open on Whit Monday.

In a way, hiking there was like going back two months botanically. The snow wasn’t long gone and so we saw the odd crocus, butterbur, coltsfoot and violets which we saw round the Hirzel in March/April. Numerous kingcups and buttercups covered some of the slopes too but the sight of hundreds of gentians was a very special treat.

Boots make the walking easier but nothing difficult about it. Good for hiking families with some nice spots for a picnic in the valley. (Concrete supports for the ‘benches’ are permanent, but, as yet, the wooden seats haven’t been replaced after the snow!). Reservoirs for hydro-electric power and the streams in the valley below them are not for bathing! If you’ve seen the force of the water-overflow and you know that the ‘flood-gates’ are sometimes opened automatically without warning, to clear the sediment, you’ll understand why. Enjoy yourselves.