6 years ago, I came across one of the most spectacular hikes in Switzerland. Located in the popular Churfirsten area, the route is known as “Schnüerliweg” and right after I had done it for the first time in 2017, I knew I would do it again someday. As it simply was a unique hike, I had told my friends Tamina and Flo about it and for a few years we had it on our list to do it together. At the beginning of July this year, we finally found an opportunity and lucky us, the weather was on our side. The “Schnüerliweg” isn't an official hiking trail and as it’s super exposed the whole way, it wouldn’t be a good idea to do it when it's wet. Summer was in full bloom however and a heat wave made sure that the conditions were dry enough. So, Tamina, Flo and I took the train on a beautiful Sunday morning to Walenstadt where we met Tamina’s mother Claudia, who had spontaneously decided to join in. She drove us all the way to the parking lot of Hochrugg, which saved us quite some altitude difference, as otherwise we would have had to start walking in Walenstadtberg. Eager to go, we left the parking lot around a quarter to nine and struggled at the first bend already, as it wasn’t obvious if the sign pointed towards a gravel road or its adjoining meadow. :) Reassuring us with a quick look on the map, we headed along the gravel road until we arrived at a junction a few minutes later. As we had read about a monument of peace called Paxmal, we took the short detour to pay that site a visit. Looking like a Greek temple, it felt a little bit out of place there, but for sure it's a nice spot to get some peace and rest.
Back at the junction, we turned to the right and walked through a lovely meadow in the woods, leaving the gravel road behind for good. Following a narrow blue and white trail, we started to gain some height and shortly afterwards met our first obstacle: a sheer rock wall. Fortunately, there were plenty of ropes and bolts to hold on to, so the climb turned out to be not too difficult.
Once out of the wall, the path remained steep and narrow, so slowly but steadily we made our way upwards. Taking a first break some time later on, the next turnoff wasn’t too far away anymore and while on the map the shortcut we were about to take wasn’t an official hiking trail, in reality, the way and the turnoff itself, was marked perfectly. :) Unfortunately for us, the shortcut was just another steep rise and as only a part of it was in the woods, the sweat was already flowing like water. :) Well, we had no other choice than to clamber up that slope and eventually came upon a plateau where an official hiking trail was passing through. Taking another short break as Claudia didn't feel so well, we had a look at the upcoming steep ascent and the challenges we were about to face afterwards. Together we decided that it was better to part our ways and while Tamina, Flo and I would continue as planned, Claudia would stay on the official trail and would meet us later again at some point during our descent from the “Schnüerliweg”. Saying our goodbyes, we took a fairly hidden turnoff that was marked by an inconspicuous cairn and started to ascend once more. There were no more markings from now on, but the direction was obvious and the trail mostly easy to find, that didn’t make the ascent less strenuous though. :) The sun shone merciless and the sweat was still flowing like water, but at least the view got better and better and served as a good excuse to take a break or two. :)
If you ever looked at the Churfirsten, you wouldn’t expect a path where we were walking through, but it was right there and today we weren’t the only ones on it. A few hikers passed us on their descent, but even though we were approaching the “Züsler Highway”, it definitely wasn’t a highway at all. :) Steadily gaining height, we eventually arrived at the bottom of the magnificent cliff of Mount Brisi. Heading along the impressive rock wall, we soon found some shade, sat down for a moment, caught our breath and enjoyed the view. Once we were ready to move on, we followed the narrow trail at the bottom of the cliff and coming around a corner we had to stop yet again. The best part of the Churfirsten range spread out ahead of us and while the view was absolutely mind blowing, we were also able to see the “Schnüerliweg” for the first time.
Carefully moving along the exposed trail, we soon had reached the next climbing obstacle. Again, there were ropes and bolts to help us through and again they were much appreciated, as otherwise it would have been much more difficult.
Having overcome that obstacle as well, we arrived in the gap between Mount Brisi and Zuestoll and took a first look to the other side of the Churfirsten. The Alpstein on the horizon was beautiful as ever and I was glad to see that there was another unmarked trail leading down into the valley. As we had taken enough breaks during the ascent, we only rested for a few minutes, before we started to descend along the well trodden path. It led over a vast rock field at first, before the grass eventually took over and right when the track slowly began to fade away, the blue and white trail that led upwards to the summit of the Zuestoll suddenly appeared. As we were a bit behind schedule and as that first part had been strenuous enough already, we decided to skip the peak and instead turned left to head down the mountain. Once more, some scrambling was involved, but it wasn’t too difficult and the view made up for everything anyway. :)
Reaching the next junction, we turned right and followed the official trail for a couple hundred meters before we turned right again and started to walk across country into the valley between Mount Zuestoll and Schibenstoll. Having learned a hard lesson the last time, I told Tamina and Flo that our goal was the left flank, as there was the easiest way to ascend. So, we headed diagonally across the valley floor, at first moving slowly over some razor sharp karst, later moving along grassy slopes with plenty of boulders in between.
As we hadn’t really eaten anything so far, a surge of hunger made us take another break in the shade of a large boulder. Continuing with our steady ascent once we had gained some strength again, we eventually came upon the scree that I remembered from the last time. While I had wasted a lot of energy in the rubble back then, today we were luckier and soon found another unmarked trail. Maybe the “Schnüerliweg” is more popular nowadays, as I didn’t remember to have had a path back in 2017. Well, we certainly didn’t complain, as it made the final ascent a great deal easier than expected. :)
Arriving in the gap between Mount Zuestoll and Schibenstoll, we had a second lunch, caught our breath and marveled at the stunning view towards Lake Walen. Once the time had come to move on, we finally were about to enter the “Schnüerliweg” and naturally the hardest part was waiting just at the beginning. :) Balancing on a rocky ledge below another impressive cliff, we took it slowly step by step and were glad that there was a rope to hold on to.
A 100 meters of pure adrenaline later, we had the most difficult section behind us and were ready to enjoy the upcoming spectacular part. From now on, we followed a narrow trail in the grass at the foot of the Churfirsten cliffs and without any more ropes to assist us, we had to tread very carefully. To the right side the abyss was waiting and to slip would have meant a disaster.
So, whenever we decided to check out the gorgeous scenery, we stopped, as everything else would have been irresponsible. Plenty of stops were taken therefore, as the view changed repeatedly, remaining something of the most spectacular I’ve ever seen in Switzerland! And just in case you think I'm exaggerating, below comes the proof. :)
Unfortunately, also the best trails come to an end and when we were on the final part, we suddenly heard a shout from somewhere ahead of us. Claudia had decided to meet us at the end of the "Schnüerliweg" and had taken a few steps on it herself. Seeing us approaching, she decided to descend to an alp a bit further down and once we had reached the official hiking trail again, we followed her to the alp where we met at last and caught up on our adventures. The hike wasn’t over however and the next blue and white trail was already waiting. :) Leading along the mountainside, we gradually descended, scrambled over a couple rocks and enjoyed some more lovely views towards the Churfirsten and Lake Walen.
Entering the woods towards the end of the slope, we were glad about the shade, but were suffering from the heat even more, when we eventually came upon the gravel road that led us to the Alp Tschingla. Well, when you sweat a lot, you have to drink a lot and so we sat down in the restaurant of the alp for a refreshing beer. :)
So, all that was left to do now was to head back to the parking lot of Hochrugg, but as we didn’t want to go down the path we had used in the morning, we decided to take a detour along the seemingly easier red and white trail. Well, it certainly wasn't difficult, but we didn’t anticipate all the short ascents in between. Whenever we had one behind us, we could see another one ahead of us and it almost made us turn around to use the blue and white trail anyway. :) In the end however, we did the whole detour, not least because the gorgeous Churfirsten still showed themselves from their best side. As it was late in the afternoon already when we started our final descent over a vast meadow, one would have thought it would be a bit cooler, but nope, we kept on sweating until the very end. :) At least the descent wasn’t too strenuous, as the slope was pretty gentle and featured some last beautiful views, before we eventually reached the gravel road that led us back to the parking lot at Hochrugg.
Tired, but happy with how the day had turned out, we headed back home for a shower and a large dinner. Well, this simply had been a fantastic day: the weather, the trail, the company, it couldn’t have been any better! :) And finally having done the “Schnüerliweg” again, I was glad that my memory of it was just fine, as it still was exactly as spectacular as it had been the first time. :)
Highlights of the day: the “Schnüerliweg” and the “Züsler Highway”
This hike is for you if:
- you’re looking for super exposed trails
- you’re an experienced hiker and scrambler
- you’re looking for the best views over the Churfirsten and Lake Walen
- you prefer solitude and trails that aren't overrun :)
This hike is not for you if:
- you have vertigo
- you're not sure-footed
- you have no experience in alpine hiking or scrambling
- you’re looking for an easy day hike
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