Schnebelhorn & Hörnli, two popular peaks of the Zurich Oberland

With the experience that I had gained from the last two hikes, I knew in the meantime that the public transport was safe enough as long as I avoided the “rush hour” in the morning and evening. So for my third “Corona” hike I decided to go a bit further. The aim was to scale some higher mountains and so there was basically only one place to go in the canton of Zurich: the Zurich Oberland. The highest mountains of the canton are all there and I knew from past adventures that the area is super lovely. Doing my research beforehand, I stumbled upon several suitable hikes and in the end opted for one that would lead me through some parts that I haven’t explored so far. The two main goals of the hike were the Schnebelhorn, the highest mountain of the canton Zurich and the Hörnli, another popular peak nearby that I would visit for the first time ever. Just after 8 o’clock in the morning, I hopped onto the train and made my way to Steg, the starting point of today's excursion. Sharing the wagon with a maximum of three other people, I kept to the government rules without a problem and thought once again that the chance of infection was much higher in a busy supermarket than on an empty train… Arriving in Steg, I started to walk right away and first hiked through the little town along the main street. Many different ways lead up to the Schnebelhorn, so I had downloaded the GPS coordinates to make sure that I would take the intended route. Turning left at the end of the village, the trail followed a river for a while until I came upon a turnoff and had to check which way I had to go. While I also could have turned left, the GPS told me to walk straight ahead and so that was what I did. Assuming that from now on I just could follow the official signs, I put away my phone and hiked along a wide road that first led through a forest before it turned into a steady ascending slope.

Making my way slowly upwards, the first mountains appeared as soon as I had that slope behind me. Passing a couple farms shortly afterwards, I only had walked on roads so far and somehow got the feeling that I had taken the wrong way. As I still came across some official signs though, I kept moving without checking the GPS. After one of those farms, the way led upwards more steeply and eventually turned into a proper hiking trail some time later on. It wasn't for long however and coming upon the next farm, the signpost there suddenly pointed into the wrong direction. Finally having a look at my GPS again, I noticed that I had taken a completely different route than actually intended. :) Haha. Well, the way that I was supposed to be on was nearby, just a short ascent up the hill along a shortcut that was marked on the map. In reality the shortcut existed as well, but unfortunately it was barred. While in the past I had ignored a barricade every now and then, I decided that this time I would take the detour. It was a pretty long one though and led me along the main road for quite a bit. Passing the other end of the shortcut, I saw that it was barred as well, so I assumed that something rather serious had happened to the trail in between. Coming upon another turnoff a couple minutes later on, the sign told me that I should go straight ahead to reach the Schnebelhorn while the GPS told me to turn left. As I hadn’t walked along the intended way at all so far, I decided to follow the GPS and made it as far as around the next bend. :) Woodcutters were at work in the forest and another barricade barred the most direct way to my first goal. Well, bad luck I guess and so I turned around to take another longish detour along the main road. It was a pretty arduous part that followed, especially as a couple trucks were passing me, but at least the view was kinda nice, actually better than if I would have taken the shorter way through the woods. :)

A picture taken during the walk along the narrow road

Nevertheless, I was glad when the trail eventually led me away from the main road. Slowly heading upwards again, the Schnebelhorn finally appeared once I came around a longer bend at the end of a steady ascending slope.

You can see the steep ascent going up to the Schnebelhorn just beyond the house in the middle

A final steep ascent awaited me and already from far away I could see that I wasn’t the only one out and about today. :) Even though the restaurant was closed and the parking spaces cordoned off, there were quite some people to be seen, but as usual, everyone kept to the rules of our government. Reaching the peak about 15 minutes later, I first enjoyed the views towards the Alps in the distance and then sat down for a 45 minutes lunch break.

The summit on 1292 meters above sea level. In the back you can see the Alpstein with Mount Säntis jutting out in the middle

It wasn't my first time to walk along the ridge that followed after lunch, but today the weather was much better compared to the last time and I could see all the other popular peaks in the area like the Bachtel or the Hörnli.

Walking along the ridge. The Hörnli is the big "hill" in the back that you can see towards the left side of the picture

Whereas in the morning I had managed to walk four additional kilometers, the hike now at last turned into a very smooth one. Well, at least for the next couple hours. :) Trees alternated with the open sky and the way led marginally up and down, sometimes following proper hiking trails, other times the omnipresent dirt roads. No detours were needed and I enjoyed my surroundings to the fullest, while the Hörnli in the meantime came closer and closer.

The antenna on the peak was already visible :)

Entering a nature protection area, the trails became narrower again and basically in no time I stood at the bottom of the final ascent of today. The slope was rather steep but luckily not too long and the huge antenna on top of the Hörnli came into sight soon enough. From the peak, a perfect view towards the Alps unfolded before me and finding a nice spot to sit in the grass, I took another 45 minutes break to enjoy the panorama around me. Unfortunately, some loud people disturbed my stay on the summit a bit, but even so it was another highlight of the day.

View from the Hörnli, looking once more into the direction of the Alpstein

Starting the descent back towards Steg, I followed the official signs again until I decided to have a quick look on the GPS to make sure I took the right way. Only now I realized that those coordinates had been a "freestyle" hike, even though I took them from the official Zurich Oberland homepage. :) It would have led me across field most of the time, directly through some farmer’s meadows with no trails in sight at all. So I eventually abandoned the GPS and just kept following the official way, even if it meant a longer walk than originally intended. The descent was quite short however, as Steg appeared pretty soon below me and for once I was lucky enough to arrive right on time to catch the train home. As it was after 6 o’clock in the evening already, my plan with avoiding the “rush hour” had worked out and again I shared the wagon with only a few other people. Although I had to take some detours and not really followed the intended way, it had been a good day and I arrived back home with a smile on my face. :)

Highlight of the day: the view from Hörnli

This hike is for you if:

- you want to stand on the highest point of the canton Zurich

- you’re looking for a longer day hike with a lot of diversity

- you want to scale two of the most popular mountains in the Zurich Oberland

- you're looking for panoramic views of the Swiss Alps

This hike is not for you if:

- you mind walking on roads

- you're looking for a technical and demanding hike

- you mind sharing the trail with mountain bikers

As mentioned above, there are many ways to reach the Schnebelhorn. This map shows exactly the way I took, including all detours. :) If you decide to follow my way, please note that the barred shortcut was between point 2 and 4 and point 5 is where I had to turn around because of the woodcutters. If you have more luck and can go past point 5, you obviously would reach point 7 (Schnebelhorn) faster than if you go all the way around it. From the Schnebelhorn to the Hörnli there is basically only one way and as it is marked very well, there should be no trouble in finding it. As for the descent back to Steg, I would suggest to just follow the official signs, as you won't gain too much time if you walk through the farmer’s meadows. All in all this is a lovely hike no matter which way you take. :)