Short walk from Immensee to Küssnacht on the North side of Mt.Rigi

Tuesday March 17, 2026 -- Another nice day and I needed to go to the local garden center, so I integrated that visit with a 5-kilometer walk, starting in the neighbouring town of Immensee where Urs grew up, and where I haven't been for several years now.

There were some nice views to snow-covered Alps in all directions, and as I had left home only at 2:30 p.m., it was actually quite warm to walk, about 13 degrees (mornings are still cold at 2-6 degrees). On the way home I stopped at the cemetery to visit my Aunt Ruth's grave, which I haven't done since early 2023...

(More photos of Küssnacht and the lakeside promenade are HERE). 

Waiting for the bus to Immensee at 2:30 p.m. at the main bus hub in Küssnacht: That house across the road was built in 1525! There have been some recent renovations done on this row of houses. They look great now. 

End of the bus line to Immensee is the Sunnehof Care Center on the hill above the lake. I started here at 2:45 p.m. with this lovely view southwards across Lake Zug to the Schwyzer Alps. 

A close-up view of the Schwyzer Alps past the drawn-out foot of the Rigi massif, and the town of Arth at the south end of Lake Zug. 

This was a short afternoon walk, just 5½ kilometers. I started at 2:45 p.m. in Immensee, and with a visit to the cemetery in Küssnacht and stopping at the garden shop, was back home by 4:45, i.e. two hours later. It was actually quite warm for most of the walk, with highs of 13 degrees. 

A quick detour to lakeside in Immensee. This is the view of Rigi Kulm from here. Urs lived here for most of his life, and used to simply "hike up to the summit" in the evenings after work.... 

Another very close-up view of the cities of Arth and Goldau at the south end of the lake, and the beautiful Schwyzer Alps. 

Across the lake to the east is Mt.Rossberg. A few days ago when we did that lovely hike near Goldau at the foot of Mt.Rossberg, it was almost completely snow-free. (Photos HERE)

In the quaint center of the village of Immensee is this fountain with a special history: At this same spot stood a chapel called St.Sebastian, built in 1608. In 1936 the chapel was torn down and this fountain built as a remembrance. 

"History" of the town fountain. On this sign is also noted that the village of Immensee celebrated its 700th anniversary in 1984. (Additional information I read on other signs indicates that there was a devastating village fire in 1708, where 10 buildings were lost, including eight homes. Apparently the chapel that was built at this site in 1608 survived). 

This beautiful house on the north side of the main square in Immensee is called the Zollerhaus, which was built in 1709, a year after the major village fire. 

Information on the Zollerhaus indicates that it was built in 1709, after a village fire of 1708. It was built for the local customs officer (Zöllner) and named after him. The building was totally renovated in 1975 by the current owners at the time. 

A row of houses on the east side (toward the lake) of the main square in Immensee. The sign on the building on the right advertises "Seeresidenz Rigi Royal", which used to be a lovely hotel with lakeside terrace (where we once enjoyed icecream with my son in 2015) but is now being rebuilt as luxury apartments. 

On the south side of the main square in Immensee is another historical house, the "Johann Ehrler Haus". Built in 1604, it survived the village fire of 20th July, 1708. (10 other buildings were destroyed). The house now belongs to the district of Küssnacht. 

From here it is just over an hour to walk to Küssnacht. I did not go via the "Hohle Gasse", I will do that another time. 

A look behind me at the village (now greatly expanded!) of Immensee at the foot of Mt.Rigi. This is the summit of the mountain, called Rigi Kulm, from the north side. 

Trying to get a couple of self-timed photos, to show that I was actually there!

From higher up, just before the underpass of the railway line, another look past the buildings of Immensee with the lake (Zugersee) in the background. 

Fruit orchards at the foot of Mt.Rigi. It snowed on the weekend and as the nights are still cold, the snow on the lovely Seebodenalp (just below the cliffs) has not yet melted. 

There was this funny fenced-off lane between the pastures and the road, which isn't really necessary, as there is barely any traffic here! Note that many farms in Switzerland now equip the roofs with solar panels to create their own power to run their operations. 

Once I got on the funny lane, I had to stay there until the end of the road. 

You can barely just make out the trail here. But it's nice to not always walk on paved roads. 

This looks properly Mediterranean or Equatorial!

A nice touch in the palm trees. 

View to the south of Mt. Stanserhorn on the right and the Nidwalden Alps on the left. The garden center (Landi) is just around the corner from here. (They did not yet have the rhubarb plant I am looking for, for my new garden! I did buy a Thyme bush, though). 

Another look at Mt.Rigi's north side. The snow has come down even way past Seebodenalp. 

This is the cemetery in Küssnacht am Rigi, where my Aunt's ashes are buried, as per her wish. She lived most of her life here in this village, from back when it actually still was a village. 

Aunt Ruth's gravestone. 

Oh look, the Magnolias are flowering! From here, a detour to buy groceries. 

One of the side alleys in the old part of Küssnacht town. 

A detour to the lakeside promenade in Küssnacht. This is the north end of the Küssnacht arm of Lake Luzern (Vierwaldstättersee) and is not far from the city of Luzern. 

A look south along Lake Küssnacht to Mt. Pilatus and the snow-covered peaks of the Bernese Alps at the far back. 

Back toward the main square at the lakeside across from the church. I don't need to go into the church on each walk now, as I've been there often! (It looks like THIS). 

This lakeside terrace next to the boat dock is part of the "Hotel du Lac Seehof", and surely a popular place in summer, with the lovely views across the lake.  

The view across the lake from where the ship from Luzern docks. 

Back home now at 4:45 p.m. in the house that used to be my Aunt Ruth's. (Where she lived since she was about 8 years old, and one of the only remaining original houses along this side of the lake).  

What my 5-km walk from Immensee to Küssnacht looks like on Google Satellite Maps. 

More photos of Küssnacht and the lakeside promenade on the recent hike I did on February 13, 2026. 

Sägel Moor Landscape and the Effects of the 1806 Rossberg Landslide

Friday March 13, 2026 -- For a change, Urs had Friday off instead of Wednesday, and we were very lucky that it was the most beautiful day of the week, the Sahara Dust is gone so visibility into the mountains was lovely, and the upcoming forecast for the weekend is suddenly back down to freezing temperatures again and snow, even to the lower elevations.

We didn't feel like traveling far on this day, so we headed just 45 minutes south to the lovely open plateau of Canton Schwyz between the Mythen mountains and Mt.Rigi, and managed a very pretty and fairly easy 12-km walk starting slightly uphill in the village of Steinerberg at the foot of Mt.Rossberg (where the worst landslide in "recent" Swiss history happened in 1806), walking via farms and streams, along the railway line, through forests and into the large Sägel moorlands north of Lake Lauerz. 

For a change, there were no churches to visit on this three-hour hike, just lots of nature, little lakes, and storks, unusual for this region. 

Before heading home, we visited Urs' Aunt for cake and coffee, as she lives near the train station in Arth-Goldau.

Lovely view of the Bernese Alps from the train station in Küssnacht am Rigi (Zoomed View). The day has dawned beautiful with great visibility!

Heading by train from Küssnacht to Goldau, with the distinctive peaks of the two Mythen Mountains. 

From Goldau a short train ride to the village of Steinerberg, where we are starting our hike. This view to the west is where we later walked along the railway line below, then crossed under the highway to the moor landscape on the left. 

View down to Lake Lauerz, and the snow-capped mountains of the Muotathal

This was a 12-km walk, meandering first through the farms and forests between Steinerberg and the railway line, then walking through the Sägel moorlands to Lauerz and Goldau. We started at 10 a.m., and got back to Goldau at 2:30 p.m. 

PART I: Farmland and Railway Line from Steinerberg to the Highway. 

Heading off on our walk, we come across this large house with a blossoming tree! That is more than likely an apricot tree. 

The bees are busy in the apricot blossoms. What a shame that the weather forecast has snow and freezing temperatures for the next day!

Heading south with a nice view of the wide open valley basin between the Mythen mountains in the east, and the foot of the Rigi Range in the west. This is Canton Schwyz. 

Perfect day for a walk in the farmland. 

We had a nice variety of trails. 

It was unusual to see two commercial planes flying so close to each other. 

These green pastures are a real treat. 

Some typical farms

Some typical farm buildings

After about 45 minutes we reach the compound called Weidli, a school for children with learning issues. The building looks like it used to be a church, but it is not open to the public. We found this out a year ago (April 1, 2025) when we ended a similar hike at the foot of Mt.Rossberg, near here at the Steinen train station. 

Past the houses in Rüti (on the outskirts of Steinen) we get a first view of Mt. Rigi, aka Rigi Kulm. 

Now our walk continues for quite a while next to the railway line, where a train passed us every few minutes (cargo and passenger trains in both directions). This is the important N/S Gotthard line. 

11 a.m. snack break on a convenient bench next to the railway line. We sat here for 20 minutes, and at least 7 trains passed us. That's one every three minutes.... 

VIDEO 1

Passenger train heading south to Bellinzona

VIDEO 2

Passenger train heading north from Bellinzona!

Another very nice barn. Soon there will be cows in all these pastures!

Continuing on our walk now next to the railway line, with still more trains passing us. 

A long cargo train passes us

VIDEO:

A cargo train heading north, possibly from Italy to Germany

Now we can see the lake below (Lake Lauerz, i.e. Lauerzersee) where we are headed next, into the marsh and moor area north of the lake (the brown landscape). These moorlands are a landscape of national significance. 

As this region at the foot of Mt.Rossberg was the site of one of Switzerland's worst landslides (actually, the mountain came down three times since prehistoric era), there are many huge boulders scattered around the landscape. I can't imagine how this one managed to land like this! Also, imagine the noise.... 

A nice variety of trails along the way.

VIDEO:

Another very long passenger train passes below us 

as we look down at the moor landscape where we are going to next.

A close-up view of the summit of Mt.Rigi, a.k.a Rigi Kulm. 

Above us now we can see the top of Mt.Rossberg, and the scar of the landslide. 

What a pleasant surprise to find a few bundles of happy-looking daffodils in the middle of a clearing (no houses nearby!)

We then got to the underpass of the railway line, and it was good timing as a train was just passing by. Boy does Urs look small compared to the size of the train above him!

VIDEO:

The train passes overhead....

While waiting for the train, we observed three large storks flying low overhead. This is an unusual sight for this region. It is not really known for storks, although the nearby marshlands might be attractive to them. 

The underpass.... 

This farm is called "Schlössli", which means "Little Castle". I was expected something quite different. In any case, there were sheep in the little carport-like shed. 

Now we have to find the underpass of the highway. On the other side are the Sägel marshlands. 

PART II:  Sägel Moor, Lake Lauerz, Goldseeli and Goldau

View of the two Mythen Mountains as we cross the moorlands heading to the lake. In winter, they mow all the grasses here.... 

A blue heron flies over the marshlands. 

To the west is the village of Lauerz, where we will head after first finding a good place for our picnic lunch. 

As it is now 12:30 and time for lunch, we were hoping to find a lakeside bench with a view of the lake, but the best we could do was a small inlet with some boats and a picnic table almost hidden in the reeds! (A swan did come to visit us, and we heard the coots). 

Lunch time on a little picnic table near the lake (Lauerz). 

Heading back toward the village of Lauerz now, we can see to the east the little village of Steinerberg where we started on this hike (at the arrow). The summit of Mt.Rossberg which is marked with the red circle is where the 1806 landslide happened. 36 million cubic meters of rock thundered into the valley. The tidal wave in Lake Lauerz was 20 meters high. The debris field was 30 meters thick. 457 people lost their lives in Goldau.

From here at the little church in Lauerz, we headed north again. We didn't bother going into the little church this time, as I had visited it recently on a hike I did down Mt.Rigi in photos  September 2025 (photo of church interior HERE). 

The last stretch now to Goldseeli and Goldau, another hour to the end of our hike. 

View back to Lake Lauerz and the Mythen peaks. 

These sheep are called "Braunköpfige Fleischschafe" (Translated = "Brown-headed meat sheep) and are some of the heaviest of Swiss sheep breeds. We see a lot of sheep out in the pastures now. 

Heading along the Chlausenbach stream toward the northern end of the Sägel moorlands. 

This last section before the city of Goldau was a real treat, with small paths and lots of little ponds. 

Lots of small ponds in this moorland

A boardwalk across the ponds so you can do some birdwatching.

The great blue heron is the bird we mostly see around water here. 

We then reached the beautiful little lake called Goldseeli, hidden in the dense forest just south of the railway station in Goldau (25 minutes' walk). There is a path all around the lake, so we walked around it. 

The charming little lake called Goldseeli

Another spectacular boulder which would have dropped down here from the 1806 landslide. It is amazing that the forest has grown so much in 200 years, as this all would have been buried in boulders. 

The little lake is a haven for all kinds of birds and amphibians. We did see one frog in the water near the bridge, but it's a bit early for all the wildlife. 

Many streams meander through this landscape. 

Along the way you get information about the 1806 landslide. The former village of Goldau got buried under 10-35 meters of rock and debris. 457 people lost their lives (and many more animals). This was the third such landslide here, but this one came on suddenly. 

What our 12-km hike looks like on Google Satellite maps, starting in Steinerberg, walking to Lauerz and then to Goldau. 

All the hikes we have done around the region of Lake Zug and Lake Lauerz

A stop at the bakery for pastries for coffee at Frieda's house. Also, Urs always stops here for cheese/onion "quiche" (yeast bread) for his next two dinners!

View back to the Mythen Mountains on the train trip back to Küssnacht. 

And this is what the region looked like two days later after the heavy snow-fall late Saturday evening and through the night to Sunday! (Webcam Screenshot).