The Walenpfad Trail from Engelberg to Oberrickenbach

(Post created on August 26, 2024)

Wednesday September 30, 2015 -- I was all excited the evening before as I was planning this hike because all the weather maps and forecasts showed not a single cloud far and wide. The trail is a popular one called the "Walenpfad Trail" from Engelberg to Oberrickenbach via the beautiful Bannalp Lake, heading north along the Engelberg Valley. This region is very close to where we live, so we don't have to travel far. 

As it turns out, we did have very little cloud, but I hadn't counted on the thick fog in the valleys... which wasn't a problem for most of our approx. 4-hour (10 km) hike, except that we expected the fog to be burned off by the time we got to the lake, which unfortunately was not the case!

As the afternoon wore on we could see the fog rolling its way up the mountain flanks, and by the time we got to the look-out high above the lake, instead of the turquoise gem that I had seen on photos, we looked down on a mass of cottony fog. It looked really neat, until we had to walk through all that fog for half an hour (down to the lake and the cable car station)... I just can't shake that cold out of my bones! 

Normally I would avoid any hike in the fog, or change plans along the way, but there weren't a lot of other options for the day (fog everywhere) and it was too late to plan an alternative in the higher elevations!

On the cable car ride from Engelberg to Ristis, where we started our hike, we look down on the Engelberg monastery before heading into the thick blanket of fog.

Starting out above the fog, we are hoping it will burn off in the next 4 hours!

Our actual walking time for the whole hike was exactly 3 hours and 40 minutes! (well, probably a bit less, because I don't turn off my GPS program when I take photos).

This was a four-hour hike starting at the base of the Ristis chair lift (after taking the larger cable-car from Engelberg) and hiking up via Brunnihütte to the smaller of two cable-cars at Lake Bannalpsee.

Hike from Engelberg to Oberrickenbach, Switzerland. The view is to the south to the Obwalden Alps. 

After the first 40 minutes of solid uphill climbing, we reach a little lake with no name next to the Brunnihütte restaurant and hostel. Around the little lake is a trail called "Barefoot Trail" where even this late in the season, the kids were having a good time walking in the water!

View from our lunch-time picnic table to Mount Titlis in the south.... it has snow all year round.

The hike from Ristis to the Bannalp lake was about 4 hours of walking, with a cable-car ride on each side.

After all that uphill, it's nice to be on a level trail again.

Hike from Engelberg to Oberrickenbach, Switzerland.

The fog climbing up the slope is starting to worry me! The fog reaches all the way to the back of the Engelberg Valley.

The fog climbing up the slope is starting to worry me! The view is all the way down the Engelberg Valley to the north. At this point we can still see the summit of Mout Stanserhorn in the center, and Mt. Pilatus at the far back. 

The fog is still steadily rising. 

This is the view-point at Walenalp. Till now the trail was fairly level, but it heads quite a bit uphill from here!

Here is the next big uphill climb, to the arrow up there. This is called Walenalp, and the cows are up here in summer. 

As we climbed higher, we were well above the fog, so that was a positive. Also, it looks kind of cool!

The view down the Engelberg Valley to Lake Lucerne!

The air was warm and the mountains are fabulous!

This spot is cool, where you can see our path along the steep, slippery and shadowy cliff.

On the left below, where there is supposed to be a lake, all we see is the rising fog.

The trail passes the farm below before descending to the lake

This was a very interesting narrow path along the cliffs. At this time of year, this side of the mountain is all in shadow. 

This is the view we were expecting!

Looking back to where we descended. We can't see anything of the lake as the fog was sitting here all day. At this point we headed into the fog for the final 30 minutes of our hike, and it was uncomfortably cold. 

Walking along the dam on the west side of the lake. The fog is so thick that we could not see anything of the water at all!

Our descent to Oberrickenbach, from fog, through fog, to fog.

This is what the hike looks like along the north part of the trail, down to Lake Bannalpsee

Trans Swiss Trail from Gotthard Pass to Hospental

(This post created on August 26, 2024)

Monday September 21, 2015 -- I'm still amazed that I can cross THROUGH to the South side of the Alps and head up to a mountain pass at over 2000m in just 2 hours!

It's back to work for Urs but I had to take advantage of this superb weather for a "breaking in" hike of just two hours, walking from the Gotthard Pass to Hospental in the Urseren Valley, which runs approx. East/West right across the center of the Alps. This path is a part of the Trans Swiss Trail and was used in the past to transport goods via packhorse.

From Hospental, another two-hour train ride gets me back home, traveling through the ever-stunning Reuss Valley, my favourite stretch in Switzerland.

(I'm glad I did this hike this week, as it snowed up here on September 23rd!)

Heading south along the Reuss Valley by train. The views here are never boring. (This is the town of Wassen)

From Airolo just south of the Alps you take a Post Bus up to the Gotthard Pass. That road is the old Tremola Road, built between 1827 and 1832 with cobblestones, 4 km with 24 bends!

Gotthard Pass, at 2090 meters. This is where I started my hike, heading north. 

This lake is called Lago della Piazza. 

According to the trail marker, it's only two hours to Hospental! Not a very tough hike...

A self-timed photo at the Lago della Piazza.

The old Gotthard Road, built from 1827 to 1832, was made of cobblestones.

The old Gotthard Road

This is the Lucendro Dam. Up above the dam is a loop trail that we hiked in 2013, it goes past five lakes.

The old mule trail across the top of the mountains here was also laid out in cobblestones. It was used by the Romans many many centuries ago!

A good spot for my picnic lunch

This was the first time I was scared of a cow. She kept head-butting me and pushing me toward the river. I wondered what would happen if I started to run! 

Looking back up the valley toward the pass

And this view is down the valley in the direction I am walking. 

The river here is called the Gotthard Reuss.

The "Gazebo" behind me is actually an air vent for the 17-km long Gotthard Tunnel. While walking past, you can hear the river on one side and the traffic on the other!

Looking up the valley

Looking up the valley

Starting the descent into the Urseren Valley, which runs East/West.

Panorama view over the village of Hospental, the end of my hike. 

This view is toward Andermatt (Northeast). At the top of the mountain are four wind turbines

Zoomed-in photo of the top of the mountain above Andermatt.

Quaint town of Hospental with its charming houses and tower ruins (dating from 1277)

On the train from Hospental to Andermatt, looking down the Urseren Valley. This is the Furkareuss River. 

Andermatt

The famous Devil's Bridge on the short stretch back down through the Schöllen Gorge into the Reuss Valley, by cogwheel train.

My walk from the Gotthard Pass to Hospental in the Urseren Valley was about 9½ kilometers , South to North.