First Hike of 2016: In the Toggenburg from Alp Selamatt to Unterwasser

(This post published on December 15, 2023)

Friday January 1, 2016 -- Life continues as before, a new year of travel and experiences begins! We decided to continue a tradition that we started two years ago, meeting up with some friends for the first hike of the year. This year it was a 10-km walk in the Toggenburg, on the north flank of the Churfirsten Mountain Range and South of the Alpstein Massiv (very near the Eastern border of Switzerland). 

The first hour, which involved a 2-km section along a themed trail called the „Klangweg“ (or “Sound Trail”) was cold and foggy, and then we had some sun and some views. This is a ski area, but snow was still massively lacking. The two ski runs consisted of two strips of fabricated snow, and a T-Bar with a tiny strip of snow beneath it....  Also, for me there is too much mountain shadow on this side of the Churfirsten mountains at this time of year, so going forward, I’ll have to consider sun exposure when doing a New Year’s Day walk!

Our walk started with a 2-km stretch between Selamatt and Iltios along a themed trail called the "Klangweg" (Sounds Trail) where you can "play" around at the sound stations.

Description of the popular "Klangweg", where you can experiment with sound at various stations along the way.

First we took the cable car from Alt St. Johann to Alp Selamatt, then walked along the "Sound Trail" to the cable car station at Iltios. We then continued all the way to the Oberdorf ski station before doubling back and then descending to Unterwasser, where our friends had parked their vehicle. 

After the fog cleared a bit, this is the first sunny view we had into the valley of the Thur River. You can just start to make out the summit of Mount Säntis on the left. 

A look across the valley to the hillside between Unterwasser and Wildhaus. 

The North side of the Churfirsten Mountains.

Walking on snow-free roads

This is the ski station at Oberdorf. It is a disappointment that there is no snow for skiing. The summit on the left with the tower is Mount Säntis

A lovely farmhouse with the Alpstein range as a backdrop

The Alpstein range to the North, with Mount Säntis in the center back. At 2500 meters it is the highest Mountain in Eastern Switzerland

A close-up view of the summit of Mount Säntis with the weather station. 

Heading down the road to Unterwasser at the valley bottom. It's 2:45 p.m. now and the shadows are getting long, and the low clouds are moving in again. 

We often pass cute wooden sculptures along the way. 

Close to valley bottom now, we are now walking in full shadow of the mountain, whereas the hillside above Unterwasser (it is a housing development called Wäldli) still has sunshine.  

What the hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. We took the cable car up from Alt St.Johann and walked across the North Flank of the Churfirsten Mountains, then down to Unterwasser.