Easter Weekend Walk on our Local Mountain: Zugerberg

Saturday April 11 -- We still try to do our twice-weekly excursions, close to home instead of all over the country, usually with a short train ride or a bike ride or walk near home.

This excursion was a combination bike/hike on Mount Zugerberg, first riding about 2-3 km to the edge of town, where we locked up our bikes and hiked a short piece up the mountain along a small stream called Fridbach, then across the hillside to a popular chapel called Verenakapelle, and then down again to pick up our bikes. This is an area of our local mountain that we had not yet discovered, and we were quite pleased with the lovely view over the lake, the pastoral landscape that smells like fresh-mown hay (plus the cows that are just heading out into the fields), and the wonderful blossoming high-growth fruit trees (probably pears used later for juice). This is such a lovely time of year and the blossoms are so short-lived, that it would be a shame not to be able to experience this at least once or twice.

On this lovely Easter Saturday we encountered several other people on the hill, so not altogether "out of the way", but the worst part was our return by bike along the lakefront. Too many people still out on Lake Promenades, but the worst are the bike riders (us not included) who are still using this opportunity to meet up in groups, riding side by side and not leaving space for oncoming "traffic". And the very worst of all are the ones all dressed up in their bike gear, speeding through the pedestrians in their apparent desperate need to continue their training....

On the South end of Zug Old Town, we head slightly further South to lock up our bikes near a creek, where we head up the hill on foot.

We parked our bikes near the building at the back, then walked up the hill to the left

Our 6-km walk started with an uphill section along a creek called Fridbach, then northwards through forests and meadows to the Verena Chapel, then back down via the Capuchin Monastery (Maria Opferung) and St. Michael's Church

Heading uphill along the idyllic Fridbach Creek

Best time of year in the forest, with all the new and fresh greens

Walking along the flank of Mount Zugerberg

A wonderful Spring Day on a trail near home which we were not yet familiar with

Heading North along the flank of Mount Zugerberg

Across a lovely meadow, we get the first views of the lake and Mount Pilatus in the background

And here a view over Old Town Zug and the prominent St. Michael's Church

High growth pear trees in full bloom, simply spectacular

Here we stopped on a bench for a small break, and to admire the blossoming trees and the view across the lake

Cows are happy to finally be out of the barns and back in the meadows!

At the northmost point of our little round tour is the popular St. Verena Chapel. This location is along the old pilgrim trail from Zug to Einsiedeln, and this chapel, built ca.1710, was designed by the same Benedictine Monk who designed the huge Baroque church in Einsiedeln.

On the hillside above the town of Zug

A single residence stands next to the Verena Chapel

Heading back down the hill again via the Capuchin Convent called "Maria Opferung". This site was expanded early 1600's, but a residence for the nuns seems to have existed here in the 13th Century already