Walking down the Muota Valley to Schwyz along the Pragelpass Trail

Wednesday April 21, 2021 -- Even though I did a 13-km hike on the Tuesday, the weather on Wednesday turned out better than expected, so we did another hike, together this time. A 14-km hike!

We kept our travel time short again and went to the Muotathal Valley (1 hr 15 minutes with public transit), another location with a rich history, as this valley played a role during the Napoleanic wars when the Russian General Alexander Suvorov helped drive out the French troops from Switzerland in 1799. (There are many monuments in his honour in various parts of Switzerland, including along the trail we walked, i.e a covered wooden bridge near the original bridge where the French troops fled in retreat from the Russians). After crossing the Kinzig Pass from Altdorf (where I had been the day before) and descending to Muotathal (there is a trail in his honour called Via Suvorov, which same section we followed last year), his troops spent the night in the convent here. He left some of his troops to drive the French from the valley, and he crossed the next pass to the East: The Pragel Pass.

The trail we walked along from Muotathal to Schwyz is officially known as the Pragelpass Trail (Trail no.29, total 48 km), consisting of three sections, this being the final stretch we had yet to cover. We had lots of sunshine but also some cold winds, but this easy trail along the river and then through the blossoming farms west of the Mythen mountains was not at all boring, with a good variety of different trails and lots of things to learn and observe, as usual!  And the town of Schwyz is always worth a visit. We have been here many times, and see new and wonderful things each time.

(Here is a very interesting article about Suvorov's campaign in Switzerland --> CLICK HERE

It is amazing what success he had considering the difficult 3-day crossing over the Kinzig Pass and the missing support he had expected from Austrian Troops who retreated across the Rhine unbeknownst to him as he arrived in the Muota Valley.)

We started our hike in the town of Muotathal at the back of the Muotathal Valley. At the right is the passage that leads up to the Pragel Pass

For the first 90 minutes we followed the Muota River, better known as the "wild river". The walk along the river turned out to be not at all boring.

This trail is the third section of trail no.29: The Pragelpass Trail. It was also a local "joke trail" and there were many posts set up along the way with very dumb jokes in the local dialect. We read them all!!

Heading East along the Muota River, in the beautiful Muotatal (Muota Valley)

There was actually a cold wind blowing

This particular place reminded us of when we are in high alpine country. The rock below on the right was a good place for lunch, as it was warm and protected from the wind

VIDEO:

Urs Heading to our lunch spot

Eating our picnic lunch along the Muota River

We always love seeing any covered wooden bridges

Crossing the bridge and back, to inspect the engineering

High above the valley at the top of the steep cliff  is a town called Illgau, which you can reach from here by cable-car, or via a very long ascending road which you can just see on the left.

The trail was very varied, and the water courses also, so the walk was not at all boring.

One of many dumb jokes to entertain us along the way. This one translates as follows: "The ward doctor asks the young nurse: 'The patient in Room 12, have you taken his blood yet?' to which she naively responds: 'Yes, but I just couldn't get more than six litres out of him.' "

This is a wooden bridge unlike any we have ever run into before

At this section where the river forms a lake, they built the new Stoos funicular, opened for operation in 2017, and the steepest funicular in the world. Unfortunately it was currently going through revision, so we didn't see it run. It is an impressive vehicle. 

Here is a Website with photos and interesting facts about the construction of the Stoos Funicular: CLICK HERE

This sign indicates that we have come two hours from Muotathal and have another 2 hours to Schwyz, so we are just at the half-way point of our hike. 

After the lake, the Muota River runs through a very deep ravine. It is in this ravine that many of the 3000 French troops who died during Suvarov's offensive in 1799 lost their lives when fleeing across the original bridge. This wooden bridge here, called Suvorov's Bridge, was built in his honor in 1810, just a few meters away from the original one. 

Looking down into the deep and narrow ravine from Suvorov's Bridge

Many such old barns along the way

Now we finally leave the Muota Valley and head toward Schwyz, always with the two distinctive peaks of Gross and Klein Mythen ahead of us

This beautiful old house was built in 1677

Even though we had already walked for three hours, after a long rest and on these pleasant meadow trails, we are still going strong. (Among other things, we have been to the top of the Gross Mythen and descended from there to its right, and we have also crossed between the two Mythen peaks to descend to Schwyz)

It's a beautiful time of year when the high growth trees (pears probably) are in full bloom.

Behind Urs is the popular Mt. Fronalpstock, accessed from the mountain village of Stoos, and still sporting a lot of snow

More beautiful trees.

More beautiful trees.

More beautiful trees.

There are many such fancy houses in Schwyz, some are villas, others former convents and monasteries. 

This special breed of sheep is called "Engadine Sheep" and is one of Switzerland's endangered breeds of sheep which private farmers are hoping to keep from extinction

Arriving in the beautiful city of Schwyz, capital of the Canton of Schwyz, which was one of the original three Cantons which formed the Swiss Confederacy in 1291. This town is always worth a visit.

Map of our 4-hour and over 14-km hike along Trail no.29: The Pragelpass Trail, from Muotathal to Schwyz

Our hike of the day displayed on a Google Earth Map

In Schwyz we had a bit of time before catching the bus, so we had a quick look into the church of the St.Peter Dominican Order Monastery. Here at the monastery bakery they manufacture 25,000 wafers per week for Catholic Masses.

Another attractive church like the one I had seen the day before in Altdorf: Baroque art and lots of stunning colours in that marble. 

Beautiful marble artwork

On the way to the bus stop we pass the main square with the wonderfully decorative City Hall Building. 

Main square in the town of Schwyz, with their house mountain "Gross Mythen". A year ago we did a hike from behind those mountains, passing between them and descending here to Schwyz

This building is the city archives, where the documents of confederation are stored

Google Earth depiction of the entire Pragel Pass trail from Glarus to Schwyz. We have now walked the entire 48-km stretch (minus a 1.5-km section). In yellow is the trail that General Suvarov and his 10,000 troops and horses had to follow to get to Muotathal from Altdorf, because there were no boats to cross the lake. 

Again, this area is a favourite of ours and we have done a lot of hiking here. The day before, I was in Flüelen and on part of the Swiss Trail, and this day we were in the Muota Valley. (All the turquoise lines)

For more photos of Schwyz, here is my blog entry for the hike we did last year starting at the Mythen and walking down to Schwyz:  CLICK HERE

And for the Blog Entry for the Via Suvarov Trail from the Kinzig Pass to Muotathal, which we also did last year, CLICK HERE.