Easy Walk down the North side of Mount Pilatus, from Fräkmündegg to Kriens

Thursday October 19, 2023 -- The second half of October isn't offering us such nich weather as the first half, but we did have very productive summer months, so a bit of a break isn't too bad.

This time it was a Thursday that was the week-day off, and perhaps the nicest day of the week as well, with on and off sunshine and overcast. We preferred to stay close to home again this time, and do a relatively "tame" hike which involved mostly downhill, and mostly through the forest, so it wouldn't matter if we didn't have a great view.

With our special passes for Mount Pilatus, we went up that way again, although not to the summit, but rather to the end of the gondola cable-way at Fräkmündegg, and hiked down the mountain back to Kriens (near Luzern) to where that cable-way actually starts. In particular, we wanted to have a closer look at the Schauensee Castle, a landmark which we have often seen when we ride the cable-car up onto Mount Pilatus...

The gondola cable-car from Kriens to Mount Pilatus on its north side. 

The gondola cable-way ends at Fräkmündegg, 700 meters below the summit of Mount Pilatus, which is reached by transferring to a large-cabin cable-car. We started our hike here at Fräkmündegg. This is a view of the mountains to the East (zoomed view), in particular Mount Bürgenstock in the front. 

At Fräckmündegg, there are many activities for families, including this Ropes Course in the forest here. These kids were quite small, but doing the course with great confidence. 

A look to the summit of Mount Pilatus, 700 meters higher up. 

We started our walk at 12:45, and the first half was mostly through forest. Afterwards we had views of the city and the lake and a few farms, plus the castle. 

After half an hour of walking, we had our first rays of sunshine and a convenient bench next to this clearing, with a view of Mount Pilatus, so this is where we had our picnic lunch. 

A good private spot for our picnic lunch. 

The first four kilometers were along forest trails (some narrower than this)

Now we've reached the first farm (it was called "La Liberté"), and the cows have come to greet us!

Our first view over the cities of Kriens and Luzern to the North 

And a view to Mount Rigi and Lake Luzern to the East. The view was not too bad. 

A very pretty farmhouse at Hinter Buholz

Now past the forest, our first view of the Schauensee Castle tower

The trail passes right by the castle. 

The Schauensee Castle is owned by the city of Kriens, and can be rented for events. The castle gardens are open to the public, so we went there to have a look. 

The view from the castle grounds

The castle park is open to the public. There is a small frog pond as well, but it's not very big. A small quiet area. 

The first official document which refers to the Schauensee Castle is from 1297 (although there might have been a fortress here since the 9th Century), but it fell into ruins in the early 14th Century. It was then rebuilt by a rich Luzern Citizen, and served as the residence for noble Luzern families. The tower is the only part of the original castle. In 1965, it was entered into the list of monuments of national importance. 

From the castle, it's only a short (although not direct!) distance back to the church in Kriens, where we caught the bus back to the train station. (This is also where we start when we go to the Pilatus Gondola Cable-way, a 10-minute walk from the bus stop.)

We took a different path back to the church, passing through this tree nursery, with a good look at the castle on the hilltop. In the barn was a small "shop" where you could by refreshments and take them into the nursery grounds to enjoy on one of several small tables they had set up there!

What a cute set-up with a few small tables scattered amongst the nursery trees, where you could enjoy the refreshments purchased from the barn shop!

Still plenty of colour

Another close-up look at the Schauensee Castle from below

A few of the pretty farmhouses we saw along the way. 

Passing the St.Gallus church in Kriens again on our way to the bus stop. 

Some impressions of the interior of the St. Gallus Church in Kriens. This church exists since the year 1100 at this location, but has gone through many changes since then!!

All the hikes we have done near Luzern and Mount Pilatus. This day we hiked down from Fräkmündegg to Kriens, after taking the gondola cable car up. 

When we went up to the summit of Mount Pilatus a couple of weeks earlier, we saw the Schauensee Castle from the Gondola Cable-Car, and that was part of the reason we decided to walk to it this day.