Hike down Mount Rigi from Kaltbad to Weggis on Lake Lucerne

Friday August 9, 2024 -- Our regular Wednesday hiking day had the worst weather of the week, so we didn't do a mid-week hike. Instead, I did another hike on my own early Friday morning, as it was turning out to be a very nice day, and an opportunity not to be missed to be outside.

The popular mountain Mount Rigi is easily accessible for me, and there are many trails I have not yet hiked on the mountain, so I headed out early to Weggis on the south side of the mountain and right on Lake Lucerne, from where you can take a large-cabin cable-car up the mountain. (There are several ways to get up the mountain; this cable car takes you up to the Rigi Kaltbad section of the mountain, as does the cogwheel train from Vitznau, both of which are popular with the tourists).

From Rigi Kaltbad I walked back down to Weggis, an 8-km hike with a descent of voer 1000 meters, about 2½ hours of walking in total. A lot of it was in forested areas along the north side of the mountain, which was pleasant on this very hot day. Having left home at 7:50, I started in Rigi Kaltbad at 9:20 after taking the 9:10 cable car up, and got back to Weggis at 12:40, which left me enough time to check out the local church again, before the 13:02 bus back home via Küssnacht. So a lovely morning walk with very nice visibility of the Alps, and I was back home by 2:30 p.m.!

I left home shortly before 8 a.m. and got off the bus at the lake (Lake Lucerne / Vierwaldstättersee) near Weggis at about 9 a.m. From here at the lake I had to walk 10 minutes (1/2 km) uphill to the cable-car station, for the 9:10 run up the mountain. 

A nice path with lots of stairs wound its way up the hill from the lake. I passed some nice houses on the way to the cable-car station. 

A look over the town of Weggis westward along Lake Luzern to Mount Pilatus. This is from the huge parking lot in front of the Weggis-Kaltbad cable-car station. 

Details of the large-cabin cableway from Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad

Heading up the mountain in the cable-car... it's always interesting to see when I walked later!

Excellent view of Mount Pilatus, Mt. Bürgenstock and Mt. Stanserhorn on the left, all the way to the snow-covered peaks of the Bernese Alps. Below is Weggis and the Hertenstein horn (peninsula?)

At 9:25 I was starting on my way back down the mountain from Rigi Kaltbad, with a view of Mt. Stanserhorn and the Bernese Alps. 

An 8-km walk down the mountain from Rigi-Kaltbad, starting at 9:20 after taking the 9:10 cable-car up. I got back on the bus in Weggis at 1 p.m. I also walked an additional ½ kilometer to get from the bus stop to the cable car station. 

When visibility is good, you can see the Eiger Northface and Mounts Mönch and Jungfrau and the other 4000+ peaks of the Bernese Alps. 

Looking southeastward toward the Uri Alps. 

What would a hike be without a cow on the trail! She had just taken a long drink from the trough. 

This was a really great place to sit for a while!

The cable-car runs every 30 minutes, so I saw the next one on its way down (or up?).

The sign on the bench reads: "The most beautiful spot in the world"

From the bench, the trail heads southward down the hill, before turning to the west side of the mountain. 

An unexpected but very interesting narrow passage with metal steps along the molasse cliffs. 

This variety makes any hike much more interesting!

A few people passed me going up the mountain. Downhill was better. 

Another view again toward Mt. Pilatus as I emerged from the forest. From here I headed north along a wide forest road parallel to the Küssnacht arm of Lake Lucerne. My original plan was to walk to Seebodenalp, and then down to Küssnacht, which would have been three hours of solid walking. 

It was pleasant and not too hot to walk along the west side of the mountain. 

When I got to the farm at Bärgli, it was 11:10 and getting warmer. From here to Seebodenalp the trail first goes uphill along this wide road and in the sunshine. There was also a small path heading down the mountain from here, back to Weggis. So I sat on a bench near that barn and considered what to do. 

According to the sign, I would have to walk another hour to Seebodenalp (cable car station), and from there another hour down to Küssnacht, as I didn't want to take the cable car. This seemed too long for this hot day, so I changed plans and took the small mountain trail back down in the direction of Weggis (1 hr 10 minutes). 

A small trail through a pasture with sheep on my way back down to Weggis, heading south again. 

These sheep were pretty calm, which is unusual, as sheep tend to run off when people walk by. 

The sheep were pretty much relaxing in the shade. 

The ever-present kite.... 

I'm always on the look-out for a post where I can set up my camera for a very "natural" self-timed photo!

Passing through farms along the way

More farmhouses

The small trails through forested sections are always welcome

Just in case I'm not sure where I am headed!

In the meantime, the clouds have gathered on the summit of Mount Pilatus. 

Directly across the lake to the south now is the long tail of Mt. Bürgenstock. Behind it is the Buochserhorn. 

Just a reminder that we are in Switzerland!

Down below is the cable-car station where I started on this excursion. 

The 12:20 cable-car arriving at the base station of the Weggis-Kaltbad cable-way. 

This is pretty.

These flowers don't look real at all, and it looks like a photoshopped picture!

Final stretch into the village of Weggis

A small detour to a chapel which I saw on my map. I had to have a look, of course. 

This chapel, built in 1795, is in memory of a significant landslide event at this location, where apparently 28 homes and 15 other buildings including the original chapel where all destroyed. 

I still had enough time to have a look at the main church in the village, across from the bus stop. I have passed through here many times by bus, and have ridden the cable-car one other time, but never had a look at this village!

I had about 15 minutes until the bus came, and the church was right near the bus stop, so I went to have a look. The tower (a Romanesque construction from at least 1559) is the oldest structure in Weggis. It is believed it first served as a watch tower. 

The interior of the St. Maria church in Weggis. 

Details inside the parish church of St. Maria in Weggis.. 

Next to the church was this fabulous giant sequoia tree! (According to a newspaper article dated 2013, this tree was 45 meters high at the most recent time of measurements in 1998, one of the 10 tallest sequoias in Switzerland). 

One of the popular steam boats on Lake Luzern, i.e. the Schiller, has just left the dock in Weggis on its way to Vitznau. 

The park next to the lake is a nice place to relax

Lakefront in Weggis

Here comes the other boat on its way from Vitznau to Luzern, getting ready to dock here in Weggis as well. This one is not a steam boat. 

Some very happy-looking flowers

These are all the hikes I have down on and around Mountain Rigi.

Heading back toward Küssnacht by bus, we pass a bell-tower from another building I am not familiar with. 

Driving parallel to the Küssnacht arm of Lake Luzern, we pass the village of Greppen, where I ended another solo hike I did earlier this year, when I actually started a hike in Weggis and walked 11½ kilometers to here. (This was in February 2024, photos are HERE). 

And now the bus heads to Rotkreuz along Lake Zug, and across the lake from here is the ctiy of Zug.