Rhine Valley walk from Sargans to Sevelen at the border with Liechtenstein

Saturday January 25, 2025 -- Finally, warm weather, sunshine and no fog! The forecast was best for Eastern Switzerland in the Rhine Valley near the border with Liechtenstein, although strong winds were expected along with the 16ºC temperatures, which is quite often the case when the Föhn winds blow, which usually then also blow the clouds away. That's why we chose to head in that direction, as the chance of cloudless skies was the highest. (In the end, we had less clear skies than hoped, and some strong wind gusts, but at least mild temperatures and good visibility. We also saw the first wild flowers on the forest floor!)

We really wanted to walk on snow-free trails again, so we picked a stretch lower along the mountain starting at the 1000-year-old Sargans Castle, and walking parallel to the Rhine River eastward and northward with the mountains of Liechtenstein always in our sights. Our goal was the town of Sevelen, a total walk of about 13 kilometers and a little under four hours.

 Along the way we passed by the former iron ore mines in Mt. Gonzen (90 kilometers of tunnels, apparently) and several castles and fortresses, as this part of the Rhine Valley was an important trade route in medieval times. Most of our hike was along the former Schollberg Road, a road built in 1492 by the Swiss Confederacy to connect to the town of Werdenberg further north, as this was an important trade route. 

This is the Sargans Castle, seen from the train as we enter the Sargans train station. At this point it looked like we weren't going to have the sunshine that was promised!

The Sargans Fortress was first mentioned in documents of 1282! 

Our walk started with a hike up the castle hill from a bus stop in the lower village. Urs saw a bakery below the hill and headed inside, of course, but had to wait too long, so we started out without the baked goodies!

On the way up to the castle, this view is to the south along the Rhine Valley, past the castle church (locked) and over the city of Sargans. 

Here we are below the castle wall. The mountain in the back is called Mt.Gonzen, and it is the site of iron ore excavations for 2000 years. We had been inside the castle walls once before, so didn't go in this time. 

View over the rooftops of Sargans from the castle wall. (When we were here in 2012, we had started a hike in the old town center below, but were not able to go into the church because it was Sunday and there was a church service going on. Photos HERE). The view is down the Seez Valley, as Sargans lies at the junction of two valleys. 

Information about the Sargans Castle

Vineyards usually mean there is a lot of sun in this region!

Our goal of Sevelen is 3½ hours of walking from here! Right now it's 10:30.

A look back at Sargans Castle as we head eastward into the Rhine Valley. 

The walk from Sargans to Sevelen along the Rhine River was about 13 kilometers, and 3½ hours of straight walking. The junction of the two valleys at Sargans is somewhat unique, as normally two valleys join together, whereas in this case, during the ice age, the Rhine Glacier collided into the Gonzen promontory, splitting into two and creating the two valleys in its advance. 

Now we have sunshine and a nice trail through the forest along the Rhine Valley. At this point it wasn't very windy, but later there were some pretty strong gusts!

Along the way...

We were surprised to see early flowers on the forest floor!

To our south on the other side of the Rhine River is a small mountain called Fläscherberg, a mountain we still plan to walk up to one day. The north face of that mountain is in the country of Liechtenstein, as is the part of the plain on the south side of the river, and the rest of the mountain is in Switzerland. In other words, there is a small section of the country of Liechtenstein between us and the rest of Switzerland to the south!

Entrance to the former iron ore mine in Mount Gonzen. Now there is a restaurant in there, and you can book visits to the ore mine. 

Information inside the entrance explains the following: Iron ore was already mined here 2000 years ago. From 1920 onwards, 2.7 million tons of ore have been mined here, with a 90-km tunnel system. It is estimated that there are still 5.4 million tons of iron ore within the mountain, but operations were stopped in 1966. Now the mines and tunnel system can be viewed on pre-booked visits. 

The next little hamlet we passed through is called Vild. The first thing we saw was the church on the hillside above the row of houses, so we went up to have a look. An information panel nearby notes that the church, St.Mary's, was consecrated in 1606, and contains a high altar from 1685 as well as precious paintings. Apparently these can be viewed, but this day the building was locked. 

Another panel explains that the Hamlet of Vild was an important toll and horse station in medieval times, and in 1492 the Swiss Confederacy built the Schollberg Road for a direct link to the town of Werdenberg further to the north. It was along this former Schollberg Road which we walked this day. (Side note, we visited Werdenberg in June of 2018, a lovely medieval town. Photos HERE). 

Details of the hamlet of Vild. In Medieval times, this was an important toll station, but most of the buildings were destroyed in a fire in 1892.

This sign informs us that we are now walking along the former Schollberg Road. ("alte Schollbergstrasse"). This is also a section of Switzerland's National Trail no.1: "Via Alpina". We are headed to Sevelen via Azmoos. 

We weren't very high above the valley bottom, but it was a nice trail. Up ahead at the arrow, the former Schollberg Road passes along the cliff walls. (Side note: The mountains to the east form the border between Liechtenstein and Switzerland). 

Walking along the former Schollberg road, used during Medieval times!

The former Schollberg Road

Looking back behind us to where we started, and the approximate trail we walked on the right side. The mountain at the back is the Pizol. (There is a popular five-lake hike up there which we have yet to do, but it is so popular that it's like walking in single file, and so we hesitate to try it). 

A perfect bench for our picnic lunch at 11:45. This is where the Rhine Valley bends toward the north and where the river forms the border between Switzerland and Liechtenstein. 

The view from our picnic bench. You can just see the Rhine River below, forming the border with Liechtenstein. We are in Switzerland, and that city over there to the southeast is called Balzers, with its pretty castle, located in Liechtenstein. The snow-covered mountain is called the Falknishorn, and although this side is within Switzerland, the crest forms the border. 

Heading northward, parallel to the Rhine River canal, which forms the border. Those mountains are all part of Liechtenstein. 

Looking south along the Rhine Valley plain. A train is on its way from the north to Sargans. 

A small section where we had to do an uphill climb. The steps help!

A sign at the entrance of the tunnel reads "Karin Tunnel, 1. October 2013". 

Now we are passing through a community called Azmoos. The tower ruin in the distance looked so close to here, but we didn't pass it till quite a long distance later. It turns out it is called "Burgruine Wartau". 

The large city on the hillside to the east is called Triesenberg, and that is Liechtenstein. 

Houses in Azmoos. 

The cats always approach Urs for some caresses. Me, they usually ignore!

Town fountain 

That's a kestrel. 

Here we also had a long uphill stretch, through a small ravine (Valstobel) on the right. The view is to the south. 

Now we are approaching a small hamlet called Gretschins. On my map I saw there was a church we could have a look at, but we didn't realize we had also reached the Wartau Ruins until we were just about next to them!

On a small hill east of the trail, there loomed the stone tower we had seen from about two kilometers further south! As a backdrop are the cliffs below Gafleispitz in Liechtenstein, where we did an exciting hike in August of 2022.

Wartau fortress ruins on a hill just east of the village of Gretschins.

Details of the 1493-built St.Martin's Evangelical church in Gretschins.

Urs caught sight of a group of deer playing higher up in the hillside! I wasn't quick enough to make a video before they disappeared into the forest. 

A view of the Wartau tower from the north. We could have gone up the hill to see it up close, but the towers are just empty walls. The fortress was first mentioned in historical records in 1342, and is a Swiss Heritage Site of national importance. 

Another train passing below as we continue along the forest road. 

Final stretch toward the goal of our hike: Sevelen, at the valley bottom. It's 2 p.m. now and the sky has become overcast. Also, we are now walking in the shadow of the mountain, but because the air temperature is so warm, it wasn't cold. Only the strong wind gusts once in a while were a bit annoying!

Across the valley on the east side of the Rhine Valley is the city of Vaduz, the capital City of Liechtenstein. On a cliff above the city is Liechtenstein's landmark: Vaduz Castle. We passed this castle on one of our hikes on the mountain above Vaduz, but it is a private residence (Prince Hans-Adam II and his family) and cannot be visited. 

Close-up look at the Vaduz Castle. We walked up to that castle back in December 2015, on a hike above the city. Those photos are HERE. 

Around a corner we get the first glimpse of the Alpstein Massif. Memories of some very nice crest hikes up there! (July 2019 and September 2021)

Rooftops of Sevelen. There is a fortress ruins here as well, although it was just one remaining wall. It's called Herrenberg and was built in 1255, then abandoned in the 15th Century. 

The Evangelical church in Sevelen. We had time to go inside and have a quick look. 

The interior of the church looked like New-Gothic style. (Research indicates that there was a large fire in 1892 due to Föhn winds and 76 houses and the church building were destroyed, so this is a newer build).

VIDEO:

While we were inside the church, someone was practicing on the pipe organ, 

so we listened for a while.

We got to the Sevelen train station at 14:38, just five minutes before the arrival of our train back to Sargans. 

Our train back to Sargans, a 10-minute ride to there. In all, it was only a two-hour trip to get home. 

A final look at the Sargans Castle as our train leaves the Sargans train station. 

What our 13-km walk looks like on Google Satellite Maps, starting in Sargans, ending in Sevelen. The Rhine River here is the border between Switzerland and Liechtenstein. 

All the hikes we have done in the region of the junction between the Seez Valley and the Rhine Valley. 

Location of the Rhine Valley where we did this day's walk near the border of Liechtenstein.