Wild Hay Trail from Eggberge to Ober Axen, High above Lake Uri

Wednesday June 25, 2025 -- Another hot day in the forecast, so we once again decided to start early to beat the heat with a mountain walk nearby, in our favourite hiking grounds of Canton Uri.

We hadn't been to the lovely sunny mountain terrace of Eggberge above the south end of Lake Uri in quite a while, and decided to hike the very nice "Wildheupfad" ("Wild Hay Trail") again, even though this was the third time I had done this. Eggberge is a popular starting point for high-elevation hikes and so starting as early as possible on a weekday meant very few people up there. In fact, there were only five of us in the cable car, which is the fewest number of people we've ever traveled with on this cable-car!

The "Wild-Hay Trail" is an easy enough hike (although you have to be vertigo-free) which affords the most stunning views of the Uri mountains and Lake Uri (the eastern arm of Lake Luzern), a view which changes constantly as we head northwards toward the Ober Axen farm. The amazing thing about the flanks of the Rophäien mountain is that farmers still harvest the grass along the steep flanks by hand with scythes as they have done for hundreds of years (A dangerous activity, but necessary for the farmers to be able to feed their cows). They then rake the grass by hand and send it down to the lower elevations on "zip-lines". This is one of the only remaining wild hay regions in Switzerland. 

The hike ends at the Ober Axen farm on a lovely sunny promontory above the lake, accessed by one of those fabulous little cargo cable cars. Unfortunately for us, the restaurant was closed on Wednesday. Had it been open, we would have stopped for refreshments. 

Travel time to Eggberge summit station from home is just over an hour for us, to this absolutely beautiful location! Getting back home took longer, as the train connections weren't ideal, including a very late train from Italy due to strikes there. 

NOTE. Here are the photos of the other two times I did this hike, once on my own --> June 29, 2019 and November 4, 2015.  

The Eggberge base station is barely an hour's travel time from our home. We were here at 8 a.m. already, for the 10-minute trip up to the Eggberge mountain terrace. 

Information inside the cable-car station about this special trail called the "Wild Hay Trail". This is one of the few remaining wild hay regions in Switzerland. Farmers still mow the steep hillsides by hand between the cliffs, rake the hay by hand, and send it down the mountains in bundles on zip-line cables. Central Switzerland is practically the only place this work is still done. 

Passing the other Eggberge cable car on its way down. In our cabin, only five people were riding up with the 8 a.m. run, the fewest number of people we had ever ridden with!

View of Lake Uri and the Gruonmatt "suburb" of Flüelen. At the arrow on the right is Ober Axen, where we ultimately ended our hike, descending to Gruonbach with a small cargo cable-car. Since it's still quite early, there is still a lot of shade here on the east side of the lake. 

The Eggberge cableway. 

Trail no.587 is the "Wildheu Pfad", and it takes about three hours to walk to Ober Axen. 

Starting at shortly after 8 a.m. in Eggberge we walked to Ober Axen, which we reached at about 12:40. The cable-car operator sent us down at 1 p.m., and due to some train delays, we only made it home by 3 p.m.

A really good description of what the "Wildheupfad" (Wild Hay Trail) represents. 

Heading out toward the flanks of Mt.Rophäien, it's all still in morning shadow there. 

The thin red line shows APPROXIMATELY where the Wild Hay Trail runs. 

Perfect visibility this day!

A first very comfortable section in the cool forest! The flanks of the mountain are so steep here, that large steps have been built into the course of this river to prevent flooding lower down in cases of heavy rains. 

Nice and cool in the forest

Along the way is a boulder, believed to be 150 million years old, which broke off from the mountain higher up about 10,000 years ago. 

Coming out of the forest now, we arrive in this pretty clearing. 

Here is the start of the narrow trail on the steep flank of Mt.Rophäien. The sign warns bikers that they are definitely not allowed to ride on this trail!

Our first view of Lake Uri far, far below! Ultimately, we will walk to the point at the arrow, where there is a farm called Franzen Alp, and where we start on our descent to Ober Axen. 

This is the summit of the mountain called Rophäien. All those steep flanks get mowed by hand!

In winter these hand-holds get removed. But even without them, we can manage the trail fine. 

Across Lake Uri is a mountain called Gitschen, where a young Scottish wingsuit flyer recently lost his life. 

It isn't time to mow these slopes yet, so we were able to enjoy thick meadows full of flowers!

On the upper left is the sunny mountain "terrace" called Eggberge, where we started on this hike. 

Sighting of one very perfect tiger lily!

The view just keeps on getting better! On the right side we can see right into the Isenthal Valley where we did a great hike just 10 days earlier (Photos HERE). 

Looking straight up above us!

There was a bumblebee on this flower: Look at the swollen pollen sacks on its legs!

Mores steep slopes that need hand-mowing

Here you can see how steep the slopes drop

It's a very nice trail

This is just one of several "zip lines" running up and down the hillside, where the grass bundles get sent down from higher elevations. You have to watch your head here!

Inside the little makeshift "museum" there are a few photos displayed of how the hay used to be mowed, and the kinds of shoes they wore to do so!

A really good place for a break at 10:20 a.m. 

Way down below is the south end of Lake Uri, with the Reuss delta, where the Reuss River enters the lake. 

There were very many pretty flowers to admire, once again. The one on the left is a type of orchid, and the one upper right is called a "Round-Headed Campion" or "Spherical Devil's Claw". 

The wooden panel on this tree informs us that the tree is a Scotch Pine, and this one is 200 years old, 15 meters high, and 3.6 meters in circumference. There were very many of these trees here. 

I really love the daisies. They are such happy looking flowers. I was glad they hadn't mowed these slopes yet, so we could enjoy all the flowers!

This is also a type of orchid. It is called a Butterfly Orchid

Last stretch before we get to the Franzen Farm. 

Now we are on the other side heading downhill and we have a different view of the lake, further to the north. Across the lake is a village called Bauen at lake level. The village was only accessible by boat until 1956 when a road was built. 

Directly across from Eggberge now.

A bench with a view. We didn't stay long, as it was too hot in the sun. 

Here is a farm called Franzen Alp. There was a sign in front of the house that cold drinks were available. 

The drinks were cooling in the water trough! The owner came out and served us and rolled out the sun-roof. Urs bought a panaché and we sat at the picnic table until a group of four other hikers showed up. Until that point, we were alone on the trail.

On the barn next to the house was this information: "A single cow needs 40 kg of wild hay per day. One worker can harvest 180 to 200 kg of wild hay per day. One hectare of mountain slope provides 1000 to 2000 kg of wild hay. Currently, 68 hectares of sloped hillside on Mt.Rophäien are harvested. Previously, 130 hectares were harvested". 

From here at the Franzen Alp, we still have an hour and 10 minutes to walk to Ober Axen. 

Down below we get a good look at the Ober Axen alp overlooking Lake Uri. Across the lake is the Isenthal Valley, where we were hiking recently (photos HERE). 

Also across the lake, we can see the zigzag road which leads into the Isenthal Valley. This road was constructed in 1901. Before that, te people had to walk along steep trails to reach the lake, from where they continued on by boat as there was not yet a road along the lake.  

More zip-lines for the wild hay. 

Down below is the town of Flüelen at the very south end of the lake. The larger community closer by is called Gruonbach, and that is where we are descending to in the cable car from Ober Axen. 

A close-up look at where the Reuss River enters the lake shows that the river water is a milky blue, which is typical of glacier water. 

Our trail later crosses below that little barn. 

At 12:30 we got to the Ober Axen Alp. 

The restaurant at Ober Axen is unfortunately closed on Wednesdays. We found a bit of shade nearby to eat our lunch, then headed down to the cable car station. On Wednesdays you usually have to put coins into a coin box to operate the cable-car yourself, but the restaurant owner happened to be up here at this time, and so he came over to operate the cable car. He ran us down together with two other ladies who had been waiting for the ride. 

The original little Ober Axen cable car! Four people can ride in it. 

Ober Axen cable car heading down to Gruonbach. 

VIDEO:

The little cable car heads up the mountain again, because there were two othe people up at the top waiting to come down.

From the base station, I watch the cable car head up again, and the two cabins will cross soon. 

After taking a bus from Gruonbach to Flüelen train station, we still had to wait here for 30 minutes for a connection to Zug. But it is a pleasant place to wait, in the shade near the lake. Above at the arrow is the Ober Axen farm. 

Heading north now by train along Lake Uri. This is a favourite view of mine, of the little harbour at Sisikon.

What our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps, starting at Eggberge and ending in Ober Axen. 

These are all the hikes we had done in this region around the south end of Lake Uri.