Circular Tour from Lake Arnisee to Schindlachtal Hut and back via Intschialp

Monday August 25, 2025 -- Another beautiful day but we didn't want to travel as far this time, so we went south into Canton Uri, one of our favourite regions for hiking.

Urs' father grew up in a mountain village called Gurtnellen, and although we have done many hikes around that region, the last time we were in that region for a summer hike was in 2022. For a long time now there is a 4½-hour hike that I have wanted to do in a side valley called Intschialp, and this seemed like a good day to give that a try. Even though this is a pretty long hike, it only takes us 90 minutes (including the cable-car ride) to get us to the starting point (and end, in this case) of the hike, a beautiful little lake called Arnisee. 

Forecast was for pure sunshine all day, but as we got there the sky was somewhat veiled and this made our 90-minute ascent feel kind of humid. But after that we had pure blue skies and a lovely breeze, and the most spectacular views for the high trail to a tiny mountain hut called Schindlachtalhütte, and for the descent back to Lake Arnisee. Everything worked together perfectly to make this one of my favourite hikes. 

To get to the Intschi cable-car takes less than 90 minutes from home, and when we got there, others were waiting, so the cable-car operator sent us up right away! (We left home at 7:15, and got here at 8:45). 

View up the Reuss Valley as the Intschi cable-car heads up the mountain

From the cable-car, we can see over to the Intschi Alp where we descended from our hike, after walking to the farm called Wildampferen in the red circle. 

We got to the summit station at 8:54 after about a 5-minute ride. As there were people waiting up here already, the cable-car descended right away again. 

There is a small mountain restaurant up here next to the cable-car station, but we didn't stop here, not on the way back down either. 

The Arni Lake up here is a peaceful idyllic spot, which is beloved by locals. 

This little one is only a couple of days old, so very cute!

Urs knows a lot of the folks up here, so we stopped at the little cheese shop "Sennerei" which is run during the summer by one of the families from Gurtnellen. 

This was a long hike for us, but really not that difficult. Starting at the Intschi cable-car station, we walked via the Leutschach Valley to the Schindlachtal Hut (where a man named Tony offers cold drinks to hikers), then took a detour to the farm at Wildampferen, before returning down the Intschialp back to the cable-car station. In all, a 4½-hour hike with almost 800 meters altitude difference! 

VIDEO:

On the first stretch toward the Leutschach Valley, 

a cow walked ahead of us on the path!

This is the Leutschach Valley, where one can also hike up to a Swiss Alpine Hostel called Leutschachhütte. We are heading up through the forest on the left, though. It was 9:15 as we started on that climb. 

After hiking steeply up through the forest for 40 minutes, we get the first views down into the Leutschach Valley. 

In October of 2022 we did another superb hike to the north of this valley (on the right of this photo) to a summit called Sunniggrat, and descended here via the Leutschach Valley back to Lake Arnisee. Those photos are HERE. 

This whole mountainside was packed with wild blueberry bushes, and I stopped often to pick handsful!

From here we can see down to Lake Arnisee where we started on this day's hike. (In the eastern direction, the skies were veiled with clouds). 

A zoomed view of Lake Arnisee. 

Once we got above the tree level, we had the best trails to walk. 

Easy going on this trail toward the Intschi Alp. 

To the south past the Intschi valley at about the same level, we can see the farm at Wildampferen where we are headed to later. At about this time, the "veiling" clouds lifted!

Besides all the blueberry bushes, the hillsides are coloured pink by heather. 

At 10:45 (90 minutes after starting on our hike), we found this hill with several such benches and a fantastic view of the Intschi Alp. We took a 15-minute break here. 

This was the view from the bench we sat on.... far up ahead (in the red circle) we can just make out the Schindlachtal Hut. From here it's a one-hour walk to the hut. 

Looking behind us along the trail toward the Schindlachtal Hut. 

As we walk at the back of the valley, we see the river (Intschialpbach) which heads down. From the Schindlachtal hut, one could walk directly down here. We made a detour on a high trail on the upper right, first. 

At exactly noon we got to the Schindlachtal hut. The fellow who owns the place is called Tony, and as he knows some of Urs' relatives, we had a long chat with him. Among other things, he told us that he built this place by himself, by hand, having carried much of the materials up the mountain himself. We stopped here for some refreshments, which Tony supplies to the hikers up here. 

The space at the hut was too small for me and I wanted sunshine, so I headed around the corner to this wonderful bench with a view! 

This is the view I had from the bench! Tony from the hut came over to sit with me for a while, and told me how lucky he was to be able to enjoy this every day! (He also told me we were lucky with the weather, as it was foggy here all day the day before). Across from us directly to the east is the beautiful Maderaner Valley, where we have also been often!

At some point other hikers came to eat their picnic lunch, and I don't much like to sit with other people, so I left. It was time to continue on our hike anyway. 

From here we could descend directly back to Lake Arnisee, but we want to take the detour to Wildampferen first, approximately another hour from here, but barely any uphill. 

Heading off on the next section of our hike at 12:30

It's always fun to cross alpine streams on these little bridges.

The river that flows down here is called the Intschialpbach. Behind us is another valley higher up called the Schindlach Valley (thus also the name of Tony's hut). At the hut, we had met two men who had just descended from there, having come over a pass from the Leutschach hut in the valley to the north of here where we started. They said it was a gruelling hike. 

Lovely easy high trail toward the Wildampferen farm at the east end of the valley. 

Another look behind us....

.... a fantastic hike over superb trails and not difficult....

VIDEO:

Panorama on the way to Wildampferen

....and another look ahead of us. The dominant peak here is called the Windgällen, which looms over both the Maderaner Valley directly ahead, and the Reuss Valley below. At the very back in the center is one of the few glaciers in this area. It is called the Hüfifirn. 

What's interesting about the Hüfi Glacier is that there is an Alpine Hut perched on a ridge right above the glacier! You can just see it on this zoomed view to the back of the Maderaner Valley! Urs has been up at this hut twice. We also had a closer look at that glacier on a hike we did to the Windgällen Alpine Hut in September of 2023 (photos HERE). 

Still some fireweed to add colour to this landscape.

Now that we are close to the Reuss Valley, we get this fantastic view of the entire Intschi Alp, and can even just make out the Schindlachtal Hut at the back! Can you imagine living here? Basically the only single residence as far as you can see. (We had noticed three other small huts). 

At about 1:30 p.m. we reach the Wildampferen Farm, just an hour after leaving the Schindlachtal Hut. The mountain directly ahead of us, across the Reuss Valley, is called Mt.Bristen. 

And from here we get the best view into the Maderaner Valley, and also to Lake Arnisee below, and the cable-car station which we are going to return to. 

A zoomed vew of the fabulous Windgällen Peaks. (Back in August of 2024, we hiked up to a small lake at the foot of this mountain and crossed the pass on the far left of this photo. That was also a superlative hike. Those photos are HERE). 

Originally we had hoped to sit here in front of the hut to eat our sandwiches, but there was someone here, so we went around the back and found a convenient rock to sit on. Urs had mentioned that the locals use this hut during hunting season (which is to start next week) as he had once participated on a hunt with his cousin who has taken over the original family home. So Urs stopped to talk to the fellow here, and they found out that they are related.... i.e. this is Urs' cousin's son, and they did not know of each other!

Wildampferen farm, which will be the accommodation for local hunters when the hunting season starts next week. (They hunt chamois which live in these mountains). From here we expect to walk another 90 minutes back to Lake Arnisee. 

At 2 p.m. we started on the final leg of our journey, heading down to the Intschialp stream on the trail below the stall building. 

View into the back of the Intschialp "cauldron" as we head down to the river. To think we walked the high trail all around this "cauldron" high up there!

What a cute little hut tucked in next to that large boulder!

Heading down the Intschi Alp with a view into the Schindlach Valley at the back. 

Down below now, a bridge crosses the river. There is a road on the right hand side of the river heading down toward Gurtnellen, which Urs' family (and that second cousin we just met) live. But we are taking a forest trail which follows a water-pipe through the forest on the left side of the river. 

Just as we reach the bridge, Urs' relative (having just descended behind us to a car he had left nearby) came past on his way home and offered us a ride. But my plan required completing the hike! So that's what we did. After all, it was the perfect day for it. 

A look back up into the Intschi Alp and Schindlach Valley after we cross the bridge. 

The next 20 minutes or so was through the forest on a flat and level path following an underground water pipe.

We saw a couple of butterflies here!

Out of the forest now, and facing Mt.Bristen

It is on these hills where Urs' father grew up, harvesting grass just like they still do today. (But today they use leaf-blowers.... there are always leaf-blowers). 

The trail above the water pipe saved us a lot of uphill walking on the road below. We are now headed to the corner up ahead, called Heisigegg. 

We have sat with many friends here on those benches at Heisigegg. 

We made it back to this point at Heisigegg at 3:20 p.m. From here to the cable-car station (at the arrow) is less than 20 minutes along a wide level trail (around the left side of this photo). 

That cute little cow is still lounging in a pasture near Lake Arnisee as we got here at at 15:40. Urs had enough time to buy a lot of yoghurt at Barbara's dairy shop before we headed for the 15:55 cable-car run. 

One last look at the very pretty Arnisee Lake in mid-afternoon. 

We got to the cable-car station early, and there were three other people waiting (including the two gentlemen we had met up at the Schindlachtal Hut) so they did an earlier run for us (they do runs when there are five people waiting). This is the view up the Reuss Valley toward the Gotthard mountains at 15:48.

And also seen from the cable car is the winding road into the Maderaner Valley. 

Another cable-car heading up

Reaching the hamlet called Intschi, with the bus stop on the main road. We caught the 16:08 bus for the 90-minute trip home. That's how close we are to this beautiful place!

This is what our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps

These are all the hikes we have done around the area near Gurtnellen and Lake Arnisee. 

Location of Gurtnellen within Switzerland. 

As seen from our September 2023 hike to the Windgällen Alpine Hut in the Maderaner Valley, the dotted line would be approximately where we hiked this day.