Urnerboden to Linthal via Nussbüel in Canton Glarus

August 26, 2025 -- After three very long hikes in a row, we wanted something "short" on this final beautiful day of a four-day streak of nice weather. We still wanted something in the mountains with views, but most of the mountain hikes on my list of hikes to do are about four hours. So we settled for a relatively short walk at the back of the Linth Valley in Canton Glarus, a region we have been often, but where there was a short stretch of trail we had not walked before. Along this stretch was a mountain restaurant called Nussbüel which we had been to twice before on winter hikes, and we figured it would be a nice place to have lunch before descending back to Valley bottom. 

After a bus ride toward Urnerboden from Linthal, we started our hike at the Canton Border between Cantons Glarus and Uri, and then walked 4½ kilometers to the restaurant along a very nice mountain trail. I was really looking forward to a lunch of Rösti (a cake of hash browns) which is very popular in mountain restaurants, but unfortunately this time it was a disappointment. Somewhat burnt and not very tasty. It was a bit hot where we sat, and two people smoked nearby. (This is a reason we don't often stop at mountain restaurants, as we cannot enjoy the view terraces without having to endure the cigarette smoke).

The hike down to Linthal was pretty steep, which isn't usually an issue, but once again a rescue helicopter hovered nearby for at least 15 minutes, a noise I cannot tolerate for more than a minute. And the trip here for this 3-hour walk meant a trip of over five hours to get here and back home, so not my favourite excursion to date. 

Heading south along the Linthal Valley, the distinctive Mount Tödi looms over the back of the valley. The smoke stack is witness of the industry (mostly textile) that was very prominent in this valley in the 18th to 20th Centuries. 

Many small villages in the Linthal Valley.  I think this is the village of Luchsingen. .

From the Linthal train station, we take a bus up the Klausen Pass Road. Directly to the west of the town of Linthal is the mountainside we are walking along (above those cliffs from left to right to the tower you can see on the right, and from there we walked back down to Linthal) 

A view back to the town of Linthal and down the Linth Valley as the bus starts on the winding road up into the Urnerboden Valley. 

From Linthal we took the bus into the Urnerboden Valley, where we started our hike at the Canton Border (Canton Uri to the West, Canton Glarus to the East). We then walked to the Nussbüel farm for lunch and from there back down to the town of Linthal. This was going to be a short hike, but in the end it was three hours anyway. 

Having left home at about 7:45, we started here on our hike at the Urnerboden Canton Border at 10:45, so a three-hour trip (plus 2½ hours back home) for a three-hour hike. (We ended up back in Linthal at about 3 p.m.)

This is the beautiful Urnerboden Valley, the largest alpine meadow in Switzerland where about 1700 cows/cattle graze in the summer. Far in the back is the Klausen Pass. 

Another beautiful day for this hike. 

Views up the Urnerboden Valley as we climb the hill. 

The mountains on the north side of the Urnerboden Valley are stunning. 

A few of the many cows that spend the summer up here!

After about 15 to 20 minutes we reached a road and had an easy walk from here for a while!

What's that hiding behind the tall grasses?

We walked for a kilometer along this road. 

Another look behind us to the Klausen Pass. 

Once we got to Vorder Stafel farm, we had to walk uphill again for a bit. (Side note: This stretch we have done before when we walked back down to Urnerboden from a hike higher up on the mountain back in October 2018. At that time there was a self-serve fridge at the farm and a picnic table where we took a break! Photo HERE)

At the circle in the back near the Klausen Pass is a glacier lake which we have visited several times, the last time was in 2018 with a friend from USA. (Those photos are HERE). 

Trying to take a self-timed photo!

Now we start on a stretch of trail we hadn't been on before! Most of it was a nice forest trail. 

This might be the summit of Mt.Ortstock. 

Close-up look at Klausen Pass to the west before we enter on the forest trail. 

After a 45-minute walk along a forest trail, we reach the Nussbüel farm. 

A really nice look down to the valley bottom toward the back of the Linth Valley. 

We got to the Nussbüel farm at about 12:30, and were looking forward to a nice lunch of Rösti Potatoes! This view is up the back of the Linth Valley, way past the last town of Linthal. 

The terrace at the Nussbüel restaurant looks inviting. 

The plate of Rösti was not expensive, but the potatoes were burnt and tasted weird. Usually, it is a nice and crunchy "pancake". I was not impressed. Urs also had a dessert, as usual! (We were here twice before on a winter hike in 2014, and were more impressed at that time, although I don't remember what we ate when we were here). 

View up the Linth Valley. 

A pretty barn on the Nussbüel farm. 

I so miss my own Lop-Eared bunnies. These are so cute; apparently there are four black bunnies name Blacki, Star, Nero and Maxi, born in March of this year!

View to the east to the mountains of the Sardona Region. (UNESCO World Heritage Site). I believe that main peak at the back is called the Hausstock.  

We left the restaurant at 1:45 p.m. and started our descent after 10 minutes along the road to Braunwald. This sign warns us that the trail down to Linthal is a "Very Steep Descent"!

The "steep descent" was not worse than many other such descents which we have done. It took us exactly an hour to descend the 566 meters to Linthal. What was really tough for me is that a helicopter (possibly rescue) hovered nearby for over 15 minutes, a noise I cannot tolerate that close by. 

We arrived at the level of the Linthal train station at about 2 p.m. As the next train isn't till 14:44, we walked to the next station at the base of the Braunwald funicular.  

This is the base station of the Braunwald Funicular. We have been here often to ride the funicular to the car-free mountain village of Braunwald, 600 meters above the valley bottom (about the same level as the Nussbüel Farm). My most recent trip there was in October of 2024. We waited nearby for the 14:45 train for the 2½-hour trip home.

Another view now of Mt.Hausstock. On the other side is the back of the Sernf Valley, with its main town of Elm. 

All the hikes we have done around Braunwald, Linthal, Urnerboden. 

Location of Linthal within Switzerland.