Seebodenalp to Küssnacht on the Northwest Side of Mt.Rigi

Wednesday June 17, 2026 -- Urs had to work all week so no Wednesday hike together, but I still wanted to get out for a little walk. The day started out cloudy with forecast of clearing for later, so I waited till it looked like it was all going to be lovely, and headed off on the spur of the moment.

Very close to my house is the cable-car from Küssnacht up to Seebodenalp, a large alpine plateau on the north side of Mount Rigi. In just a few minutes I had boarded the cable-car, and then, from the top, walked back down, just a 90-minute walk. (For a long time I had wanted to hike UP to Seebodenalp, but it's over 500 meters of altitude gain, and at the moment just too hot to do this hike).

The trail I took is part of Regional Trail no.63: "Schwyzer Höhenweg", a section that I had not walked yet. On the way down I discovered a fabulous rope park run by the Alpenhof Farm (a popular restaurant with loads of things for children to do), and after that made my way to the ruins of the Gesslerburg (Gessler Fortress) where I hadn't been since 2014. The sky became overcast and the air turned muggy, so I was glad to have some shade at the old mill pond for a break, and after that did some shopping and headed back home. An easy outing and not a lot of time spent on trains and buses!

Just a couple of minutes' walk from my house in Küssnacht is the cable-car station to Seebodenalp, a high plateau on the north side of Mt. Rigi. 

View of the Küssnacht arm of Lake Luzern, and Mt.Rigi in the background. On days with clear visibility, you can even see the Bernese Alps at the far back. 

Down below is the farm called Alpenhof, very popular with families as there are loads of activities for children (trampolines, slides, etc.) and a large outdoor terrace as well as an indoor restaurant. In the back is the town of Küssnacht, which lies at the north end of the Küssnacht arm of Lake Lucerne. 

More views as the cable-car heads further up. 

Passing over a section of forest where I later walked through, then passed via the Alpenhof farm and to the Gesslerburg ruins on the right. At the arrow is a very large rope park which I discovered on my way down. 

A look across the Seebodenalp plateau to the northwest flank of Mt.Rigi, with the communication tower visible at Rigi Kulm. The last time we took the Seebodenalp cable car to start on a hike here was in June 2022, when we walked around the north side of the mountain to Arth on Lake Zug.

There seems to be a very interesting marble run up here, entertainment for the kids. Marble runs have become somewhat of a popular feature in many mountain regions. 

There is also a chapel near the cable-car station, and this is the first time I have had a look inside. At 10:45 I was ready to start my walk down to the town of Küssnacht, a 90-minute walk from here. 

It was a 90-minute and 615-meter descent to Küssnacht from Seebodenalp, via the ruins of Gesslerburg fortress. I did a bit of shopping then caught the bus to the main square, from where I then walked via the lakeshore trail back home.

Good thing that a nice part of the descent was through the forest, as we are currently having a heat wave, so the shade is welcome!

A long series of steps takes you down through the forest. 

First glimpse now again of the Küssnacht arm of Lake Luzern. It is already much hazier than when I came up with the cable car, and the air is starting to feel muggy. 

With my luck, the farmers just started with their leaf (or grass) blowers as I reached them here on the trail! (This happens a lot to me). 

With this hot weather, it is a perfect time for the farmers to cut the grass on the mountains slopes and leave it to dry into hay. 

Perfect weather for drying the grass. This machine is tumbling the grass so it dries on the other side. 

To the northeast I get a glimpse of Lake Zug. 

As much of the mountain slopes as possible is harvested for hay. 

From here the trail heads back into a nice cool forested section. 

After another cool section through the forest, I came upon this structure. It seems to be the entrance to a very intricate rope park. 

A map shows the extent of the rope park / enclosure with all the activities that can be done here. 

I walked along the fence trying to get a peek into the enclosure, and got a couple of glimpses of ladders, platforms and ropes. It look like fun, but is quite expensive to do. (45 Fr. for adults, 32 Fr. for children). 

Near the Rope Park is a nice view bench, and I took a little break here.... to try to take a self-time photo with this background!

My attempts at self-time photos usually show me running to or from the camera!

Enjoying the view and watching the Seebodenalp cable-car head up the mountain again. 

Beautiful view, although it could have been better! This is Mt.Pilatus, the main mountain of the city of Luzern, which is around the promontory on the right. 

Barely visible at the back are the Bernese Alps, which you can see really well on a clear day. 

Continuing on down now, the trail passes through the grounds of the Alpenhof Farm, which you see from the cable-car. 

One of the Rope Park activities starts and/or ends here with a climbing wall. There are all kinds of activities here for children, including trampolines and small animals. It is a very popular place for families. We have also been here to eat several times. Most recently we stopped here for refreshments on a hike we did down to Küssnacht from all the way up at Rigi Staffel, in July 2025. 

Lovely large trees. 

The next part of the trail passes via the ruins of the Gessler Fortress (Gesslerburg), i.e. the trail goes around the east side of this hill, but I took a shortcut thinking I could get there faster. But I had to go down and up a couple of steep slopes navigating stinging nettles to get there, so probably not faster. 

View down to the town of Küssnacht from the hill across from the ruins. 

Information about the fortress. Apparently not a lot is known about its grounding, but it seems it was already in existence in the 9th Century. As is often the case, after the building fell into disrepair over the centuries, the stones from the building were carted away by locals to use in other buildings, such as the parish church (in the 18th Century). The fortress became famous in Schiller's story of William Tell in the early 16th Century, where the nemesis Gessler alledgedly lived or used it as a dungeon. 

The last time I was here was in 2014 on a hike we did from Greppen to Immensee on a trail called the "Rigi Lehnenweg" 

You can walk along the walls on a fenced-in section and get views of the various walls and sections of the old ruins. 

Close-up view of the church in Küssnacht from the walls of the Gesslerburg ruins. 

Coming down off the hill where the ruins are, you come across the old mill. i.e. this is called the "Knochenstampfi", i.e. "Bone crusher", built in 1877 and where bones were ground into meal, which was a highly sought-after fertilizer product. The built-in saw and pounding-blocks were operated via water brought in through the channel. 

A lovely and cool place for a break. There was a family grill-spot here with wood and benches, where I sat for a while. 

Continuing on into the outskirts of town, I passed this very nicely laid-out garden!

Such pretty flowers!

Past this old building is the main road through town, where I took a detour to buy some groceries. 

These are all the hikes we have done around Mount Rigi and Küssnacht. The descent I did this day was parallel to the cable-car line from Seebodenalp to Küssnacht, the pink line at the arrow. 

The pretty road from the main traffic circle down to the lakeshore in Küssnacht. 

Along this short road from the main traffic circle are several restaurants, bakeries, outside sitting areas, the large church, a museum... the only drawback is that cars can drive down here to park at the large lot next to the lake access. 

A look at the city hall building from in front of the church. 

City hall building. It's all so pretty with large gardens, etc.