Schilt View-Point High Above the Reuss Valley and Haldi High Plateau

Saturday September 26, 2026 -- Again we didn't want to travel far, but we also had to consider that it being a beautiful Saturday (and the 55 Fr. day ticket is still valid), there were going to be many people in all the popular side valleys where we usually like to walk. So we decided to head to the high-plateau called Haldi at the junction of two of our favourite valleys (Schächental and Reusstal) which is more of a local thing.

We have been on this upper plateau quite often (especially in winter, as it is above the fog), but for a long time I have been studying the maps there, and observed that there was a trail to what looked like a view-point from where you could see up and down the Reuss Valley, which promised to be worth the long hike up (in all a 3½-hour round tour including an elevation gain of 450 meters). But the day was once again spectacular with the best visibility you could have asked for, and we definitely got the views we were expecting. We never get tired of the beautiful Uri Alps, and spent a long time alone up at the view-point. (Just as we were leaving, the next two hikers showed up).

There were only two negatives on this hike: Our bus was late and the cable-car operator wasn't going to wait just one minute more for the 10:10 run, and we had to wait 30 minutes at the base station for the next scheduled run. Also, there is currently no expectation for cool autumn weather, and the first two kilometers uphill on a paved road were surprisingly hot. We were glad to get to the steep ascent portion in the cool forest! On the way back we chose a forest trail which was much more pleasant, even though we had walked this once before.

This was a great hike and we barely noticed that it was over 3½ hours of strict hiking.

As I was waiting for Urs at the Arth Goldau station, this was the next train arriving from Zurich on the way to Venice, and even though it is a VERY long train, it was full to the brim in first and second class.

In fact, since it was known that the train to Venice (on the left) would be overfull, they brought in a second train (on the right) which would only travel to the border of Italy (or maybe even just to Lugano). It was definitely less full, and I even observed a few people jump out of the full train and transfer across the platform. That's what we would have done! (Fortunately we continued from here on a small local train).

My favourite view as our train heads south along Lake Uri to Altdorf station.

The bus from Altdorf to the Haldi cable-car station usually allows for enough time to walk to the station, but our bus was running late, and we got to the cable-car at 10:10, exactly for the scheduled run. Instead of waiting a minute or two for the late bus, we had to wait here for 30 minutes for the next run. That was a bit annoying. And it is such a short trip, so it's a shame they don't run more often. (Unless eight people show up, but we were the only ones).

Some more people had shown up, so they ended up running it sooner. By 10:30 we were on the way up to the Haldi plateau, with a view over the towns of Schattdorf and Altdorf to the south end of Lake Uri.

Now at the top station, we study all the very many options for hikes that start here!!!! We are going to Schilt via Süessberg, along the longer trail (2 hours) and returning via the faster way, i.e. Lauwenen.

As we start out on our walk at 10:40, we have some superb views into the Reuss Valley below, and can also see the small clearing up high where we are headed to, in the hopes of some good views in both directions.

Directly across the valley we also get a really good look to the Surenen Pass and the upper valley called Waldnachttal, where we also recently did a hike, including taking one of those cargo cable cars down to valley bottom (Those photos are HERE).

We knew ahead of time that this day would be a very long hike, over 3½ hours, although it barely felt like it, except when we walked in the sun on the paved road for the first 2 kilometers. We started at 10:40 at the top of the cable-car station, walked to Süessberg, then uphill for 450 meters to the lookout point, where we stayed for 1½ hours. On the way back we went a different way, getting back to the cable-car station for the 16:10 run.

Being watched as usual as we walk past!

The first two kilometers were on paved back roads like this one, which isn't usually a problem, but it got hot quickly, a surprisingly warmer day than expected.

Always with our goal in view, although our trail doesn't go directly up there, but rather we approached it from a forest trail slightly higher up on the left. Also stunning is a glacier across the valley.

This is the little chapel at Haldi. We didn't go up the hill, as we'd been here a couple of times before.

Welcome shade.... our trail continues on the right.

Still a lot of directions we can go from here! But our goal is the "Schilt Aussichtspunkt", i.e. "Schilt Look-out Point". There are two options to get there from here, but we are taking the longer option, 90 minutes from here.

Up ahead we see the other trail that leads to the look-out point. We will return on that road.

At Süessberg starts the steep uphill portion of our hike, a lot through forest, and we should get there in an hour. It is now 11:30.

A view back toward the sunny Haldi Plateau as we start on the steep uphill portion of our hike.

As we climb higher, we now see Lake Uri, and the town of Altdorf below.

Haldi plateau to the north with the backdrop of the mountains that form the north side of the Schächen Valley. That whole region below the three peaks is accessible with two cable cars, and we have been there often.

After the heat of walking along the paved road, the shade of the forest is VERY welcome!

We have now reached an alpine pasture/clearing called Gampelen. Interesting for us here is to see the peak at the back called Hoch Fulen, which we summitted on our two-day hike in June 2020.

We don't often encounter horses in the pastures in these mountains.

A very elaborate "Insect Hotel" !!

The final stretch through the forest is actually slightly higher up than the look-out point.

And down below us now is the small farmhouse at Schilt. It is now 12:48, which means it took us an hour and 20 minutes to hike up to here. (Our trail is up on the left, and on the way back we are taking the lower road)

And THIS is the view we came for! It did not at all disappoint. Below to the north are the towns of Schattdorf, Altdorf and Flüelen, and the Reuss River which enters the south end of Lake Uri at the Reuss Delta. Fantastic!

And this the view to the northeast across the Haldi High Plateau where we started the hike, and into the beautiful Schächen Valley, one of our favourite valleys.

And directly to the west on the other side of the Reuss Valley we get a good look to the Surenen Pass, which crosses into the Engelberg Valley. (Below the Surenen Pass is the Waldnacht Valley, where we recently did a hike on August 26th, photos HERE).

What better place for our picnic lunch! And no other people far and wide.

Urs even discovered that they keep a small fridge with cold drinks up here! For a change, he didn't purchase one.

It was so beautiful here, that we spent about 40 minutes on this bench, which is way longer than we usually spend for our lunch break.

Again, a view to the entrance of the Schächen Valley. The mountain across from here is called Eggbergen, also accessible with a cable-car from Flüelen on the left.

This is the farmhouse at Schilt. There was no one here at the moment, but there were machines still outside, so we figure they are still planning to come up here for the final winter preparations.

Behind us was a hill which we then climbed at 1:30 p.m. after our long lunch break at the bench below. We were hoping that the top of this hill would afford us a view up the Reuss Valley.

And there you go, more fantastic views, to the south this time, with Mt.Bristen being the dominant peak at the junction with the Maderan Valley. Urs says it is not often that the summit of Mt.Bristen is snow-free.

Views from here into the Erstfeld Valley, a place we also hiked into once, in August 2017. There is an alpine hostel below the glacier, but I have not made it up there yet. The jagged peaks at the back are the Gross Spannort, a mountain we saw recently from the other side when we were hiking in the Engelberg Valley. (Photos HERE).

Close-up view of the Gross Spannort and the glacier called the Glattfirn. (2900 meters).

The trail on this side ends at the little building on the left, which is a shelter for hunters. We took a little detour that way to have a closer look.

What an unusual place to build a shelter! The trail ended here, so we returned to the benches after having a quick look at the interesting site, where apparently the hunters take refuge for the night.

After 25 minutes at the very top of the hill, we headed back to the little farmhouse. More fantastic views down to the Reuss Canal and the Reuss Delta where the river enters Lake Uri.

Time to head back to the cable-car station. It is now just after 2 p.m.

Back at the farmhouse now, and heading to the other trail, lower down than the one we came on, so that we don't walk the same way back.

From here we still have an hour and 20 minutes to get back to the Haldi cable-car station.

Haldi Plateau and Schächen Valley.

Final view.... From here we had a long stretch along a forest road, enough shade so it wasn't took hot, and always a slight downhill.

Now we are headed down the road we had seen at the start of the hike.

They surprised us, and apparently we surprised them!

The Alpacas are curious, probably because not a lot of people walk past here!

Aren't they cute?

Heading down toward the forest now. Behind us are the mountains we descended on the second day of our two-day hike in June/July 2020 (photos HERE).

This was a lovely long section in the sun-dappled forest, along a trail we had walked once before in the opposite direction on a hike which we also started in Haldi in September 2024.

On our September 2024 hike, this section of trail was too dark for me, as we started early from the cable car walking in the opposite direction, and this was still in the shadow of the mountain. But on this hot day today, it was a favourite part of the hike!

Passing the pretty house that we remember from last time.

Final stretch toward the cable-car station, one last uphill stretch!

Urs is checking the cable-car and train schedules to see if we will make it back on time!

And one more look behind us now to the clearing at Schilt where we enjoyed a long stay with fantastic views up and down the Reuss Valley.

We did manage to catch the 16:10 cable car down to Schattdorf (even with a few minutes to spare!), with once again the views over the town of Altdorf and the south end of Lake Uri.

Heading back down to the cable car station in Schattdorf. We then caught the 16:19 bus back to the Altdorf train station and were home in less than 90 minutes, that's how close this is to home.