Kerenzerberg from Filzbach-Habergschwänd into the Linth Valley at Mollis

Tuesday October 27, 2026 -- A stunning day today, and I would have had options for a great hike in any part of the country, but because the days are getting shorter, it's not so much fun to travel long distances. So lucky for me, the stunning Glarus Alps are only a two-hour trip from home. So that's where I went this day, for the planned 2¾-hour hike, which turned out to be 3½ hours.... I was exhausted when I got home!

On the southwest side of Lake Walensee is a mountain range called the Kerenzerberg, at the junction with the Linth Valley, with a very convenient chair lift access, as it is also a ski area in winter. This chair lift from Filzbach to Habergschwänd boasts to be the slowest chair lift in Switzerland, and as it was still in operation till November 1st (many cable-ways have already been shut down for maintenance in preparation for winter operation), and even though we had been up there twice before, there was still an option for a hike I wanted to do, walking around the mountain and down to Mollis in the Linth Valley.

As the days get shorter, the communities in the valley bottom often only have about four hours of sunshine in winter, so I had to time it correctly to get as much sun as possible. As it turned out, I worked it out well, starting with just a bit of shade on the north side at the top of the chair lift, then reaching the sunshine just as it passed the mountains in the east, and getting to the valley bottom just as Mollis got in the shade of the western mountains at 3 p.m. And all along the way gorgeous views, fantastic fall colours in the forests, and even lots of cows on an upper pasture!

One of my favourite stretches heading eastward with the Voralpen Express Train, with views of Lake Zurich as the train descends from Biberbrugg. 

This little lake is called Sternenweier, and we did a hike along this lake and down to Lake Zurich in July of 2024 (photos HERE). 

Having left home at 7:46, I got to the Mühlehorn train station on Lake Walensee at 9:34, and transferred to the Postauto which heads up the mountain toward Filzbach and the chair lift, an 11-minute bus ride. 

The bus heads westward along Mt. Kerenzerberg, parallel to Lake Walensee and the Churfirsten mountains. 

This bus stop is at the village of Obstalden, a village we walked through on a June 2020 hike along the themed "Old Roman Road" trail, starting in Mühlehorn and ending in Näfels in the Linth Valley. (Something similar to what I was doing this day, but further down the mountain). 

By 9:50 we had reached the bus stop near the cable-car station at Filzbach. There was still a short 400-meter road to walk to the cable-car station. You can see the towers of the chair lift from here... 

As I reach the little cable-car station, a look back at the village of Filzbach where the bus stops right in the center of those houses, and the road you have to walk along on the left. To the north, on the other side of Lake Walensee, is the sunny mountainside of Amden village, where we have been often!

This is the base station of the Filzbach-Habergschwänd chairlift, claiming to be the "slowest chair lift in Switzerland". There was a family with two small children and a baby buggy heading up ahead of me (not sure where they are going with that buggy), so I waited a while before boarding, as there was no one else far and wide after me, and I wanted the feeling of going up alone!

Heading up on the "Slowest Chair Lift in Switzerland" at just after 10 a.m. The whole ride was over 15 minutes! It cost me 13 Fr. for the one-way ride. The chair lift will still be running until November 1, and then down for maintenance till the skiing season mid-December, that's why I decided to do this trip on this lovely day!

So lovely that the trees are now changing colour. Once I get to the top station, I will be heading out on a trail below those peaks, heading toward the right, where I am hoping I will have lots of sunshine, even though this is the north side of the Kerenzerberg. 

A look behind me as I ride the chair lift up to the Habergschwänd station, an altitude difference of about 500 meters. 

This is the Habergschwänd summit station and restaurant, all in the shadow now! (I see there is a paved road here, that leads to the Talalp Lake, which is probably where the family with the buggy is headed. We visited that lake from here in July 2025 the second time we rode this chairlift, but we used the hiking trail). 

The Habergschwänd summit is in shadow of the mountain. My goals from here are "Mittlere Nüenalp" where I hope to take my first break in the sunshine, and then a detour to "Mullerenberg" before heading down to Mollis. (It takes about an hour longer to get to Mollis via the detour to Mullerenberg). 

The regular trail to Mullerenberg follows a themed trail called the "Schabziger Höhenweg" (High Trail), an educational themed trail dedicated to the manufacture of the local specialty cheese called Schabziger (also known as SapSago)—the only place in the world where this is produced using ONLY milk from Glarus cows—with the oldest patent in the world. We walked that entire themed trail in May 2022, and I am following that trail for the first two kilometers. 

Starting at 10:25 at the Habergschwänd summit station of the chair lift, I did an alternate hike to the Schabziger trail to the Mullerenberg alpine pastures, and then down to Mollis, which I reached at 3 p.m. just as the town was getting covered in shadow from the western mountains. It was a 3½-hour hike and I was exhausted when I got home! 

It was only the first 10 minutes that I had to walk in shadow on this north flank of Mt.Kerenzerberg. 

Only 10 minutes or so in the shade and then I reached the wonderful sunshine! Looking forward to a break at the "Mittlere Nüenalp" farm!

The last view down to Lake Walensee before the trail starts to head into the Linth Valley. 

Imagine my disappointment then as I reached the Nüenalp farm, and the residents there, at the very moment that I came up from the trail on the right of the building (this is looking back after I passed the barn building), just started up a saw to cut their wood for the winter!

This often happens to me, that just as I walk past, they start with the noise! Could have been just 10 minutes later, no? Well, no break here, that's for sure!

Here at Middle Nüenalp is the first look to the north out of the Linth Valley, where the Linth Canal leads the river out toward Lake Zurich, or better, the "Obersee", which is the upper part of Lake Zurich. 

A zoomed view to the hills to the north, and I can even see the Zurich Rehab Clinic where I had started a hike just five days earlier (photos HERE). 

A lovely trail through the sun-dappeled forest now on the east side of the Linth Valley is part of the Schabziger High Trail, but too late I realized that I had planned to walk a different trail to head further down the hill from here. The trail I wanted to walk was unmarked, and that's why I missed the junction. I had to return about 200 meters, and so ended up walking about 1/2 kilometer more than I had planned!

Heading down the unmarked trail now toward the Lower Nüenlap farm, I get the first fantastic views into the Linth Valley and the Glarus Alps on the west side of the valley. That peak is called Räutispitz, and the view is into an upper valley often compared to British Columbia, with a lake called Obersee, but where we have not yet walked, as we can only reach it with a car or taxi, and haven't gotten around to make those arrangements yet. 

Up ahead is the Lower Nüenalp Farm, where I had not been before. I had planned this trail because it was a new one I had not walked before. (The official "Schabziger Trail" is about 150 meters altitude higher up than here). 

It's turning out to be a really warm day! This is the view from the Lower Nüenalp Farm. Interesting for me also is to see the Hirzli summit across the valley, which we summitted in July 2024.

As it was now 11:40, I decided to have my lunch break here. I had hoped to find a bench near the barn, but couldn't see one, so sat here on the grass instead. 

After a 15-minute break here at the Lower Nüenalp Farm, I continued on my walk, but decided first to walk around the buildings here at the farm, and discovered TWO benches where I could have sat for my picnic lunch! One bench was in an open room in the stable buildings right next to where I sat at the trough!

By noon I was on my way again, headed onto a forest trail I had not yet walked before. 

It was a lovely forest trail with lots of sunshine brightening up the colouring trees. 

I spotted a wood-pecker flitting through the trees, and tried to get a good photograph, but he was too quick for me, and had already flown on before I got a chance to focus properly. This bird is aptly named the "Black Woodpecker", the largest European woodpecker. According to the Swiss Vogelwarte Website: "Despite its size, one rarely catches sight of this shy bird". 

Beautiful views into the Linth Valley through the sun-dappled trees. 

Far at the back of the Linth Valley, I also get a view of the unmistakeable Mt.Tödi. 

It was a very interesting walk along some vertical cliffs. 

This was such a lovely stretch through the forest. 

This stretch of trail was very interesting with walkways built along the vertical cliffs to create a through-trail. I was particularly impressed at the walkway (bottom right) which is mounted along the cliff with cables, basically hung there. 

Such beautiful colours in the forest here. 

By 12:30 I had reached the wide open clearing at Mullerenberg. I made a detour here because we had passed through here on the May 2022 hike we did along the Schabziger High Trail. At that time we descended to here from the higher trail, and this time I emerged from the forest at the level of the clearing. This is a photo I took from higher up of the clearing at the time. PHOTO HERE. 

In some places, the trees have lost almost all their leaves by now... 

When we came through here in May 2022, our trail passed behind that building which I can see above me this time. 

Straight ahead to the south is a mountain called the Fronalpstock. It is the dominant mountain over this part of the valley, i.e. the towns of Mollis and Näfels. 

It was very warm here in the sunshine, and I was looking for a bench in the shade somewhere but couldn't find one! (As I still had to continue my walk in the forest, I wasn't sure if putting on my shorts at this point was a good idea!) On our May 2022 hike along the Schabziger High Trail, we continued on down this road toward the other end of this high alpine clearing. 

I headed down the road a bit to have a closer look at all the lovely cows, who also observed me carefully!

What a lovely afternoon up here!

I would have liked to stay here a bit longer, but it was really too warm and there were no benches to sit on and relax! But I was still glad I had done the detour to come this way!

A final look back at the Mullerenberg clearning before I continue down the mountainside on more forest trails. 

More trails through the forest as I continue down the mountainside. 

More lovely fall colours in the forested hillside. 

Now I have come to another large alpine clearing called Obstock, with more views to the bottom of the Linth Valley. At this point I put on my shorts, because it was only going to get warmer as I got lower down!

It is now 1:50 p.m., and I've got about 45 minutes to Mollis, and a bit longer to the train station between Mollis and Näfels. I can see that the mountainside on the west side of the valley is already starting to get in shadow, which means the valley bottom here isn't a long way off as well!

I have to show off that I am now in my shorts, because it is getting to be very warm here in the sun!

The view down to the city of Mollis on this side of the Linth River (Eschenkanal). The train station is on the other side of the river, in the community called Näfels. 

What a fantastic fungus! It was about 15 cm in diameter!

Nearing the valley bottom now, I can see that the church in Mollis is only a small detour from the direct way to the train station across the river, so obviously I was going to have a look! As one can see, the west side of the river is already in shadow. It is now 14:35, and my plan is to catch the 15:21 train. 

A very interesting fountain, where I swapped my bottled water for fresh water!

Heading down the road toward the church in Mollis

Across from the church in Mollis is a pretty building called the "Wirtschaft zum Löwen", i.e. the "Lion Restaurant" !. 

At 2:50 p.m. I am headed to the church (Reformed) to have a look at the inside. According to Internet information, in 1288 there was a Catholic Church at this site, but after the Reformation, when the confessions divided, the building was in disrepair, so they built this new one in 1760-1761. 

Inside of the church in Mollis. This one is unusual in that the organ is not in the balcony, but behind the altar. As the balcony was accessible through the staircase, I went up there to photograph the interior from above. 

Front of the church as viewed from the balcony. There is an inscription along the elevated section at the organ, which is a dedication to the citizens of Glarus who gave their lives in the battle of Näfels in 1388... apparently their remains are buried here. 

Before heading to the train station, I changed back to my long pants, just in time as the shadows reached the church here at 3 p.m. 

Looking up the Linth Valley along the Linth River (called Escherkanal here). This part of the valley is already in shadow by 3 p.m. at this time of year. 

As I now cross to the Näfels side of the river, a look back toward Mollis and the Mullerenberg high plateau where I had taken the detour to earlier. And the peak in the center is Mount Fronalpstock. 

Näfels-Mollis train station in the shadow of the steep western mountains at 3:15 p.m. But just a little distance to the north where the Linth River heads into Lake Walensee, there is still a lot of sunshine! But I timed my hike well, and was glad I didn't start an hour later!

The 15:21 train arrives on time. From here it is only a trip of 1¾ hours to get back home! 

What my hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. 

These are all the hikes we have done in the region at the junction of the Linth Valley and Lake Walen (Walensee). 

As the train leaves the Linth Valley in the direction of Ziegelbrücke, there is lots of sunshine here still, especially on the Amden hillside on the north side of Lake Walen (Walensee). 

On the railway line between Ziegelbrücke to Pfäffikon (where I change again to the Voralpen Express in direction of Luzern), we always pass this pretty lake called Hirschlensee, where I have long wanted to walk. Maybe this winter on a sunny day when we don't want to go into the mountains!

Then, on the stretch between Lake Zurich and Arth-Goldau, we get a view of Mt.Säntis to the East. Unbelievably, the snow that fell heavily less than a week ago is already gone! When I walked to Eschenbach near Lake Zurich only five days earlier, this is the photo I took of Mt.Säntis --> HERE.

Location of Kerenzerberg and the Linth Valley within Switzerland.