Hike down Mount Rigi on the Schwyzer Höhenweg

Friday June 2, 2023 -- Another beautiful day not to be wasted, so I decided to do a hike on my own again, heading up to the summit of Mount Rigi on the first possible connection (train up from Arth-Goldau at 8 a.m., arriving at the top at 8:50) where I was able to enjoy the early morning panoramic views and the peacefulness before the next scheduled trains brought all the Asian tourists up the mountain at 10:00 a.m.

As the trains spilled their masses of tourists at the summit, I boarded to descend to the next station down (Rigi Staffel), having planned to walk down the mountain from there, to the train station at Arth Goldau. (Only six people on the train's return journey!!). The trail I followed wasn't the best as far as views are concerned, but it is part of the Regional Trail no.63: Schwyzer Höhenweg (Schwyz High Trail) and a section of trail which I had not walked before (we have walked many trails along this mountain already). 

No one else seemed to be walking downhill this day, although I passed many sweating hikers walking uphill: People seem to feel challenged to summit many of the Swiss mountains on foot, but I'd rather descend 1000m instead of ascending, especially on a hot day! The air was hazy by the time I got near the bottom, so the views to Lake Lauerz and Lake Zug weren't the best, but it was a comfortable enough walk, another 10 kms and 2 hrs 40 minutes. Along the way, I got to watch the cows being led up to higher pastures for the summer, and that is always a treat as well!

A 15-minute train ride from Zug to Arth-Goldau along lake Zug (25 minutes from home). This is Mount Rigi. A cog-wheel train takes you up to the summit which you can see across the lake. 

The Rigi Railway station with the first set of trains ready to climb the mountain, departure time is 7:55, and it is a 45-minute ride to the top. There were about 20 of us in this first run up the mountain

The first views of the mountains as the train makes its way to the summit

Up at Rigi Kulm station is the familiar landmark chapel

From the summit station, all the tourists make their way to the restaurant and the tower, from where you get 360-degree views over most of Switzerland. I've been there so many times, I didn't bother this time. 

Even from below the tower, you get a very nice view to the north across Lake Zug (we live at the far end of that lake). Of course if the air was less hazy, you would see much further. 

Also to the north is the popular plateau called Seebodenalp, and the Küssnacht arm of Lake Luzern (Vierwaldstättersee). 

There were a couple of wooden lounging chairs here above the chapel, and as I hadn't slept well the night before, I decided to rest here for an hour before the flood of tourists came. It was cool and quiet and peaceful, and only a handful of people were up here. The view's not too bad either. 

Below is the walking trail to the next lower station at Rigi Staffel. I have walked this trail many times. In the background is Mount Pilatus, the main mountain of the city of Luzern, which is at its base to the right. 

Waiting for the 10 a.m. train to head down one station to the start of my hike. The white-capped mountains in the background are the Bernese Alps. On a clear day, the views here are incomparable. 

The newer, modern Rigi train arrives from Vitznau with the first load of tourists....

...followed be the older blue train from Arth Goldau

Almost all of these people are Asians from China or Korea. I'm so glad I took the earlier train up! And boy, this isn't even summer holidays yet. 10 a.m. on a Friday morning in June. 

That part of the mountain is called Rigi Rotstock. I am starting my downhill hike from the building on the right, which is called Rigi Staffel. And in the background is Mount Pilatus

Only a handful of people in the train for the ride back down the hill. An hour later and it will be full of those tourists again, who only really spend an hour up here before moving on to their next destination. 

The modern train is also descending to pick up the next set of tourists. This is the train station at Rigi Staffel, where I started my hike at 10:15.

The section of the Schwyzer Höhenweg (no.63) from Rigi Staffel to Arth Goldau, almost 10 km and 2.5 hours, which is about what it took me. It's all downhill, 1120 meters. 

VIDEO:

The blue Rigi Train heading back down to Arth Goldau

The blue Rigi train heading back down to Arth Goldau, as I start out on my walk. 

Down this valley is where the trail leads. In the center is a small gathering of buildings called Rigi Klösterli, including a small pilgrim's chapel. 

A look up at the tower at Rigi Kulm (summit). 

There was forestry work being done along the trail, which actually was blocked to hikers until end of May. Still, they obviously hadn't finished their work, and I had to clamber over heaps of cut branches. 

Near the next station of Rigi Klösterli are a few residences, a hotel, a vacation camp facility, and this little pilgrim chapel called "Maria zum Schnee" (Maria of the Snow), dedicated in 1721

Obviously I had to take a look in the chapel. I was impresed at how ornate this mountain chapel is!

Many details of the inside of the pilgrim chapel "Maria zum Schnee"

Cows and flowers

Stopped here for a self-timed photo and to change into my shorts, because it is now 11 a.m. and getting quite warm!

The 11 a.m. run up the mountain with the next load of tourists!

As I was heading down the trail, I heard an incessant noise of cow bells, which usually means that cows are on the march. After waiting 10 minutes they finally appeared, being led to higher pastures. But they were taking their sweet time with the process!

VIDEO:
It's hard work getting those cows to upper pastures, as they want to stop and taste all the grass along the way!

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Now they're wondering what I am doing up here... 

In another pasture I saw these cows sleeping on their sides. This looks so unusual, you don't often see them lying like this!

About 2/3rds down the mountain is a restaurant and former Gasthaus called Dächli. (This abandoned building is not the restaurant). 

Even though a sign read that they are open Friday-Saturday-Sunday, it looks like it might no longer be operational. There was a fridge with self-serve refreshments. The wooden carving is interesting!

A look up at the building called Dächli as I continue down the mountain. It is believed that this building provided accommodation and meals in the 18th Century to the pilgrims making their way up the mountain to the chapel at Klösterli. Back then, the ascent had to be done on foot, no Rigibahn! 

From Dachli it's just over an hour to the train station in Goldau.

Now I've emerged from the forest into the pasturelands at the foot of the mountain, with a view south to Lake Lauerz and the Mythen mountains. 

A look behind me up the mountain. The small building toward the top is Dächli

A close-up look to the summit of Mount Rigi

To the north is Lake Zug. The town on the south end of Lake Zug is called Arth

A zoomed view of Arth on the south side of Lake Zug

Down at city level now, this is the Catholic church in Goldau

If time permits and churches are open, I always have a look inside

At 1:15 p.m. I made it back to the Rigi-Bahn train station, which is an elevated platform built above and perpendicular to the regular railway. The platform was built in 1897 and as of 2006 it has become an industrial monument of national importance. 

The elevated platform was built in 1897 and was an engineering marvel of its time. Since then, and with the development of electric trains and most recently of double-decker trains on the Gotthard line below, the platform had to be raised twice (41cm in 1922 and 70 cm between 2010 and 2017). As of 2006 it had become an industrial monument of national importance, and therefore they could not remove it to make way for the taller trains. 

And now another look at the summit of Mount Rigi as I head back home again at 1:15 p.m. 

What my hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps

All the hikes we have done around Mount Rigi and Mount Zug

Rigi North Trail from Seebodenalp to Arth

Wednesday June 8, 2022 -- More bad weather in the forecast for the afternoon, so we settled for a rather short hike nearby, starting early on the Seebodenalp on our local Mount Rigi.

Always when traveling from our home south of here where we do most of our hiking, we always pass near Mount Rigi on the other side of Lake Zug. The view we get is of its Northeast face, a relatively steep face which sports only one trail down, a trail built by Polish internees during WWII and thus aptly dubbed the "Polenweg", or "Trail of the Poles". (Alternately also "Rigi Nord-Lehne"). The trail starts at the popular and sunnier Seebodenalp on the Northwest side of the mountain, a lovely upper plateau above Küssnacht am Rigi, and one which we can see from our apartment balcony.

To save on climbing time, we took the Seebodenalp Cableway, and walked the 8 km down to Lake Zug level at the town of Arth. We got some nice views of Lake Zug, but most of the hike was on a forest trail. Unfortunately for us, the trail suffered some recent damage (there have been some very major slides on this mountainside in the past 100 years, causing much damage to the railway lines below) and so there were some repairs being done on the trail, and the machines had made the trail very muddy, due to recent rains.

Our original plan was to walk to the railway station in Arth-Goldau, but the sunny weather enticed us to a lake-side pizzeria where we enjoyed a pleasant lunch before taking the bus to the station and then the train home.

Side note: There are several such trails in Switzerland, built by the Polish internees and known generally as "Polenwege".

Heading by train along Lake Zug to Küssnacht a.Rigi, which is a village just below Seebodenalp at the foot of Mt.Rigi and from where you can take a cable car up to the sunny plateau. The trail we walked is approximately as shown, the only trail on this side of the mountain. 

The view over Küssnacht as we head up in the 9 a.m. cable car. The mountain in the background is Mt. Pilatus, Luzern's main mountain and a tourist favourite for the view. Also far back on the left you can see the Bernese Alps

A very close-up zoomed photo of Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau, the most well-known of the Bernese Alps, and in the foreground, the fancy hotels on Mount Bürgenstock

The Seebodenalp Cable Car, saves a climb of almost 600m altitude

Down below, the community of Küssnacht am Rigi, on the Küssnacht arm of Lake Lucerne

We're only doing a short hike this time, 2 hours 20 minutes to Arth on Lake Zug, with the option of another 45 minutes to the train station in Goldau (But we opted for lunch at the lake, and taking the bus)

Because the north/northeast side of Mount Rigi is so steep, there is only this one trail going down this side of the mountain The trail was built by Polish Internees during WWII. The forest is an important part of the vegetation here, as it helps to prevent land slides. 

We are always observed by the cows! Up above is the Swisscom Telecommunication Tower on the summit of Mount Rigi, i.e. Rigi Kulm. 

A really nice look north across Lake Zug, before we head down into the forest. On the right is Mount Zug (the Zugerberg) and at the very back the city of Zug where we live. 

VIDEO:

Panorama of Lake Zug

This side of the mountain is steep and there have been several slides in the past 100 years. 

Then we ran into the little machines "fixing" the damaged trail, although it looked like they were doing more damage to it! The machine operator had to move his machine so we could pass by. 

A large part of the trail was muddy clay, partly due to the machines and partly due to recent rains. It took us a long time to clean our shoes...

Some information about the many landslides on this mountain flank in the past 100 years or so. The forest helps protect from even more damage

Finally down at valley bottom level. This stretch of railway is very well-used, especially by cargo trains. On the other side is the freeway. In the back are the unmistakeable peaks of the Greater and Lesser Mythen. 

Crossing under the railway tracks

A look back at the mountainside we descended.

And ahead of us is the town of Arth below on Lake Zug, and the mountain called Wildspitz, or Rossberg, the site of one of the largest landslides in the history of Switzerland. (1806, here is an ARTICLE)

These are huge cherry trees. I'm not sure how they actually pick the top sections....

Clouds are gathering in the mountains as predicted, that is why we started early and kept it short

The current St.Georg's chapel built in 1652 is the 5th or 6th chapel built on this spot, the first one being documented in 1036

A painting inside the chapel documents the great fire of July 21, 1719. The houses at that time were all single homes made of wood. After the fire, in which 77 homes were lost, the district administrators stipulated that the houses would not longer be built with wood, but stone with tiled roofs. 

The village of Arthh was rebuilt in stone with tiled roofs after the great fire of 1719

The house in the middle is called the "Haus Krone" (Crown House) and is a typical residence from the 18th Century. 

At noon the weather was still good, so we gave up walking and decided to treat ourselves to a lunch at the lakeside Pizzeria. 

Urs had the lunch menu (Pork steak with potato gratin) and I had the "Meat Lover's" pizza... The girl who brought the pizza was funny, she said "Here's the vegetarian pizza for the lady...!!"

A nice relaxing lakeside lunch, with a view of the hillside we had just descended, and best of all, no one smoking nearby!

Starting in Küssnacht with a cable car to Seebodenalp, and then a 2+ hour walk down to Arth on Lake Zug

This is the view of the Northeast side of Mount Rigi that we see every time we travel North-South by train. On the way home again. 

Mount Rigi is a long-stretched range, and we have done many hikes along its flanks.