Riverside Walk along the Reuss River from Rotkreuz toward Luzern

Sunday March 30, 2025 -- We weren't expecting nice weather locally, and were debating heading south again to Ticino, when the fog lifted, and the skies turned blue here, so we made a quick decision to head to the Reuss River nearby, for a 10-km riverside walk. We have done several walks on the stretch of the Reuss River between Luzern and where the river joins the Aar and Limmat Rivers in Brugg on the way to the Rhine River to the north. When weather permits and we don't want to travel far, we head out to where we might have started or ended another short stretch.

Almost exactly to the day five years ago (those photos HERE), we did a seven-kilometer stretch along the river ending in the nearby city of Rotkreuz, so our choice for this day was to return to Rotkreuz (20 minutes from home) to start where we ended last time. We continued in the southward (upriver) direction for 10 kilometers, parallel to the low mountain range called Rooterberg. The little foot-path was pleasant enough to walk along, although riverbank walks tend to get tedious after a few kilometers. So after the first 6½ kilometers (90 minutes of our 2½-hour walk), we left the riverbank and crossed the freeway to visit a small chapel called St.Katharina, and then continued via some farms to the bus stop on the road back to the railway line between Luzern and Rotkreuz.

We learned something interesting about the St.Katharina Chapel: The church was built in the mid-14th Century on the property of a farm called Hof Emerdingen, on the site of the original Eschenbach Abbey located there until 1309. This was of particular interest, because barely two weeks earlier we had done a hike nearby which passed through the current Eschenbach Abbey. (Photos HERE)

We lucked out with blue skies and mostly sunshine right till the end of our walk at about 2:30 p.m. 

Starting in Rotkreuz at about 11 a.m. (heading westward), we first pass a small pond. 

Small pond west of the city of Rotkreuz

This used to be an old mill, now converted into apartments. We also passed by here on the walk we did five years ago (photos HERE)

It took us 20 minutes to get to the riverbank at the Reuss River, near where we ended the walk in 2020. 

This turned out to be a 10-kilometer walk for us. We started at about 11 a.m. in Rotkreuz, and got to the bus stop on the road from Inwil at 2:20 p.m. The two hours walking to St.Katharina church was enough of the riverside walk! We ended up walking for a little over three hours and mostly had sunshine. 

Lots of mistletoe in the trees across the river. 

Reuss River in early spring. 

I spotted a cormorant perched in a tree across the river. 

It looks like beavers were busy here! That was actually a very big tree, so the ambition is admirable!

First blossoms!

Just to the east of the footpath is a borderstone: Rotkreuz is in Canton Zug, and here we are crossing into Canton Luzern. 

This is the trainline between Luzern and Zug, a train we have traveled on quite often. In fact, at the end of this hike we took a bus to the train station in Ebikon near Luzern (10 minutes by bus), for the 20-minute train ride back to Zug from there.

Lots of small flowers along the riverbank

For the first hour, we had this nice little footpath to walk along. It was mild weather, not too hot. 

Near the Gisikon-Root train station, we crossed the bridge to the other side of the river. 

Heading toward the bridge

Crossing the bridge over the Reuss River, we can see the canal on the left, entering the river at the eastern tip of what is essentially an island in the river. On this island is a paper factory, and the canal was drawn away from the river to pass via the paper factory, and then returned to the river. 

On this side of the river, we had to walk about 20 minutes on a wide dike here until we crossed over the freeway. This path was popular with bikers and horse riders. 

We could see the tower of the St.Katharina Chapel, which was one of our goals of this walk. 

Crossing over the Autobahn on our way to St.Katharina Chapel. 

The chapel is right next to a very lovely old farmhouse. The chapel was built in the mid-14th Century on the site of the original Eschenbach Abbey, which is now located in the city of Eschenbach nearby. (We visited the site a couple of weeks earlier, photos HERE). 

A small path leads down to the chapel, next to the large old farmhouse. We got here shortly after noon. 

(After checking out the church, we stopped here to sit on the edge of this former well, for a small break. Later, having already continued on our walk, I realized I had left my sunhat here, and went back to retrieve it, adding ¾ of a kilometer to our full walk!) 

Details of the St.Katharina Chapel. Originally built here in the 14th Century, it was restored in 1988-89 and was placed under Cantonal and Federal protection. 

The beautiful old farmhouse next to the chapel. 

We continued on to the Emmendingen Farm. It was here that I realized that I had left my sun-hat at the well next to the chapel! So I ran back to get it, adding another 750 meters to the otherwise almost 10 kilometers we walked this day!

A second building at the Emmendingen Farm. 

A look back to the farmhouse and St.Katharina Chapel 

More blossoming trees, with lots of bees!

Past the Rooterberg mountain we get a view of the summit of Mt.Rigi to the east. 

This was the last stretch with a small footpath next to some marshes and the Rotbach stream, which we could not see. A short stretch through the forest on the left and we got to the road and bus stop with at least 10 minutes to spare for the bus. (We had passed by here on another walk back in April 2020, photos are HERE)

This beautiful Japanese cherry tree on the grounds near the bus stop (we got here at 14:20, and had about 10 minutes to wait), was BUZZING with bees!

If there had been less clouds today, we would have seen Mt.Pilatus before us on the second half of our walk. But this was the best look at it, from the bus on the way back to the train station in Ebikon, a 10-minute ride from where we had caught the bus. 

It is the season of Magnolias!

Starting in Rotkreuz, we walked 10 kilometers along the Reuss River with a detour to St.Katharina Chapel. 

These are all the walks we have done along the Reuss River between Luzern and Brugg

Another Local Walk near the Reuss River

Thursday April 2nd -- One beautiful Spring day after another, and normally we would be traveling to far corners of the country, but that is no longer an option. And yet we still would like to use the opportunity for a 2-hour walk.

So we did the short trip to the Reuss River again, slightly to the West of here, alone in the train compartment, and just one other person in the bus. Starting in Oberrüti (Canton Aargau) we walked eastward TOWARD the Reuss River, then crossed at the railway bridge into Canton Zug (the Reuss River forms the border between the two Cantons) and continued to Hünenberg where there is a "fortress" (pile of rocks at this point!), a small vineyard chapel under Heritage Protection, and generally some very nice pastoral landscape with lots of pretty old farmhouses. Furthermore, there are several very nice sections where on a clear day you get a spectacular view into the Alps.... but unfortunately not this time for us, as the air has been hazy all week.

The descent from Hünenberg to the railway station at Lake Zug is a section we did of an evening several years ago, with a much better view into the mountains. I've added a couple of photos from that time. 

The bus driver dropped us off at the St.Rupert's Church in Oberrüti (the bus was a train replacement and normally would only have gone to the train station) where we started our 10-km walk

I am always intrigued by the ceilings in the churches we visit, and this one had a particularly pretty ceiling. The interior of this church was light and airy because of its very large windows.

These structures called "Speicher" are mostly found in Canton Bern. The top floor was often used as a small apartment for grandparents, and the bottom for storage. This one was converted to a goat barn

I love the baby cows, especially in Spring. They are happy to be outside, and very curious!

Crows are taking over the world!

Heading South along the Reuss River toward the train bridge (recently we walking along the opposite bank).

When the farmers plough their fields in Spring, there are always lots of these red kites about!

Crossing the Reuss River from Canton Aargau to Canton Zug

Heading up toward Hünenberg, we get a look at a cargo train crossing the river

These high growth trees are just starting to bloom. Won't be long before all the trees are covered in white blossoms

 

Lots of interesting old farm houses

You can just make out the profile of Mount Rigi to the South. Unfortunately the air is very hazy

The sign points the way to the "Fortress", which is just a pile of stones!

We were very surprised to see these trees in full bloom already:  Apricots maybe?

These cows look so funny in someone's back yard!

At the top of the vineyard in Hünenberg is the "Vineyard Chapel" built ca. 1770, and the altar painting is apparently of some importance. The building is under Monument Protection. I thought the organ was adorable, never saw one this small!

View across the vineyards and pasturelands of Canton Zug, from the Vineyard Chapel

 
 

On the last section before descending to Lake Zug, you get a fantastic view of the Alps on a clear day. Today we just barely saw the mountains

Last stretch to Cham on the lake where we have a short train ride back to Zug

Another interesting "Speicher"

Our walk ended up longer than originally planned, almost 10 km in the end!

A couple of days earlier we walked North to South along the Reuss River (on the border between Cantons Aargau and Zug), and this time, we crossed that path, walking from West to East

Back in April of 2014 (almost exactly 6 years ago) we did an evening walk from Hünenberg back to Zug, and at that time had most fantastic air quality and view into the Alps. Here are a couple of photos of that walk:

Walk from Hünenberg to Zug, April 10, 2014

Walk from Hünenberg to Zug, April 10, 2014  (Mount Rigi)

Walk from Hünenberg to Zug, April 10, 2014

Walk from Hünenberg to Zug, April 10, 2014