Short Section of the Lake Zurich Round-Trail from Schindellegi to Richterswil

(This post published on November 21, 2024, almost exactly two years later! Looks like I simply missed this one... As it is so much later, I don't recall all details, other than it was a nice day and Urs had to work, but I still wanted to walk, so I traveled to the Lake Zurich region to do a short hike above the lake).

Wednesday November 23, 2022 -- Urs had to work this Wednesday (he had Thursday off instead), but seeing as the weather was nice and mild with no snow yet, I decided short notice to do a little walk near Lake Zurich, expecting to have some nice mountain views as the air was clear.

I started in Schindellegi on the railway line from Lake Zurich to Biberbrugg (and Einsiedeln) and walked a 90-minute (5½-kilometer) stretch downhill to Richterswil on Lake Zürich along a themed trail called the "Zürichsee Rundweg" (i.e. "Trail around Lake Zurich"). It was an easy and pleasant walk through residential areas and some farmland in between, with some clear views of the snow-covered peaks of the Glarus region and most wonderfully, of the Alpstein Massif and Mt.Säntis far to the East. This is so close to home and takes only one hour for the trip each way. 

Having left home at about 11:40, this is a view heading up the mountain by train from Wädenswil (on Lake Zurich) at about 12:30

This is a view of the Glärnisch mountains in Canton Glarus to the south, as the train heads up to the starting point of my hike at Schindellegi. I was hoping to have a view like this all along the hike, but only saw these mountains again about half-way down. 

I started in Schindellegi at 12:45 and got to the train station in Richterswil at about 2 p.m. (It took me less than the 90 minutes to walk the 5-kilometer trail).  

15 minutes from the train station in Schindeleggi, you come to a little community called Aesch. From here it is just over an hour to my goal in Richterswil. I am walking along the themed trail no.84: "Zürichsee Rundweg". 

From here near the start of my hike, I get a close-up view all the way to Mount Säntis and the Alpstein Massif. This is so beautiful!

Always a look down at Lake Zurich as I continue down the hill. 

Passing through pasture lands as well as residential areas (and beneath the Autobahn). It is so nice that the grass is green all during the winter here! 

A look behind me at Schindellegi, where I started my hike. 

Pleasant paths to walk on the way down to the lake. 

More glimpses of beautiful snow-covered Säntis and Alpstein Massif. (According to my map, this could have been a small hamlet called Altenbach, near the freeway). 

More nice paths and still some lovely fall colours as I cross a small side section of the Mühlibachtobel in Wollerau. 

Some lovely houses on the outskirts of Richterswil, before I make my way through a long residential section before getting to the train station at the lake. 

This is the community hall in Richterswil, near the lake. 

I arrived shortly after 2 p.m. at the Richterswil train station on the lakefront at Lake Zurich, and had about 10 extra minutes to enjoy this view before the 14:18 train home. 

And this view from the lakeshore in Richterswil is to the St.Gallen Alps (Mt.Speer) to the south.

What my hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps, from Schindellegi to Richterswil. All the other lines are trails we have hiked in the region between Zug and Lake Zurich. 

As the train heads north along Lake Zurich, a final look at Mt. Säntis

And this view of the Glarus and St.Gallen Alps, from the train between Thalwil and Zug, is always a favourite view. 

Local Hike to the Etzelpass and Schindellegi (near Lake Zurich). Our Plan B Hike....

Wednesday July 11, 2018 --  Wow, wow, wow, the weather report totally had us fooled on this day. I've long wanted to do a local hike called the "7-Egg Weg" (the Seven-Egg Trail because you pass across seven peaks or locations that have the word "egg" in them, i.e. Windegg, Sternenegg, Ibergeregg, Müesliegg, Steglerenegg, Holzegg (there's one missing...)). To get to the start of the trail requires a ride with a cable car which starts the summer season as late as July 7th, so I waited a long time for this! Also, the views are supposed to be remarkable.

When we got to the base station at Hoch-Ybrig, the clouds and fog were very low on the mountain and it was COLD, and I didn't want to risk sitting in the fog up top waiting for it to clear (which it didn't till quite late that day), so we rode the same bus back along Lake Sihlsee northward where the sky was clearer to a random place on the map, a little village simply called EGG, so I guess we still were within the topic of the day! From there we walked up to the Etzel Pass (from which you can descend to Lake Zurich), and continued on to Schindellegi. It turned out to be an 11-km 3-hour hike in the end, and we got to view the fogged-up peaks to the South, glad we weren't walking there! 

All-in-all an acceptable alternative except we hadn't brought much of a picnic along, intending to eat at a restaurant on the way, and in Egg and on the Etzel Pass all the restaurants were closed for vacation. It happens that way EVERY TIME we don't take food with us....  

BUT, among other things we learned about St.Meinrad the patron Saint of Einsiedeln, and we unexpectedly came across a tank defense line and an ammunition bunker, of which there are many spread across Switzerland. There are always pleasant surprises along the way!  And the baby Alpaca was so cute.

When you travel from Einsiedeln to Lake Zurich, you cross the Etzel Pass. We had never been in this area before, so it was a successful PLAN B

The Church in Egg, the starting point of our hike. Actually, we first walked (back) to a nearby restaurant on a Halflinger farm, which was supposed to be open but it wasn't, so that was a wasted 1.5 km....

Up the hill toward the Etzel Pass. The village of Egg is down below on the left

The alpacas were so cute, especially the baby!

At the Etzel Pass is the Chapel of St.Meinrad, patron Saint of the city of Einsiedeln to the South. He came up here from a monastery on Lake Constance in the year 825 and lived in a tiny cell for 7 years before moving on to where the monastery of Einsiedeln now stands. 

The Chapel of St.Meinrad, and the Gasthaus St. Meinrad which is unfortunately closed on Wednesdays...

Closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, what a shame.

We used the hotel's empty terrace to consume our meager lunch of coffee and cookies. Even though we told Urs' uncle we were treating him to lunch, he was clever enough to bring along enough to eat for himself! Which he shared. Our treat next time.

This place is the cross-roads of three popular trails: No.4: St.James Trail / No.3: Alpine Panorama Trail / No.84: Lake Zurich Round Trail

What would any hike in Switzerland be without the Swiss Brown Cow!

Above the St.Meinrad Chapel

We did a panorama trail of sorts with agreeable views. To the South is the saddle where we had planned to walk, right next to the Greater Mythen mountain where the fog is only just starting to lift.

Pleasant forest trails as well.

No complaints about the view. This is South to Lake Sihlsee. 

We came across a tank defense line in the woods

It is always weird to run across a line of "Toblerones" like this, in the middle of some randon pastureland.

This is one of several tank defense bunkers in this area. The purpose (in WWII) was to prevent any infiltration into the Sihl Valley from Lake Zurich to the North

Heading down toward the Sihl River for the final stretch to Schindellegi

To the North we glimpse Lake Zurich

This beautiful farmhouse is completely covered in tiny wooden shingles

Imagine the work to have to create this, or restore it (all the tiny wooden shingles). It is an art that not many people can do any more.

This area is on the Sihl River is called "Three Waters (Dreiwässern)" and is a recultivation project (earlier a deposit site for a gravel pit) to attract amphibians and marsh animals

Our destination: Schindellegi on the Sihl River

11 km, 3 hours, from Egg to Schindellegi