Stunning hike in the Alpstein Massif, from Stauberen to Wildhaus via Mutschensattel

Saturday September 4, 2021 -- More wonderful weather! There was an especially good forecast for Eastern Switzerland (pure sunshine, although once again this usually means in the valleys and not in the mountains!) and we decided to hike in the popular Alpstein Massif, an unusual and geologically intriguing (and very popular) mountainous region near the border of Liechtenstein. The main mountain in this massif is the renowned Mt. Säntis.

The last time we were here was in July 2019 doing a similar hike to what we chose to do this day. At that time we walked along the Eastern ridge of the massif from the peak called Hoher Kasten (there is a popular revolving restaurant there) via Saxerlücke and down to Lake Fählensee, where we overnighted in an Alpine Hostel. On the second day we crossed the Zwingli Pass to Wildhaus in the Thur Valley.  [Those photos can be viewed HERE]

It was at that time that I became so fascinated with the rocky crags on the eastern edge near the Saxerlücke, that I really wanted to go again and hike up a different couloir and cross a different pass, although once again ending up in Wildhaus. This time, though, we started not at the Hoher Kasten, but at another mountain hotel called Staubern, accessed by a cable car from the Rhine Valley over 1200 meters below. (Starting here meant we could complete the hike in a single day, although it was a good five hours of walking, and a very long downhill stretch). The ride in the cable car was an expensive one, but it's the only cableway into the massif from the Rhine Valley side, and also the first cableway in the world to be wholly operated by solar power. 

The first half of the hike to the Mutschen Saddle was on the western side of the crags, which meant morning shade but superb views of the entire massif to the West. By the time we got to the pass, clouds had formed and we lost the sunshine for a while, but the entire hike, although a good five hours of walking, never became tiring or boring, even the long uphill hike to the pass. Nowhere else have we encountered such stunning rock formations. No wonder it's such a popular area...

Heading North up the Rhine Valley by bus, the Alpstein Massif is to our West. This is exactly the stretch we walked, on the other side of the peaks mostly. The left section is called Chrüzberg. 

Up on the ridge is the Stauberen Mountain Hotel/Restaurant. A solar-powered cable car from this side of the valley takes you 1200m up there, from where you can walk along the ridge in both directions. 

Frümsen-Stauberen Cableway, the first in the world to be fully powered by solar energy alone. Eight people can ride at a time, and one direction costs 18 SFr. 

From the ridge at Stauberenkanzel, this is the magnificent view South along the Rhine Valley! This is the northern part of the Rhine Valley, shortly before the Rhine flows into Lake Constance on the German Border. To the left on the East side of the Rhine River is Liechtenstein. The river forms the country border.

Our hike starts here behind the Stauberen Gasthaus. The sign says 1 hr 20 minutes to the Saxerlücke, from where we then head up to the Mutschensattel Pass. We have walked this section of trail two years ago (photos HERE)

Looking down at the Staubeen Gasthaus as we head South on the trail. Those hills in the background are in Austria, as the Rhine River also forms the country border here. 

Down below is Lake Sämtisersee (the only view we got of it). The highest peak in the background is the Hoher Kasten with the revolving restaurant, where we started our hike in this direction in 2019

This was a good 5-hour hike, with the Mutschensattel Pass at almost the half-way point. We could have taken a small cable-car down to Wildhaus, but we did that last time we were here (when we crossed the Zwingli Pass), and it is almost faster to walk! (Walking adds a lot more downhill, though)

Heading along the crags

The trail to Saxerlücke was on the West side of the craggy peaks, so we had shade most of the way as it was still fairly early morning (10 a.m.)

But the morning light on the Alpstein Massif to the West means we get a good view of Mt. Säntis. Back in 2014 we descended the couloir on the right, and in 2019 we walked up the couloir on the left (currently in shadow). 

A look North along the ridge trail

And the first glimpse South to the Churfirsten mountains. On the right is the valley we are climbing, passing across the saddle above the remaing patch of snow. 

This is the view that impressed me the last time we were here, when I decided I wanted to walk up and across the Mutschen Saddle some day. This is the day!

A closer look at the valley/couloir we are headed up after first descending to the Saxerlücke. It was a 430m climb, and 1hr 15 minutes to get to the saddle. We passed by the farm buildings below, and also observed rock climbers on the peaks of the Chrüzberg

At first we were worried about the snow, but an even closer look shows a well-trodden trail, and people on the saddle. So it shouldn't be too hard to cross. 

The last time we were here, we descended here to the lake below (Fählensee) and the alpine meadow called Bollenwees. There is a hotel there, but we overnighted in the Alpine hostel Hundsteinhütte (in the red circle) and headed up the valley along the lake the next day. 

This time we are heading up that valley behind me! It's called Roslenalp, and it looks like quite a hike, but it wasn't really that bad!

The trail markers at Saxerlücke tell us that it takes 1hr 20 minutes to the pass, and another 2 hrs. 20 minutes to Wildhaus! A long hike, and I wasn't at all tired!

Climbing uphill again from the Saxerlücke, this look behind us shows where we came down from the ridge, and a really close look shows lots of people descending and ascending! Also surprisingly many people came up the same trail we did. 

A surprisingly interesting short stretch with a fantastic look down into the Rhine Valley. Switzerland on this side of the river, Liechtenstein on the other. 

Heading up the couloir. This whole "valley" is a summer alp called Roslenalp. 

A really good view behind us of the whole ridge section from the Hoher Kasten in the far back, and the section we descended in the middle!

If you look really closely, there are people climbing up there!

Making our way across the large amount of snow which still (surprisingly) remains up here. This is very close to the highest point of the tour

Near the pass, looking back down the couloir where we came. What a fantastic landscape!

At the pass (Mutschensattel). This is not actually so high, just over 2000m, that's why the amount of remaining snow was a surprise. From here we have another 2.5 hours to walk to Wildhaus, so we're almost exactly at the halfway point of our hike here. 

As we got to the saddle, though, some large dark clouds had gathered here, and we had very little sunshine for the descent. This is the view down the couloir on the other side of the saddle, looking into the Thur Valley and the North side of the Churfirsten mountains. We had lunch here and waited in the hopes the clouds would lift. It didn't happen...

There was a lot of karst (limestone) here, which causes underground caves and tunnels. Looking down into this deep hole we also spotted a whole lot of unmelted snow. 

A bit of colour

We saw no chamois this time, but it's always fun to spot the marmots! You can tell they are around because they whistle warnings when you pass by.

A look up the couloir to the pass

There were a lot of cows on this sloping couloir, so we were accompanied by the sounds of cowbells the whole way down. 

Finally some sunshine as we reach the large flat Teselalp. It is down at the road where the other trail from the Zwinglipass meets with this one (from the right). Last time we were here, the farmers at the alp were serving refreshments. This time there was nobody there. Just some goats

Arriving down at the Teselalp

Another look back up the couloir where we had descended. There are even more clouds gathering there now, so it was good we didn't wait any longer at the top. 

Last time we walked to Gamplüt to take the cable car down to Wildhaus. This time we decided to walk down the Flürentobel Gorge instead.

Crossing the meadows above Wildhaus, we watched the Gamplüt cable car on its very slow descent, and we were sure that we had descended faster than if we had taken this cable car!

A final look at the Alpstein Massif behind us. 

Wildhaus, where we caught the bus to Wattwil and then a variety of trains home. 

What our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. Cable car from Frümsen to Stauberen, 2.5 hours to Mutschen Saddle, and 2.5 hours descent to Wildhaus.

All the hikes we have done in the Alpstein Region. The Blue one is a 2-day hike we did in 2014, the purple one is the 2-day hike in 2019.

Region of the Alpstein Massif near the Austrian and Liechtenstein border. 

Round Tour to Passo San Lucio at the back of Val Colla

Wednesday September 1, 2021 -- First hike of September with some very nice weather all over the country, but cold winds forecast for the mountains, which we've experienced before, and it's not pleasant. Did we want to risk it? We chose a safer option for our midweek hike, namely in the Ticino once again, where we were sure it would be warmer.

We hadn't been to the Val Colla near Lugano in many years, and have long wanted to hike from the back of that valley up to the San Lucio Pass on the ridge which forms the border with Italy, so that was the plan and it all worked out wonderfully! But in the Ticino there are not a lot of cable cars, so after a week of barely having to hike uphill (all five hikes on our five-day trip to Valais started with bus rides to the back of the valley, followed by cable-car or chair-lift rides to the starting point of our hikes, and long sections of downhill...) it was a tough uphill climb for us! 477 uphill meters practically straight up, an hour and 15 minutes, and it was warm! But we really earned the view this time.

Another four kilometers on a very nice high trail and we arrived at the San Lucio Pass for a fabulous view down into the Cavargna Valley in Italy! There are two hostels here at the pass, and a very old chapel which unfortunately was locked. Before heading back down, we had something to drink at one of the restaurants. We were able to make a loop tour for another four-hour hike with a total of over 700m of uphill!!!

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As usual, the excursion starts with a very interesting bus ride through many small villages along narrow hairpin turns:

On the way into Val Colla. In the background is Lake Lugano

Near the back of the valley we had to change buses in Maglio di Colla

Our bus connection in Maglio di Colla

In this part of the country there are always many interesting old churches.

Our bus was held up by the "mower". There is no way to pass in these narrow curvy roads, and you just have to wait till the other vehicle moves out of the way!

In cozzo we started our hike. 2hour 30 minutes to the pass (Capanna San Lucio) and then other 1 hour and 15 minutes back down (To the next village over)

We started our hike in Cozzo, a tiny village with a couple of rows of houses, and walked almost straight uphill for over an hour, a total of 480 altitude meters.

Tiny church in Cozzo

Some pretty flowers

The only property we passed on our long hike up the hill 

A bit of a break after a long climb. 

Almost there! We can just make out the high trail we are going to follow

The worst of the climb is behind us, and look at this magnificent view! We really had to work hard for it this time.

Once we reached the high trail (also a themed trail called "Cattle Trail") we had a fairly comfortable 1:15 walk slightly up and down to the San Lucio Pass, with constant view into Val Colla. Obviously the view kept changing, especially as the mountain range from Monte Lema to Monte Tamaro came more and more into view.

This is where we had our picnic lunch

A very nice high trail along the back of Val Colla, to Passo San Lucio

Up ahead is the distinctive massif called "Denti della Vecchia", or "Old Lady's Teeth". We hiked beneath there several years ago.

VIDEO:

Urs walking along the high trail, with the mountain massif called 

"Denti della Vecchia" in the background:

A very nice high trail, and it was not too hot a day for this walk.

Way in the distance we just get a little glimpse of the Monte Rosa Massif in Canton Wallis, where the highest peak in Switzerland is located (Mt.Dufour). 

Zoomed view of the Monte Rosa Massif

Up ahead is the San Lucio Pass, the goal of our hike

This trail is also called the "Cattle Trail" because this valley has earned a reputation for its Highland Cattle... as we were soon to discover.

Our first encounter with the Highland Cattle on the "Cattle Trail". Literally. On the trail. And there is a baby, so we had to do some climbing to the left. We never risk getting close to any cows with babies. 

A look back at the cows after we made a large detour around them!

And this lovely creature is watching us from above!

Near the San Lucio Pass now, this is a look straight up to the peak of Monte Gazzirola, whose flank we were walking all day. 

And then we arrived at the Passo San Lucio, with a fabulous view down to the valleys in Italy.

A fabulous look into the Cavargna Valley in Italy. I am basically sitting on the border between Switzerland and Italy. 

From the San Lucio Pass, we get this magnificent view to the East: This is Italy

Cavargna Valley, Italy

VIDEO:

Panorama of the Italian side of the San Lucio Pass

The San Lucio Chapel is actually in Italy

The chapel was locked, unfortunately, but through the window I could see some wonderful frescoes. It was very disappointing that we could not go inside

The building in the back is called the Rifugio San Lucio, and is pretty well on the border of Switzerland and Italy. The chapel is on the Italian side of the border, as am I at the moment! 

Sitting on the border of Italy

As it was still early in the afternoon and a wonderful day, we decided to stop at the Capanna di San Lucio (on the Swiss side) for something to drink, before descending back to the road with the bus stop. (We decided not to return to Cozzo, but to one village over: Bagno).

Enjoying a nice cold drink at the Capanna San Lucio

This was a really nice set-up for a terrace. No umbrellas needed to provide shade! And protected from the wind. 

Time to head back down the mountain. We returned to Bogno instead of Cozzo, but took a longer way, which was also one hour and 15 minutes. 

Heading back downhill in the Val Colla. The house below is part of Alpe di Cottino. They are the people who farm the Highland Cattle up here. 

A large part of the descent is through the forest. 

Thick lush forests here in Val Colla

Heading back down the mountain. Ahead below are two other villages back here: Colla (from which the valley gets its name) and higher up: Signora (what a cool name for a village). 

Below us slightly to the West we get a glimpse of Cozzo, where we started the hike. We decided not to return there, but rather to the village of Bogno to the East.

The village of Cozzo below on the left. And the red line is approximately the 1 hour, 15 minute ascent we did in the morning!

Down below, at the little church in Bogno, is where we caught the bus to return back out of the valley

A round tour at the back of the Val Calla Valley, to the San Lucio Pass where we go a nice look down into the valleys on the Italian side of the border. About 4 hours total, and altogether over 700m of ascent involved. 

How the hike looks on Google Satellite Maps

Val Colla is in the boot of Switzerland, near the border of Italy