High Trail between the Necker and Luteren Valleys in the Toggenburg

Thursday August 7, 2025 -- Another heat wave is expected after several weeks of rain and cold weather, but this Thursday was an in-between day with sunshine and pleasant temperatures at mid-level altitudes.

So we headed to the Toggenburg region in Eastern Switzerland, specifically to Schwägalp at the foot of Mount Säntis, for a long hike along the Necker High Trail, or also known as the Ofenloch Trail, a 15-km trail that takes about five hours to walk. We had done a section of this trail once before, descending into the "Ofenloch" with its waterfalls and caves, but further along, the trail passes over a mountain peak called the Hinderfallenchopf, and that was too much for us at the time, so we descended to the valley bottom at the "foot" of that hill. Those photos are HERE.) This time we wanted to walk along the entire hillside between the Luteren River and Necker River valleys, ending as suggested in the cute village of Ennetbühl near the Thur Valley. We were able to complete this 14-km stretch because we didn't go down into the ravine. Still, what we walked maps as a 4½-hour hike, which we were able to do in just over five hours . 

Visibility was good so we had some nice views of Mount Säntis, the Thur Valley, the Churfirsten mountains, and the Luteren Valley below. We also enjoyed two herds of goats which came to visit us on the way!

Leaving home at 7:20, it was a 2-hour, 20-minute train trip to Urnäsch, where we change to a bus for a 12-minute ride up to Schwägalp. These photos are of the very pretty houses on main street in Urnäsch.

Approaching Schwägalp below Mt.Säntis at 10 a.m., along the winding pass road. 

This time we decided to start our hike at the base station of the Säntis cable-car (we could have started at the pass further below). We got here at 10:11, and just about everyone from our bus headed into the terminal for the ride up to the summit. 

We on the other hand headed into the cheese dairy to buy some cheese and buns to take along on our hike!

First a toilet break, then a visit to the cheese dairy, and we are ready to start on our hike ata 10:25, as the large Säntis cable-car cabin arrives to load the next bunch of people for the summit. 

Starting at about 10:30 next to the base station of the Säntis cable-car, we ended up in Ennetbühl at about 3:30 p.m. So it took us only five hours to walk this 4½-hour trail! It was great weather and and interesting trail, and we didn't need to take a lot of breaks along the way. 

A look behind us at the Säntis Massif and Schwägalp as we head down toward the Schwägalp Pass. 

We have been up here several times for hikes in all directions, but had never walked the short stretch between the cable-car station and the actual Schwägalp pass. This added one kilometer to our walk, but was a very nice trail, and makes a connection on my map of hikes done in the area!

This is the Schwägalp Pass, where the bus also stops. This is where we started our Ofenloch hike back in 2018, and today we will be following the same trail for the first hour (three kilometers). While we were crossing the road here, two large tour buses full of tourists were headed up to the cable-car station. 

The trail signs at the Schwägalp Pass indicate that it is an almost 5-hour hike to Ennetbühl, but this is via the Ofenloch Ravine, which we are not descending into this time. (This makes the hike one hour less long). Starting higher up near the base of Mt. Säntis, and adding another slightly longer detour, our hike still ended up being 4½ hours).

Description of the Ofenloch Trail, although we did not go down into the ravine this time. The official trail starts at the cable-car station, and would take a full five hours to walk. 

A final look behind us past the Schwägalp Pass to the cable-way at Schwägalp. 

The first 25 minutes toward the Chräzerenpass was over very wet ground, and there were many wooden boardwalks laid along the trail. 

At 11:40 we reached the junction at the road which leads toward the Ofenloch Ravine. Here at the little peak called Pfingstboden, we decided on a new trail we hadn't done before, passing along the south side. First, though, a stop at a bench we could see under that large tree!

Lunch break at 11:45 under this tree, in the shade. Perfect!

This was the view of the Säntis Massif from our little bench under the tree. 

To the south is a pass called the Risipass, which leads to the town of Stein (SG) in the Thur Valley. We crossed this pass in August 2019 along the "Alpine Panorama Trail" also starting at Schwägalp, where we started this day. It is always interesting to see where we had walked previously, from a different vantage point. 

A final look back at the bench we had sat at, as we now head up toward Pfingsboden. This trail took 40 minutes to walk to a saddle called Ellbogen, from where we would start the long hike up to Mt. Hinderfallenchopf.

The trail on the west side of Pfingsboden was pretty torn up by cows. But we still made it to Ellbogen (the little building below) in the 40 minutes suggested. From Ellbogen, we had to follow mostly that road up to the summit of Mt. Hinderfallenchopf whose summit is not visible from here. 

When we did the Ofenloch hike back in 2018, here at Ellbogen was where we had decided to head down into the Luteren Valley. From here it's a 45-minute hike up to the summit of Hinderfallenchopf. 

This 45-minute climb to the top of Mt.Hinderfallenchopf was the "toughest" part of the hike, as here we could feel the heat. (For the rest of the hike we had a nice cool breeze). Behind us we get more and more view of the Säntis Massif as we get higher up. 

Now we get the first fabulous views into the Luteren Valley below, and the Thur Valley which is perpendicular to that. In the background are the Glarus Alps. 

At 1:15 p.m. we reached the summit of Mt. Hinderfallenchopf, 40 minutes after starting from the Ellbogen "pass". (From here it's another 1 hour and 40 minutes to our goal in Ennetbühl).

From the summit you get views in all directions, including here directly to the north to a hill called Hochalp on the other side of the steep Necker Valley. We had hiked across that summit on a fabulous hike in June 2020, along the Appenzell Trail from Schwägalp to Urnäsch. (Photos HERE). 

A zoomed view of the farm at the summit of Hochalp to the north. We stopped here for an Appenzell specialty called "Bschorle" on our June 2020 hike from Schwägalp to Urnäsch. 

These goats were grazing up here but followed Urs to the summit! These white goats are called Saanenziegen, originally from the Saanen region of the Bernese Oberland, but now can be found all over the country. 

Fun with a herd of goats at the summit of Mt. Hinderfallenchopf! (In the background we can see into the Thur Valley and the Glarus Alps). 

From here at the summit you can also see to the east the summit of Mt.Säntis, and below into the Ofenloch canyon which we had descended into back in 2018, but not this time. 

Now a better view of Hochalp and the region we walked back in 2020. At the far back on the right is Mt.Kronberg, another popular summit in this region. 

Panorama View to the north, of Hochalp on the left, then Kronberg and then Mt.Säntis. We have walked across that first line of hills back in June 2020.

Now starts the descent into the Luteren Valley. (The Luteren River has its source from many small streams at the Schwägap just below Mt. Sänti and flows down this valley to join the Thur River at Nesslau/Neu-St.Johann.) The farm below is called Ober Scherlet. (We passed several such farms on the way down). 

A zoomed view of the summit of Mt.Säntis with its meteorological station. Not the clearest view we've ever had here, but still not too bad. 

Behind me you can see Mt.Hinderfallenchopf, which we just descended from. 

Here at the junction of a farm called Höbschholz, we had the choice to continue for another 1 hour 15 minutes to Ennetbühl along the Ofenloch Trail (no.948), or a shorter path straight down the mountain from here, which would only take an hour. It is now 2:05 p.m., and the bus from Ennetbühl heads out at 43 minutes past the hour every hour..... so still plenty of time to take the longer route!

It's always tricky when passing a herd of mother cows with young ones. They watch us very carefully, and we also watch them carefully! (Sometimes there is a leader cow that might get aggressive). But those babies are so cute!

That cute baby and its mother watch me carefully as I walk the trail through their pasture. (Urs has already jumped the fence). Main thing is, you must not get between the babies and the mamas.

A better view now of the summit of Mt.Hinderfallenchopf behind us. (Mt. Säntis currently is hidden in clouds. Less view for all the people going up there!)

We were looking for a place to take a break in the shade, and found it here on this bench at the Vorderchlosteralp farm, and right next to a fountain of lovely fresh cold water to fill our bottles with!

According to the description we have read of the trail we are walking, we would now be passing through a grove of oak trees plante 650 years ago (?) to protect this hillside from rock slides. 

Now we get some nice views into the Thur Valley and the line of Churfirsten mountains which separate the Thur Valley from Lake Walensee. 

As the sun heads westward, we see the Säntis Massif in better detail. 

Heading down toward Ennetbühl with lot of views up the Luteren Valley now, toward Mt.Säntis. 

This farm at Gössigen held a surprise for us....

...another small group of Saanen goats were lounging in the shade of the barn, but when they saw us coming, they raced over to walk with us for a bit!

VIDEO:

A group of goats resting in the shade jumped up as soon as they saw us, 

and ran out to join Urs on the trail. 

It's always fun when the goats walk with us for a bit! They do whatever they feel like!

More great views of the Luteren and Thur Valleys, and of the Churfirsten. Here we now pass through many pastures of mowed grass, perfect weather for drying for the upcoming heat wave. 

At Brüggli, another 25 minutes to Ennetbühl. 

Heading down toward Brüggli Farm. 

The trail heads eastward here for a very nice look up the Luteren Valley. 

Down below us now is the little village of Ennetbühl, the end of our hike where we can catch the 15:43 bus. (It is now 15:22).

Another look up the Luteren Valley to the Säntis Massif. 

Final stretch down to the village of Ennetbühl

We got to the village at 3:35 p.m, with eight minutes left until the bus.... 

This lovely house with the pretty window-box flowers is the town's Gasthaus, Gasthaus Krone. (Had we missed the bus, we would have stopped here for refreshments). 

"Krone" = "Crown", and this golden crown advertises the name of the Gasthaus Krone

Eight minutes was enough time for Urs to get a cold drink at the local shop.....

....and it was enough time for me to got look at the little churc next to the Gasthaus!

Town fountain... with lots of pretty flowers as well. 

Had we continued to walk from here, it would have been another 40 minutes to the train station at Nesslau / Neu St.Johann. 

... but we had walked enough, and took the bus at 15:43 for the 8-minute ride to the train station, and ultimately a 2½-hour trip home. 

What our 14-km walk looks like on Google Satellite Maps. 

All the hikes we have done in the region around Schwägalp.

A look up the Thur Valley as our train heads toward Wattwil. 

Traveling by train along the Obersee (southern part of Lake Zurich) is always a nice trip. This is the boardwalk at Rapperswil... 

Location of Schwägalp and the Luteren Valley within Switzerland. 

Along the Watercourse of the Versoix River on the French Border

(DAY3 of 3-day trip to Geneva Region...   photos of DAY1 and DAY2)

Saturday August 2, 2025 -- On this, the third day of our three-day trip to the westernmost part of the Lake Geneva (or better, Lac Léman) region, we were now headed home. (The main reason for this trip was to avoid the loud noises of private fireworks in our neighbourhood on August 1st). But as we were in the region anyway, and it would make the long ride home seem shorter, we did one more excursion near the lake. It was another riverside walk along the French/Swiss border, also mostly through forests, with pleasant weather, more sunshine than forecast, but not too hot.

We rode the train to Versoix north of Geneva, and took a bus to another border crossing called Sauverny. A quick foray into France and then back again to walk along the course of the Versoix River, ending back in the town of Versoix. (I chose this trail on our map because it is part of National Trail no.3: "Alpine Panorama Trail", of which we have done most sections in Northeast Switzerland, but very few here in the region of Lac Léman. But also, because it was supposed to be an overcast day, a walk through the forest along a river sounded good). It was only as we got there that we realized there is a themed trail called  "Au fil de la Versoix" ("Along the Watercourse of the Versoix River", which is basically what we ended up doing!). Furthermore, Versoix is a stop on the main railway line on the way home, so we didn't waste time with extra connections. After getting to the train station at 1:30 p.m., it was still a four-hour trip home, but we were home before 6 p.m.!

At 7:30 a.m. the final look out of our studio apartment which we rented for two nights, onto a pedestrian court in Annemasse in France. Before heading to the train station, we bought lemon muffins at the bakery on the bottom left of the photo.

A lovely painted mural on the side of an apartment building at the Annemasse train station. It's 8:12 right now, and we were planning to take the 8:35 train out of Annemasse. We ended up catching an earlier train, but had to wait about 20 minutes in Versoix for our bus connection to the French border at Sauverny. 

As we waited for 20 minutes in Versoix for our connecting bus to Sauverny, we realized that this town was right under the flight path of the Geneva airport! There must have been a plane flying overhead every three minutes! They were from all different airlines, and even two Easyjet flights in the time we waited here!

At 9:30 we got off the bus at the border station of Sauverny Douane. The Versoix River flows along the Swiss/French border here, but before starting on our walk (headed to the left along the river), we took a quick detour into France to have a look at that church there. The town of Sauverny is first mentioned in documents of 1164. 

This is the parish church of St.Maurice, built in 1848 at the site of a previous church. 

Inside of the St.Maurice church in Sauverny, France

Inside of the St.Maurice church in Sauverny, France

St.Maurice church in France, just near the border in Sauverny. 

Heading back to the Swiss border now to start our walk along the Versoix River. That building is the former customs buiding. Switzerland is just on the other side of that bridge!

An old photo of the customs building and the Sauverny church, taken from the Swiss side of the Versoix River. 

This was another 11-km walk, mostly along the Versoix River, from Sauverny at the border to the town of Versoix. An easy walk of just under three hours, part of it right along the border, on the Swiss side. 

Description of the themed trail "Au fil de la Versoix". We didn't exactly follow the suggested trail, but rather took a narrower trail right along the waterway. 

Following the Versoix river along the border with France. 

One small clearing before heading down to the riverside again. 

Always fun to cross these little bridges. 

The trail followed the course of the river for three kilometers, two of which were along the French border.

It was a very nice trail, and with more sunshine than we had expected. 

Interesting sections along the river. 

Thick, lush forest as we follow the Versoix River. 

We found a good place to sit near the river to have our sandwiches at 11 a.m. (On my map, this was near a side stream coming in from the French side, called "La Fontaine-de-Pissevache" !!!)

This trail is part of both National Trail no.3 "Alpine Panorama Trail" and Local Trail no.104: "Au fil de la Versoix". 

A short section through pastures on the way to the small hamlet of La Bâtie.

After La Bâtie was another long section along the river through a forest called "Bois des Vies", until we passed under the Autobahn (I am always impressed at these massive bridges). 

After crossing under the freeway bridge, we left the themed trail to continue following along the actual course of the river, instead of the side canal. There was large park here, where we stopped again for a snack at 12:15

A stretch through a residential area before returning to the river. 

Instead of going directly to the train station, we headed into the heart of Versoix-Bourg at lakeside. We took a shortcut through the garden terrace at the "Auberge du Lion d'Or". 

Looking up the main street in Versoix-Bourg

It was nicer to walk along the lakeshore! There were signs everywhere that there had been celebrations the day before. (Empty fire-cracker shells).

A look eastward across Lake Geneva. The strip of land is still in Switzerland, although the mountains behind that are in France. 

We were happy that the day turned out better than expected. 

More airplanes flying overhead on the flight path to the Geneva Airport. 

(The steamboat which we had traveled on two days earlier from St-Prex also stops here in Versoix, but we had gotten out one stop earlier in Coppet). 

Now back at the main road and heading back to the train station, we pass the "castle" in Versoix. In all, there wasn't really anything spectacular to see here. 

There was a pretty nice lakeside restaurant patio here, but we didn't want to stop for refreshments, as we were pretty well done for the day and wanted to head home. But I whipped in here to see the view of the lake for one last time. 

This was the view north along the lakeshore from the restaurant's patio. (There is another part of the city called Versoix-la-Ville, and this is the harbour there). 

Filling up our water bottles before heading up to the train station. We caught a fast train at 13:42 back to Geneva, and from there another fast train to Renens and Zurich, for a total trip home of four hours (the fastest connection). 

We got back to the Versoix train station about 15 minutes early for our train, so we could watch the planes fly overhead every three minutes or so... as the Geneva airport is very close to here. 

VIDEO:

As we had to wait 15 minutes at the train station, we were able to watch at least four airplanes fly overhead toward the Geneva Airport. They came about every three minutes, and fly fairly low at this point!

What our 11-km walk looks like on Google Satellite Maps. Most of the walk was along the Versoix river. The map shows the proximity of the Geneva Airport to Versoix, where an airplane flies overhead about every three minutes!

As the train heads along the north side of Lac Léman, we pass many vineyards, which is what the area is mainly about. At Renens near Lausanne, you switch to a fast train to Zurich. 

Location of the Versoix River within Switzerland.