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Periodically, we discuss hiking near Luzern.
There are nice trails of varying difficulty all through out the region.
Here is one example; you can also walk down from Stockhütte to Emmeten for a bus.
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/klewenalp-stockhutte
The Swiss Path (der Weg der Schweiz) is a particularly interesting one, and it goes around the southern arm of Lake Lucerne ( in German, der Urnersee, named after Kanton Uri.) This is the region where the nucleus of the Swiss Federation was created in the 11th century from the original cantons of Schwyz,Uri, and Unterwalden, at an historic meeting at Rütli Meadow. Unterwalden has since split into Obwalden and Nidwalden, hence, Lake Lucerne in Geman is the Lake of the Four Forest Cantons, der Vierwaldstättersee.)
http://www.weg-der-schweiz.ch/en/
http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/the-swiss-way-the-ruetli-meadow-brunnen.html
http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/the-swiss-path-the-swiss-william-tell-path.html
The Swiss Path offers a varied and scenic trail, with significant altitude changes. It has a segment named for each canton, starting at the Rütli Meadow, named in order of joining the Federation, and with each segment’s length proportional to the surface area of the named canton.
Although I am aware of people who have completed the whole route from Rütli Meadow to Brunnen in less than a day, they are in much better condition than I am. I do sections, picking the easy ones.
This link does a portion going in the opposite direction:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ hiking/bauen-seelisberg
I also have worked out a routing at the beginning which deviates from the Swiss Path a bit, but is quite scenic and adds in a nice funicular ride from Treib up to Seelisberg. Details below.
A panoramic map is linked above and a copy attached. Boat routes are shown.
For topography, SwissTopo is highly detailed.
For transport network and general purposes, Mapsearch.ch has some unique features.
map.search.ch/?poi=verkehr&x=23064m&y =10912m&z=16
Turn on Traffic in the Points of Interest Menu, and all the train/bus. etc. stops can be made visible ( toggle on and off).
Zoom in on the icon for one of the stops, one and click on it, and an abbreviated schedule of public transport in the near future appears.
Our Favorite Variation
The Swiss Path trail starts at Rütli Meadow. It immediately climbs 300 or 400 meters up the steep mountainside to a point near Seelisberg. (see last attached image….”Waiting….”
It then continues south to a point above Bauen ( which is easiest along the road, which I recall is the official Swiss Path route), but alternately permits access to great lake views at Marienhöhe if you take side paths through the woods.. (There is a great picture of that view here, on the opening page.
http://www.myswissalps.com/ hiking/bauen-seelisberg )
As you near a point above Bauen, the Path makes a 3oo meter (+/-) descent on a smooth, well maintained trail with a lot of steps) down to Bauen. From Bauen, the Path continues along the edge of the lake to Flüelen and onward. We usually take a lake boat to Brunnen or to Flüelen, (taking care not to miss the last boat) and take a train back to Luzern.
Our variation avoids that first steep climb and has some nice views along the way. It is to take a northbound route on good quality woods roads and farm roads northward from Rütli, only partway up the hill, then round the end of the small peninsula and pick up a paved road not too far from Volligen. Not without climbing, but a lot easier than straight up the hillside on switchbacks.A short walk to Volligen offers a nice place for lunch ( closed Mondays and Tuesdays, as i recall) and then downward to Treib at the boat landing. There we catch the funicular up the hill to Seelisberg, walk the gradual ascent up the road to the point where the Swiss Path joins it. That is near the promenade of the Hotel Sonnenberg with great lake views.)
Skip Rütli?
Another option is to skip Rütli, and take the lake boat to Treib, then ride the funicular up to Seelisberg and continue. This option minimizes climbing.
Maps are attached.
Also, a few pictures from along the route, taken over the years.
The very last one, Waiting at Brunnen, shows Rütli Meadow near the lake and Seelisberg just barely visible on the mountainside. That image shows why we don’t climb straight up from Rütli to Seelisberg.
Slowpoke
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Hi Slowpoke,
Thanks for posting this! The Swiss Path is certainly interesting. Your pictures give a good impression. I especially like the lunch spot at Volligen ;-).
<<“I especially like the lunch spot at Volligen ;-).”>>
Hi Annika –
Thanks.
So do we, and we’ve been disappointed if we forgot which days they were closed and hoped to stop there on the wrong day.
Luckily, you ca also get a bite at Treib.
I have a few more phots to add from Marienhöhe and the promenade at the Sonnenberg, as well as the Treib-Seelisberg Bahn. One day….
Slowpoke
Hi Annika –
As noted, I have added a few images from around the Urnersee.
To save time, I took some pages from a photobook of a trip that I made with my daughter and granddaughter in 2009.
That means that the images are a bit compressed (low resolution) but still add some useful impressions. There is also some redundancy.
In one image reference is made to “the SHP.”
That is the Swiss Holiday Park, near Morschach, where we rented an apartment on that trip.
Slowpoke
This year, 2016, marks the 25th anniversary of the Swiss Path: http://www.uri.info/en/2016-das-tell-jahr/25jahre-de.
Hi Arno-
I found these two images on Wiki. One seems to have been taken from the top of one of the Mythens. It gives a good sense of the lake and surrounding land in the area of Brunnen. The one of Seelisberg from the lake boat gives a good idea of its site on the cliff top.
Slowpoke
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