liechtenstein — Blog 1 — Natural Swiss Adventures by Alpine Emily

On my Via Alpina adventure, I ended up hiking the trail on two different trips for various practical reasons. The first section I did took around 6 days to complete and spanned from Gaflei, Klink bus stop in Liechtenstein to Engelberg station in canton Obwalden. To be honest, I have a couple of cheating rules that I live by that meant not all of the Via Alpina trail were hiked from point to point. I optimize for time on the “real mountain trails” and strongly avoid trails that are in the city/streets or that can be covered by public transport. I did not fully optimize for this as well as I could have, but I will insert some tips if this is also your target.

Below you will find both a short technical summary as well as a longer daily blog with additional information including maps with GPX links.

Start of the Via Alpina trail in Liechtenstein

Technical Summary:

Day 1: Gaflei to Weisstannen

Stats: 8.2 km (1032m descent) & 6.4 km (374m ascent/69m descent)

Trail Conditions: Technically easy with lots of dirt/gravel trails/roads

Good to Know: Many drinking points and shops/bathrooms around Vaduz and Weisstannen

Day 2: Weisstannen to Elm (Foospass)

Stats: 14.9km (992m ascent/1258m descent)

Trail Conditions: More technically challenging, but still fairly easy/moderate mountain trail with narrower grassy/dirt hiking trails with some rocky trail areas on the first part of the ascent. Last part of descent is mainly road (transitions from dirt to paved)

Good to Know: Drinking fountain is available near a waterfall at the beginning of the ascent and a second one is available near a farming building near the top of the ascent. After the first part of the descent there is a farm providing refreshments before the last road down. Please note that the land is protected during the descent, so camping is only possible at the campsite in Elm! There is limited cellular reception for most of Foospass.

Day 3: Elm to Richetlipass

Stats: 3.1km (66m ascent/92m descent) & 8.9km (810m ascent/217m descent)

Trail Conditions: The first hike from the campsite to the gondola is on a paved road whereas the second hike is on a dirt mountain trail.

Good to Know: A short cut can be taken by taking the bus 545 from Elm to Obererbs Skihütte instead of taking the gondola at Elm Sportsbahnen like I did. There are fountains and restaurants around Elm and Emphächli as well as a restaurant at Obererbs Skihütte. The restaurant at Obererbs Skihütte is the last place to get water before Linthal! There are limited streams where you can use a life-straw during the descent to Linthal.

Day 4: Richetlipass to Klausenpass

Stats: 11.7km (229m ascent/1655m descent) & 8.5 km (12m ascent, 965m descent)

Trail Conditions: Very rocky/steep conditions around Richetlipass with risks of falling rocks. After inital descent, the trail becomes a dirt road before turning into a dirt trail through the forest.

Good to Know: Short cut available by taking the bus 405 from Linthal to Klausen Passhöhe. Linthal offers stores and water fountains as well as bus/train connections. On Klausenpass, there is a campsite in Unterschächen that is worth deviating from the Via Alpina trail for since it has showers.

Day 5: Klausenpass to Surenenpass

Stats: 6km (846m ascent/120m descent)

Trail Conditions: Moderate dirt/rocky mountain hiking trail with increased exposure to rockslides and unstable rocks towards the top of the ascent to Surenenpass.

Good to Know: Short cut from Unterschächen via bus 408 from Unterschächen to Attinghausen Seilbahn and then taking the gondola at Attinghausen Seilbahn to Brüstli. There are restaurants and water fountains available at Brüstli. This is the last place for water before the farm during the descent to Engelberg (which was the next day for me)!

Day 6: Surenepass to Engelberg

Stats: 10.8km (22m ascent/1198m descent)

Trail Conditions: Normal, dirt mountain trail until after the farm when the trail becomes a dirt road until the forest at the end where it is a gentle dirt walking path.

Good to Know: No water at the refuge hut or anywhere nearby until about an hour into descent where there is a farm that has a fountain and open restrooms. There are streams before the farm, if you have a life-straw.

Daily Blog:

Day 1 - Gaflei to Weisstannen

This day was one of the most transport heavy days for me. I started off by traveling from Munich with the Deutschland ticket to Lindau-Reutin and then purchasing a short train ticket from there to Feldkirch in Austria. (Please note that international tickets are not sold on the SBB app but only on their website.) From there I had to take three buses to get to Gaflei, Klink (via Vaduz, Post and Triesenberg, Dorfzentrum). I arrived at the trail head shortly before noon. The trail descended gently down through a forest into Vaduz. There were some good places to stop on a bench to look across the valley into the mountains of Switzerland. The end of the trail was mostly gravel or pavement road, which is not a type of trail that I am a fan of. By the time I reached Vaduz, It was half past 2pm and quite hot. Therefore, I took the opportunity to indulge in the last of civilization by using the public toilets and stopping in a cafe for a “Käsewähe” for a late lunch bite. Using my strategy of optimizing for mountain passes, I took three buses from Vaduz, Post to Sargans, Bahnhof and then to Mels, Verrucano and finally to Weisstannen, Oberdorf. By that time, it was early evening so I planned to continue my hike until I could find a suitable camping spot. I saw a sign for a camping site 600 meters from Oberdorf yet I was unable to find it once I was on the trail. The trail gently ascended through a forest along the river. There were some gorgeous outlooks into the mountains and of towering waterfalls. Once I crossed a farm, the trail became a gravel road that winded up the hillside into the next forest. Along the road, I saw a couple picking mushrooms, but I was more interested in picking the bountiful raspberries and blackberries in the brush. Around 7:30pm, the trail separated from the road and went up into the forest. Here I found a little grassy hill to set up camp on. As a general rule, I do not like to camp near gravel roads, especially because farmers tend to drive on them first thing in the morning. This proved to be a lovely little camping spot, but the only problem was the plethora of slugs on my soggy tent the next morning.

Blackberry on the road to the forest after the farm

Gaflei to Vaduz - GPX Link

Weisstannen to wild camping spot near Foo Pass - GPX Link

Map to wild camping spot from Weisstannen bus stop

Day 2 - Weisstannen to Elm

Honestly, this was one of the toughest days for me despite the trail not being that physically or technically challenging. I had a migraine this day and there was absolutely no shade after exiting the forest first thing in the morning. I ended up sleeping for a couple of hours in a blueberry bush surrounded by cows under the heat of the sun. The path up to the cow pasture was rocky and beautiful brimming with rushing waterfalls and wildlife. There was a chamois running across the valley when I was crossing and I also saw a hunter carrying one on his shoulders.

The top of Foo Pass revealed a beautiful mountain landscape stretching as far as I could see. Shortly after crossing down Foo Pass, I ran into a friendly farmer who offered me a drink and some helpful advice on where to camp for the night. A lot of the forest below Foo Pass was protected, so no camping was allowed, but 2 hours down hill near Elm there was a small campsite for tents in a forest. This campsite cost only a few francs and offered a small bathroom (with a charging port by the sink) as well as a picnic table and campfire spot. It was very cozy here so I took advantage of this to sleep in a little and recover well before my next day of exploring.

Views of waterfalls at sunset from the forest road

Cozy little campsite in the forest of Elm

Foo Pass to Elm Campground - GPX Link

Map of trail from Foopass to Elm Campsite

Day 3 - Elm to Richetlipass (near Linthal)

My first stop of the morning was only minutes away from the campsite, but so worthwhile. There was an adorable train car cafe that offered coffee, drinks, and little cakes (including my favorite Biberlis). The lady there advised me about a bus that left near there that went directly to Elm, Obererbs Skihütte; however, since the bus was infrequent I decided to walk to the gondola instead to start from Empächli. The trail there started from a little ski resort where there were restaurants and amusements for children.

The trail began as a road presenting gorgeous views of the mountains across the valley, including Martin’s Hole. These mountains are uniquely carved in sharp points like cat teeth. Nestled along the path were old, traditional huts.

The path wound through the forest gently up on a gravel road, similar to the road from last night. The gravel road from the day before had already tired my feet and this road multiplied this ache, so I took a moment to bathe my feet in the flowing, icy river.

Once I crossed the river, I was greeted by some gentle shade from lush raspberry bushes. The trail then wound through some light woods, including a charming picnic and fire pit. Once through the forest, there was an opening where cows were casually munching in the meadow. Both in the forest and meadow there were some warnings of unstable areas were staying for too long should be avoided. The trail however was very gentle and well-maintained. The cows of this herd were especially friendly and were eager to follow my lead along the trail. I found this very sweet and funny. At the end of the cow pasture, there was the road and the bus stop for Obererbs, Skihütte. There was a cute little hut there that served nice little cakes and drinks. I throughly enjoyed my “rüeblitorte” and my conversation with the waitress. She was very kind and inquired about my travel plans. After a delightful break, I ventured up through the blueberry bushes and gentle grassy hillside towards the first outlook over Richetlipass.

Soon I reached the overlook that revealed a small grassy dip in the mountain more the final rocky ascent to Richetlipass. Originally, I confused this small dip for the pass itself and I set up camp there for the night. As I first enter this little meadow it looked like the perfect paradise for camping, but in reality it was quite the opposite.

The meadow was bumpy and the ground so uneven and wet that find a place to pitch a tent was difficult. More concerning was the rocks that started to fall from the mountain ridge above. At one point my original camping spot was so close to a rock slide that I had to grab my fully deployed tent by the top and run with it across to a nearby hill. I settled on the top of this hill where I could find the only few feet of flat space. The hill went straight down into a rocky cliff right at the edge of my tent. Honestly, I felt a bit nervous to be so close, so I slept on the side away from the cliff. There was also a small wire fence on the edge, so I felt somewhat protected.

Elm Campsite to Elm Gondola GPX

Empächli to Richetlipass wild camping spot GPX link

Map of trail from Elm campsite to Elm Gondola (bus can also be taken instead from Elm, Obererbs Skihütte to skip part of the trail from the top of the Elm Gondola at Empächli)

Map of trail from Empächli to Richetlipass (majority of this trail can be skipped by taking bus to Elm, Obererbs Skihütte)

Please note advises on Swiss topo such as this one present for a shooting range nearby

My final camping spot on the edge of the cliff

Day 4 - Richetlipass to Klausenpass

The next morning, I awoke to the loud howl of the wind followed by a cascade of rock falls across the valley. Even though my location was quite safe, since the rock falls were still at a far distance, I quickly started out on my hike of the day. Shortly after starting out, I realized that I had actually not reached the top of Richetlipass, but it was actually a short distance further up. The trail up to the top was scarred by rockslides and crumbly, flaky rocks. I quickly ascended to the top of the pass motivated by thirst as my water hadn’t been filled since the cake stop at the small ski restaurant as well as by fear of possible rock falls. The top of the pass was stunning, but the path down was a bit steep with small, unstable rocks. However, there was some flora to keep the trail in tact, including my absolute favorite lupines.

The trail down was long and winding with no shade from trees even the occasional bushes were too short to provide any protection. There was also no water sources; however, there was a stream nearby and once it got close enough to the trail I went down the river bank to use my life straw since I was parched by this point. The trail continued down through some cow pastures towards a rocky stream. I spotted a little marmot curiously fixated on me amongst the piles of rocks.

Find the marmot amongst the rocks. He blends in quite well with the rocks, but one hint is that he is facing towards the right of the image and is perched on one of the higher stones.

The rest of the trail was a stony road that intertwined with forests and farms yet was shockingly sunny. Further down there were little forest shortcuts from the main farm road. Amongst the trees there were raspberry bushes yet there were no drinking fountains. I used my life straw on numerous cow water tubs, but was still quite parched. The path down took longer than I had expected despite adding some little trail running spurts into my hike. The stream turned into a flowing river, which cascaded down in numerous waterfalls down to Linthal. I had expected to complete the hike down to Linthal before noon, but I only arrived to the town around 2pm. Linthal seemed like heaven, since a shady bench and fresh, cold water fountain greeted me along with a much needed garbage can to rid of my waste collection from my night of camping. After resting on the bench and drinking as much water as my heart desired, I ventured to the Volg where I restocked on some snacks and got some local cheese and bread and fresh fruits for lunch. I could not find an ATM in the town prior to the bus that I took towards Klausenpass despite there being listings of ATMs online and some advice from local people.

The sun was beating down and it was already late in the day, so I decided to skip the entry into Klausenpass by taking the bus. I felt very justified in this decision, since the path seemed to closely follow the road and I was uninterested in hiking so close to traffic.

The grassy path starting off from Klausen Passhöhe before I deviated to the trail towards the campsite.

I arrived at Klausen Passhöhe just after 4pm. This stop was ideal since it was deep into Klausenpass and had a free bathroom and water spout. The trail started down here, but at this point I was starting to feel the wear and tear of the numerous days of hiking in the sun and heat without a shower, so I started searching camping sites. I found one that was a bit off the Via Alpina trail, but offered a shower and bathroom with tent pitched sites. This was irresistible to me, so I deviated from the normal Via Alpina trail down to the town of Unterschächen, where the campsite was settled right next to the river and had all the facilities of the Langlaufzentrum available for use such as a small living room/kitchen, showers, and a toilet and sink. This stop helped me to refresh myself and charge my devices while I showered and used the other facilities. The facilities were very clean. The campsite was easily payable by cash or twint.

Point just before my deviation from the Via Alpina trail

Little family farm near the point where I deviated to the trail towards the campsite. The stoney cliff that I hiked under is all the way to the right of the image.

The trail towards the campsite from Klausen Passhöhe started off very steep and stoney. The stones slipped out from under my feet causing the descent to be quite stressful and taxing on my legs. The trail followed a cliff of rocks that looked potentially unstable with trails of loose stone beneath. There was a fence that I leaned on for support at some points.

Start of the slippery, stoney trail under the cliff towards the campsite.

After the steep and slippery start, the descent continued to be somewhat steep and slippery yet less exposed and rocky and more protected by brush and trees.

The trail took about two hours to complete and this first leg lasted no more than 45 minutes before the trail turned into a gentle, grassy paradise weaving in and out of small farming villages and forested areas. The first village greeted me with a wonderfully huge waterfall.

The waterfall was very impressive and made the challenging trek already feel worthwhile, especially with the sun slowly settling into the valley for the night.

The path from here was very easy, so I injected a few trail running sprints into it to get to the campsite quicker since the sun was setting. I reached the campsite just after sunset, and enjoyed all the facilities that the campsite had to offer.

Richetlipass to Linthal GPX Link

Klausenpasshöhe to Unterschächen Campsite GPX Link

Map of first leg from Richetlipass to Linthal where the bus 408 can be taken to Klausen Passhöhe

Deviation from normal Via Alpina trail to go from Klausen Passhöhe to camping site at Raiffeisen Langlaufzentrum in Unterschächen

Day 5 - Surenenpass

In the morning, I took the opportunity to sleep in and air out my tent since it had accumulated some dew and dampness from the grassy campsite. I ended up only leaving after 10am and decided to take the bus down Altdorf and then take a gondola from Altdorf towards the next pass.

I started my hike at Brüstli, where I promptly found a nice alpine restaurant, Berggasthaus Alp Catrina, to have my first full meal in almost a week. The Älpermagronen that I had there was the best I had ever had. It was so creamy and delightful. I took this short break as an opportunity to journal for a few peaceful moments. After lunch, I found a fountain to refill my bottles and there were actually quite a few benches, fountains, and picnicking spots nearby. By this time of day, the sun was fully shining with scarcely a cloud to be seen. After the initial blueberry bushes and occasional tree, there was no more shade, which made the ascent very challenging.

The views were incredible with incredible views of the mountains from all sides as well as a peak on the Vierwaldstättersee on the approach towards Langschnee. The path from here was relatively stable and easy until reaching Langschnee.

A view on Vierwaldstättersee and Langschnee

Upon reaching Langschnee, the trail began to become more rocky and steep with old rock slides marking the sides of the trail.

The trail began to become even more challenging and rocky as it twisted to the top of Surenenpass; however, the views were well worth it. There was a herd of sheep that made the trail seem more lighthearted.

A little sheep on the trail approaching Langschnee

After the breathtaking journey and views, the stunning top of Surenenpass presented even more spectacular views.

After crossing the top of the pass, the wind started to kick in and clouds soon flooded the sky. The weather started feel ominous. Thankfully, there was a small shelter hut close by that I stopped in to eat dinner while waiting to see how the weather developed. The thick blanket of clouds and strong wind continued after my dinner pause, so I decided to call it a night and sleep at the shelter hut.

The shelter hut had the traditional Swiss hospitality in the form of wooden signs with a poem of the reasoning and rules on the hut as well as guest book where adventurers could leave little notes. It was nice to read through these during my little dinner.

The view was incredible with a couple of glaciers in sight from the long wooden dinner table and bench. Waking up to this view was magical. Wildlife was unaware of my presence, so I spotted sheep and marmots playing up close to the hut.

View on the hut in the morning after leaving

Brüstli to Surenenpass Refuge GPX Link

Map from Brüsti gondola to Surenenpass Refuge Hut

Day 6 - Surenenpass to Engelberg

One of the best views was actually looking back on the hut after leaving. The sun glowing on the rocky cliffs in the background was incredibly moving.

On the way down I spotted two little marmots in “meerkat” position in the grass. See if you can spot them in the center of the photo below.

For the majority of the Surenenpass and descent there was no water fountain, so on the way down I had to use my life straw in a stream until I reached a little farm close to a gorgeous little church. The farm also conveniently had bathrooms open even when the little restaurant was closed.

Little church near the farm with fountain

The descent became increasingly road-like; however, the views continued to be amazing as the path followed the river, which at points turned into waterfalls. The surrounding view was also spectacular with extremely tall waterfalls and glaciers in the distance.

In the video above, you can catch a glimpse of another marmot that I spotted during the final descent

The waterfalls can be seen here in the distance surrounding the valley. The descent lasted for a couple hours more until the trail entered a forested area just before arriving the bus stop.

This river crossing is one of the final mountain trail areas before entering the final section of gently forested trail. Based on the rain forest and overall fatigue from the journey thus far, I decided to take a pause in Engelberg and go home before continuing the trail. You can read about the second leg of my journey in the blog on Via Alpina West (Montreux-Adelboden).

Surenenpass to Engelberg GPX Link

Via Alpina: Vaduz to Montreux

Via Alpina (East Section): Vaduz to Engelberg