Hike to the Limmerensee and Muttsee
03 October 2019
The summer is getting to an end and autumn is coming – actually one of the best times to get high up in the mountains and enjoy the pleasant temperatures and clear views. As the weather forecast for Saturday was absolutely perfect, we decided to go on another week-end trip. It took us to the canton of Glarus – a region largely unknown to both of us.
In short:
- Where: region of Linthal in the canton of Glarus
- When: mid-September
- Accommodation: optional (Muttseehütte or wild camping)
- Budget: CHF 15.00 per person for the cable car (two-ways)
- Length: about 10km
- Altitude difference: 800m
- Hiking time (without rest and photo stops): about 5 to 5.5 hours
Route: Train station Linthal – Parking lot cable car Tierfehd – Cable car station Kalktrittli – the underground system of the power plant – Limmerensee – Muttseehütte – Muttsee – Cable car station Kalktrittli – Train station Linthal
Already getting to the closest train station (Linthal) took us a while, slightly under 3 hours from Bern. After that, you need to walk for about an hour to the very end of the valley, where the Axpo pumped storage power plant is located. From there, a small cable car “Tierfehd-Kalktrittli” takes you to the start of the hike (cost: CHF 15.00 two-ways per person). Side note: You could also walk all the way up to the Limmerensee and Muttsee from Linthal, but this would certainly take up to 6-7 hours.
At the top of the cable car station, we decided to do the circular hike counterclockwise. If you choose this option, you first get into the underground system of the power plant. A 3km long, chilly tunnel takes you through the mountain directly to the lakeshore of the Limmerensee. Quite a unique experience, we thought.
On the other side, a real workout awaits you. The stony path winds steeply up the hill. However, the beautiful view of the Limmerensee and the surrounding mountains motivates to climb higher and higher. It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours from the bottom of the lake to the top (Muttseehütte).
Many hikers stay at the Muttseehütte overnight - either to split the Limmernsee-Muttsee hike into two parts or to climb one of the higher peaks in the region. We didn’t stay in the hut, but we brought our tent to spend the night in.
The camping spot we found was incredible and offered stunning views of the Limmerensee and all the mountain peaks around. Unfortunately, there was one issue…we forgot to check the wind forecast for the night, and our camping spot was one of the most exposed we could have chosen. Long story short, we didn’t get much sleep that night and were all along afraid that we would be blown away in our tent ;-).
Also, the next morning, the weather had changed from a perfectly blue sky to misty rain. We hence decided in favor of a relatively fast descent (roughly 2 to 2.5 hours from our camping spot). The hike down was quite steep and nothing for people who are afraid of heights. Then, halfway down a big surprise: a huge number of Capricorns were feeding not too far away from the path. We took some time to admire these impressive, but still elegant animals before heading all the way down to the cable car station.
Back at the bottom of the valley, we were lucky to find a ride to the train station Linthal. After the exhausting (windy!) night, we both felt exhausted and had a hard time imagining ourselves walking another 6km back to the train station.
Overall, this trip was definitely worthwhile. The long journey to get there (and back) is more than compensated by the fantastic mountain panorama and the fantastic views of the Limmerensee. Moreover, having the opportunity to get into the underground system of the power plant was an awe-inspiring and absolutely unique experience.
How to get there:
By public transport: Take an intercity train to Zurich, where you change to the S25 in direction Linthal. The village of Linthal is the last stop of this regional train.
By car: There is a big car park next to the Axpo pumped storage power plant and the cable car “Tierfehd-Kalktrittli”.
Where to stay:
The hike can easily be done in one day, so there is no need for accommodation. However, for all people who love to spend the night high up in the mountains, there exists the possibility to stay at the Muttseehütte or to do wild camping.