Hike Report – ‘Karstspur Silberen’ (SM 832)

Short Description

‘Karstspur Silberen’ (“Karst Trail Slberen”) is a circular route leading over and around Silberen with its impressive Karst landscapes.

Geology nerds will revel in the knowledge that they’re walking on Switzerland’s largest Karren field and above Hölloch (“Hellhole”), a 200 kilometer long cave system.

Hiking aficionados will appreciate the interesting, slightly technical trail and the gorgeous views of the alps and Klöntal valley.

Notes

• Don’t trust google maps navigation. On weekends, the approach from Glarus is closed/prohibited. So choose a route coming from Schwyz.

Impressions

Having had ample time to calm down after curing google for leading us to the starting point from the wrong direction, and having to circle around the mountains to approach from the correct, open side, we set off a bit later than expected, but in good spirits on a beautiful day in a beautiful place.

The steep ascent through first alpine farms, then rocky Karren fields was both imposing and fun, and we had soon reached the top. If it weren’t for the cold winds combined with wet shirts (and having started late and feeling a bit of time pressure), the atmosphere would have invited a meandering pace. As it was, we enjoyed the views, but made our way down the other side.

The signage on the way down (and up) was definitely sufficient, as you can tell from the photos (more in the gallery below). I like hiking on these rocky areas for some reason, and good times were had.

The Karren field soon gave way to grasslands again, and the gray was replaced by sights of huge herds of sheep, some marmots standing guard, mountain goats, end eventually cows as we descended back to civilization.

Once we found a nice, warm spot in the sun with a fantastic view of Klöntalersee (lake), we finally took a break for a late lunch and enjoyed the view a bit before moving on.

As is often the case with us, wee arrived back at the car just as the sun was setting.

We had a lovely day and enjoyed this hike so much that we would like to repeat it soon. This time with my new Fuji camera, so the resulting pictures should be a bit better, hopefully.

Would you like to share your own experiences with this hike? Do you have any questions? Something to add? Feel free to leave a comment below 🙂

Route Report / Gallery

Full size images without watermarks are available for licensing to interested parties. Check romans.pictures for a selection of my favorites, or contact me for details.

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