Map

Thumbnail for the map of the improvised 'Getting Above The Walensee Fog' (I-112) hiking trail, opens link to interactive web map.
Source1

Elevation Profile

Elevation Profile of the improvised 'Getting Above The Walensee Fog' (I-112) hiking trail.
Source1 : Bundesamt für Landestopografie; Drawn with schweizmobilplus.ch

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Weather

Impromptu Hike Report / Impressions

We had originally planned to hike up Mount Hirzli to bask in the sun and enjoy the view of a sea of fog in all directions, but unfortunately we were let down by three key pieces of misinformation:

1. The road leading up to the start of the hike is not publicly accessible, as opposed to what google maps and map.search think (the latter of which usually has this information).

This was semi-expected and wouldn’t have been a problem, except…

2. The cable car was closed for revision, as opposed to the information on their website which had them open for business.

3. The fog covering up to 700 meters above sea level (thanks, Swiss Meteo). More on that later.

Due to our usual late start, we didn’t have time to do the longer version of the hike from the bottom, so we decided to start at least a small impromptu hike somewhere closeby and settled on walking along the north shore of Walensee.

I was hoping to get to around 900 meters above sea level before the sun set, so we could get that view after all.

Image of a woman's silhouette against the tunnel exit as seen from inside the tunnel, with Walensee in front of her.
Jenny enjoying the view.

Along the way, we passed a cool pedestrian tunnel, a maginificent fort (kidding), Saw the Seerenbachfälle (waterfalls) up close, which admittedly is a bit less spectacular in Autumn due to lower water levels, saw some self service coffee stations accepting around a dozen different modes of payment (but not crypto), an insect hotel with an attached worry-box where you can write down your troubles and “get rid of them”, and beautiful views of Walensee under the fog, as well as the autumn forest above *in* said fog.

We did get up to 920 meters in altitude before sunset, unfortunately that only meant we could see the rock face above us lit in the evening sun. We were still in the fog, and getting to the necessary altitude would have meant arriving after sunset and decending the steep and slippery forest trail in the dark, so we turned around. A slightly disappointing climax to an otherwise surprisingly charming and rich improvised hiking tour.

Image of a pitch black pedestrian tunnel entrance in a foggy forest near Walensee.
View along the way.

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.

  • Image of Walensee under a fog blanket.
  • Image of Walensee under a fog blanket.
  • Image of Walensee under a fog blanket, with a pedestrian tunnel in the rockface to the left.
  • Image of a woman's silhouette against the tunnel exit as seen from inside the tunnel, with Walensee in front of her.
  • Image of a tunnel's exit, showing Walensee.
  • Image of Burgruine Strahlegg on a figgy day.
  • Image of Burgruine Strahlegg on a figgy day.
  • Image of Walensee under a fog blanket.
  • Image of Walensee under a fog blanket.
  • Image of Seerenbachfälle waterfalls on a foggy autumn day.
  • Image of Seerenbachfälle waterfalls on a foggy autumn day.
  • Image of Seerenbachfälle waterfalls on a foggy autumn day.
  • Image of the view from Seerenbachfälle in the direction of Walensee, which lies under a fog blanket.
  • Image of a forest creek with fallen trees strews over it.
  • Image of an unnamed small waterfall near Walensee.
  • Image of a self service coffee, sweets, and cold drink station along a hiking trail in Switzerland. There is a fully automatic coffee machine and a fridge full of PET bottled drinks. There are pages on the wall with QR codes and addresses for various payment methods as well as a small cash box.
  • Image of an insect and bat hotel with an attached worry-mailbox where hikers may write down and insert their troubles to "get rid of them".
  • Image of Walensee under a fog blanket.
  • Image of an autumn forest road with a small bridge over a creek and a fallen tree near the bridge.
  • Image of a pitch black pedestrian tunnel entrance in a foggy forest near Walensee.
  • Image of a foggy forest trail.
  • Image of a foggy forest trail.
  • Image of a foggy forest hiking trail.
  • Image of a foggy forest hiking trail. There is a rockface lit by the evening sun visible through the fog and trees.
  • Image of a foggy forest hiking trail.
  • Image of a rock face above the fog, as seen from within the fog.
  • Image of barren trees in a foggy autumn forest.
  • Image of Walensee at night, with lights on the other shore.

NEWSLETTER

Don’t miss a hike 🙂

Basic Data

Date of Hike:2021-11-20
Participants:Roman, Jenny
(Max) Techn. Difficulty:T2: Mountain Trail

Stats

Km14.4
Net Hours (Est.)4.3
Net Hours (Act.)3.75
Ascent (m)667
Descent (m)667
Max. Alt. (m)921
Loop?Yes
Cable Car?No
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