Hiking in Engelberg requires no more than a bottle of water, comfortable hiking shoes and snacks. From the heart of the village, you get up with or without a gondola to 1800m above sea level and can start hiking from there, or walk straight from the village to wherever you can find the perfect picnic spot.
There are three main routes to get to the beautiful Trübsee lake from the village. Routes span between two main plateaus, (you could also call these terraces if you are more of a wine person, only these are over 200m wide and 400m elevation, and not just a step up) The Nr 1 route is to take the gondola from valley station and up to Trübsee station. When you are up here you just comfortably walk around the lake depending on pictures or picnic stops, or maybe even a dip in the lake. You choose.
Hard Facts About Trübsee Loop short version.
- Location: Central Switzerland, Engelberg
- Start/End: Engelberg-Trübsee gondola
- Car: Parking Gerschnistrasse 12, 6390 Engelberg
35 mins from Lucerne, 1hr10 from Zurich - Train: Engelberg (free bus 2 min or walk 5 min to Valley Station)
1hr from Luzern, 1hr50 from Zurich - Trail: 3.4 km loop, about 1 hr walking time
- Condition: dirt/gravel, suitable for all-terrain strollers
- Tickets: Gondola return ticket CHF 36 /adult
SBB GA, Half-fare, Junior cards & Tell Pass accepted (online tickets here: https://www.titlis.ch/en) - Open: June through October
Hike to Trübsee from Valley Station in Engelberg
Start at the valley station and follow the well-marked white/red trail to the right. In 30-40 minutes, you’ll reach Gerschnialp, navigating stairs and trails through forest and farmland. Hate stairs? There’s a car road instead, it’s a bit
At the Untertrübsee restaurant, you’ve got choices. Feeling strong? Head straight up the trail. Craving a snack? Take the right to visit the Untertrübsee cheesemaker. Don’t be shy—walk through their farm and buy some cheese. It’s basically a rule.
Want to save energy? Jump on the small blue Älplerseil gondola and skip 250 meters of elevation.
If you’re still walking, keep following the trail to the next plateau, then hike up to the Älplerseil gondola’s mountain station. From there, take a scenic ridge walk to the lovely Trübsee lake. Congrats, you’ve done great and can take a dip in the lake if weather allows it.
Pfaffenwand – Hiking to Trübsee
Brace yourselves, adventurers! This hike is not your usual walk in the park. Think of it as a rollercoaster relationship. At first, it’s all butterflies and rainbows—you’ve got your rose-coloured glasses on, and for the first 45 minutes, you’re in hiking heaven. Then, reality hits you like a ton of bricks, and suddenly, you’re questioning all your life choices. In plain terms: it’s tough. Real tough. But hey, who needs easy when you can have a hilarious story to tell later?
Start in the village and walk towards Bänklialp, go over the bridge and up in the forest, the trail here is well marked and goes over wooden trails and prepared dirt roads. Wheen you reach the top of the first plateau you are at Café Ritz, a good lunch spot or coffee break restaurant.
Walk past the restaurant and upwards on a ridge-feeling hill (it’s not a ridge if you don’t want it to be). Then walk over the farmland and get to the bottom of the mountain. Here you start your 13 zigzag trail upwards. It’s steep and long under the gondola but so worth it when you get up to the Trübsee mountain station, restaurant and lake. Here you might need to take a dip actually.
Picture below shows how to walk that way up and then option 2 (described above) down. Or if you are done for the day – take the gondola down and see the whole route you just did from above and feel proud.
Happy Hiking! Book a room here with us and bask in our Sauna and Hot Tub after your hike, and for more tips and tricks when you get here. // The Ski Lodge Team
