Hiking the Alpine Panorama Trail – Stage 6 Amden to Siebnen
Stage 6 of the Alpine Panorama Trail (Route 3) is a 26 km long trail with 240 m ascent and 700 m descent that goes from Amden to Siebnen. This section is long but fairly flat as all of the elevation loss happens in the first 4 km or so. For scheduling reasons, we did this hike over two days. The first day, we hiked from Amden to Zieglebrücke, just under 9 km. We then went back the next weekend to do the rest of the hike from Zieglebrücke to Siebnen. The first section had some lovely views down over Lake Walen and an interesting historical staircase. The second section from Zieglebrücke to Siebnen wasn’t particularly scenic or interesting. We had a good time, but I wouldn’t recommend doing this section as a hike unless you are doing the complete Alpine Panorama Trail.
| Where: | Amden to Siebnen Glarus, Saint Gallen, and Schwyz Switzerland |
| Train/Bus: | Zürich HB -> Amden, Dorf – 1 hrs 13 min Siebnen, Aabrücke -> Zürich HB – 59 min Note: When you reach Siebnen, the trail passes by the Siebnen, Aabrücke bus stop. You can take the bus to the Siebnen-Wangen train station or simply extend the hike another km or so and walk to the Siebnen-Wangen train station. |
| What: | Alpine Panorama Trail – Stage 6 Amden to Siebnen Yellow trail markers – Alpine Panorama Trail Route 3 |
| Skill: | Difficult – About 6 hrs 30 min Length 26 km, Ascent 860 m, Descent 800 m |
Getting There
The Alpine Panorama Trail is best done with public transportation as each stage starts and ends at different points. The start of this trail is the Amden, Dorf bus stop. After arriving, we got sandwiches and one of the irresistible pastries from the Café Löwen (a branch of Bäckereri Wick) across the street for our lunch.
After we ate lunch, we were on our way. From the bus stop, the trail heads down the main road beginning the steep descent to Lake Walen.
The Trail – Day 1
When the trail left the road, there were stunning views down to the lake and of the mountains across the lake, as well as lovely views back to Amden. This part of the hike was very scenic and enjoyable.
At times the trail dipped into the forest and the burst of spring flowers covering the forest floor was just lovely to see. Back out of the forest, there were some perfect views of Lake Walen. The color of the lake was just extraordinary!
As we continued, the trail goes down a very long old stone staircase. This staircase was the main route up to Amden until the road was built in 1882.
Speaking of the road, at the bottom of the staircase, the trail joins the road where we walked through an open tunnel as we continued down. We’ve driven this road a few times, and it was interesting to see the tunnel from the perspective of a pedestrian.
After the trail wound its way down to the lake, we were on familiar ground as it was the same road we were on at the end of our hike past the Seerenbach Falls a few weeks ago. From there, we followed the road through Weesen, and then along the shore of the lake.
At the point where the Linth canal exits the lake, the trail turns to follow alongside the canal.
After following the canal for about 4 km, we reached the Ziegelbrücke train station.
Breaking for the Day
Because we had some other commitments for the day and because there are so many easy direct connections from the Ziegelbrücke station, we decided to break for the day and to come back and do the rest of the hike another day.
The Ziegelbrücke train station is our usual put-in point when rafting the Linth canal. We’ve considered rafting the canal starting at Lake Walen, so it was very interesting to see the section we haven’t rafted. (It was really pretty so we might do it someday, but the Ziegelbrücke put-in is just so convenient…)
The Trail – Day 2
A week later, we returned to do the rest of the hike. After getting off at the Ziegelbrücke train station, we returned to the trail following it over the canal and into the town of Niederurnen.
After passing through Niederurnen, the trail meandered across the Linth plain, passing through small towns and farms. In the second picture below the large boulders are the tell-tale signs of an old landslide.
“Landesfussweg” means “country foot path” and it was a very accurate description of this section of the trail. Lots of farms and fields. This area is also an industrial center, and there are a fair number of factories as well. I didn’t take a lot of photos of the but they are there.
We also hiked past a small lake, the Hirschlensee. I have often noticed this lake out the train window, so it was nice to get a chance to see it up close. It is small but pretty.
After passing the Hirschlen lake, the trail continues through fields along dirt paths and low traffic roads. There were a lot of bikers here, and no wonder – the low traffic roads here looked perfect for biking.
Truthfully, though, this section of the hike was a bit of a slog. It was just flat and kind of the same as it went along. Not surprising, really, as the trail description did call it a “crossover” stage.
As we were coming into Siebnen, I snapped a picture of the Wäggtaller Kraftwerk power station building because it was so imposing that it looked like the type of place you would go at the end of a post-apocalyptic video game quest.
Getting Back
After the power station, it was a short walk through Siebnen. We got a little off-trail here as we ended up at the Siebnen, Zentralhof bus stop, rather than the Siebnen, Aabrücke stop where the trail continues on to the next stage.
No a big deal. It is the same bus either way to the Siebnen-Wangen train station and home. Not my favorite hike, but it was nice to get it done. The next stage looks a lot more interesting as it will go up the Stöcklichrüz and by the Etzel pass. I’m looking forward to it!
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