Hiking the 2-Seen-Wanderung at Pizol
The 2-Seen-Wanderung (or 2-lakes Hike) at Pizol is a 6.6 km hike with 39 m ascent and 640 m descent that starts at the top of the Pardiel-Laufböden chairlift, zigzags its way down the mountain going past two very lovely alpine lakes (Lake Wangs and Lake Vilters), and ends at the bottom of the chairlift in Pardiel. While it doesn’t have the otherworldly beauty of the more popular 5-Seen-Wanderung at Pizol, it still delivers fabulous alpine lake, mountain, and valley views. If you have limited time or don’t have the fitness to tackle the much more challenging 5-Seen-Wanderung, the 2-Seen-Wanderung is an excellent option – it is much shorter, easier and less crowded, and it is, in my opinion, a fantastic trail. You won’t be disappointed!
Detail SummaryWhere: | 2-Seen-Wanderung (or 2-lakes Hike) at Pizol Canton St. Gallen , Switzerland |
Train/Bus: | Zürich HB -> Bad Ragaz, Pizolbahn – 1 hr 35 min |
Car: | Bad Ragaz valley station: Loisstrasse, Bad Ragaz Paid parking lot available. |
What: | 2-Seen-Wanderung (or 2-lakes Hike) at Pizol Trail Map Red and White mountain trail Laufböden -> Pizolhütte Panormaweg/ Wangsersee -> Vilterser Seeli -> Pardiel If you choose to hike up instead, follow: Pardiel – Schwarzbüel – Vilterser Seeli – Wangsersee – Laufböden Note: The Pizolhütte Panormaweg is a loop between the top of the Laufböden Chairlift and the Pizolhütte which means the sign at Laufböden for Pizolhütte points in two directions. We took the lower route to the right which I think was a mistake as it misses the highpoint of the Panoramaweg and the views down onto Lake Wangs. In the future, I will take the route to the left. |
Skill: | Easy – About 2 hrs Length 6.6 km, Ascent 39 m, Descent 640 m |
Cost 2024 | For this hike, you want to purchase the 2-Seen-Wanderung (2-lake-hike) ticket. This covers the ascent and descent of the Bad Ragaz gondola lift to Pardiel and one ascent or descent of the Laufböden chair lift. Adult: 48 CHF Child: 24 CHF Discount for SBB Half-Fare/GA travel cards. |
Getting There
At the Bad Ragaz, Pizolbahn station, we purchased the 2-Seen-Wanderung (2-lake-hike) ticket. This ticket covers the ascent and descent of the Bad Ragaz gondola lift to Pardiel and one ascent or descent of the Laufböden chair lift. We were planned to start the hike at the top and hike down, so we after riding the gondola up to Pardiel, we then hopped on the chairlift up to Laufböden.
When we got off at the top, I was expecting to find signs for 2-Seen-Wanderung as it is the hiking ticket available and heavily advertised at the ticket counter, but there isn’t. Instead for this hike, you need to follow the waypoint signs. From Laufböden, the first sign we were looking for was Pizolhütte Panormaweg/Wangsersee. Unfortunately, when we found our trail sign, it pointed in two directions and we had to make a choice, left or right.
The Trail
The Pizolhütte Panormaweg is a loop between the top of the Laufböden Chairlift and Lake Wangs which means the sign at Laufböden for Pizolhütte/Wangsersee points in two directions. We chose the lower route to the right, which, in retrospect, was a mistake as it misses the highpoint of the Panoramaweg and the best views down onto Lake Wangs. In the future, I will take the route to the left. Still, very lovely views of the Churfirsten mountains and the valley below.
When we reached Lake Wangs, I hiked up the other side of the Panoramaweg trail to get a photo of the lake from above while my husband waited down by the shore. This lake is also the first lake of the 5-Seen-Wanderung. When we hiked that trail, we skipped this lake as it takes a short there-and-back detour to see it, so I’m glad I got to see it on this trail.
From Lake Wangs, we followed the signs pointing towards Vilterser Seeli. As we began to zigzag down the mountainside, we had fantastic views of the Churfirsten mountains and the Rhine Valley.
With the second lake of the hike, the Vilters, in view, we paused to pose at the perfect photo spot to capture both the mountains and the lake.
As we hiked down, we had fantastic views of Lake Vilters, punctuated by gorgeous alpine flowers!
As we approached the lake, it reflected so much greenery, we could barely see it. We stopped at the far end of the lake for our picnic lunch.
After leaving the lake, we followed the signs towards Pardiel and the trail continued the zigzag down. We passed a large herd of cows and the bells were ringing!
When we came across this swing chair, we couldn’t resist stopping to relax for a while and to enjoy the spectacular view of the Rhine valley.
After leaving the swing, we had another half-hour or so of hiking before we reached the Pardiel station and the end of the hike.
We timed it well and made it down just in time to catch the hourly bus back to Bad Ragaz trainstation. I really enjoyed this hike and recommend it. There are some steep sections, so poles would be nice for balance but we didn’t find them necessary. And if you really want to make this hike a workout, you can always do it in the opposite direction and hike up!
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