Hiking the Alpine Panorama Trail – Stage 13 Wolhusen to Napf

Stage 13 of the Alpine Panorama Trail (Route 3) is a 17 km long trail with 1100 m ascent and 280m descent that goes from Wolhusen to the hotel on the Napf summit. We did this stage and the next stage (Napf to Lüderenalp, 12 km, 560 m ascent and 820 m descent) as a two-day hike with an overnight in between at The Berghotel Napf (german) on the Napf summit.

We did these two stages together, because, and this is really important to know, there are no transport options (public or private) from the Napf summit, the endpoint of this stage. There is, however, a very lovely hotel, The Berghotel Napf (german). In this post I cover day one of this hike – stage 13 and my experience with the hotel. And, in my next post I cover day two, stage 14 and getting back.

Despite the extra planning required to book the hotel, I really enjoyed this stage. It was a fantastic hike with stunning panorama views and The Berghotel Napf (german) was quite nice. The room we had was clean and comfortable. And the self-service restaurant had excellent älplermagronen (Swiss-style mac and cheese with bacon).

Detail Summary

Where:	Wolhusen to Napf Cantons Bern and Luzern, Switzerland
Train/Bus:	Zürich HB -> Wolhusen – 1 hr 4 min There are no transport options (public or private) from the Napf summit, the endpoint of this stage. Recommendation is to stay at the Berghotel Napf located on the Napf summit and continue with stage 14 ending in Lüderenalp the next day and get the bus from there. Check bus service carefully as it is rather limited.
What:	Alpine Panorama Trail – Stage 13 Wolhusen to Napf (SwitzerlandMobility) Yellow trail markers – Alpine Panorama Trail Route 3
Skill:	Hard – About 5 hrs 20 min Length 17 km, Ascent 1100 m, Descent 280 m

Additional Info

Alpine Panorama Trail – Stage 13 Wolhusen to Napf (SwitzerlandMobility)
The Berghotel Napf (german).
Napf Summit Webcam

Day hike options to the Napf Summit?
There are many trails (german) that lead to the Napf Summit, but if you plan to use public transportation at the start and end, be aware that service is very limited. Please check schedules very carefully before heading out. I tried to find a good way to do this as a day hike, but nothing seemed to work. In the end, we had a great time staying at the hotel and so I recommend just doing that.

Photo Stories for Other Stages

Stage 1 – Rorschach to Trogen
Stage 2 – Trogen to Appenzell
Stage 3 – Appenzell to Schwägalp
Stage 4 – Schwägalp to Stein, SG
Stage 5 – Stein, SG to Amden
Stage 6 – Amden to Siebnen
Stage 7 – Siebnen to Einsiedeln
Stage 8 – Einsiedeln to Unterägeri
Stage 9 – Unterägeri to Zug
Stage 10 – Zug to Luzern
Stage 11 – Luzern to Malters
Stage 12 – Malters to Wolhusen
Stage 13 – Wolhusen to Napf
Stage 14 – Napf to Lüderenalp

Getting There

The Alpine Panorama Trail is best done with public transportation as each stage starts and ends at different points. This stage starts at the Wolhusen train station.

After a short walk through the town of Wolhusen, we were on our way.

The Trail

Shortly before leaving town, we passed the historical marker in picture one that said this was the birthplace of the Stöckli ski company. The trail then left town and we began the long climb up. And, rather quickly, we were getting the alpine panorama views. The warm dry weather was perfect for getting hay in and we saw a lot of cut fields drying and farmers at work as we hiked.

After about an hour into the hike, we stopped for our picnic lunch. Although the view was better from the bench in the sun just off the trail, we opted for a picnic table in the shade among the trees.

After getting back on the trail, we said hello to some cows before heading up to a local highpoint for some lovely 360 degree views.

Later, we passed a couple of self-service farm stores. The first, surprisingly, had baby-booties for sale. While the second had ice-cream which was more our style.

As we continued, the trail followed a ridge and we got panoramic views of both the Alps and the Mittelland. Both beautiful in their own ways.

After almost 5 hours of hiking and a few exhausting steep climbs, we were approaching our destination for the night, the Napf summit and the Napfberg hotel and restaurant.

We rested for a bit and took in the views before checking in and having dinner.

What an amazing location for a hotel right?

Overnight at the Napfberg Hotel

We had reserved sleeping space in the Touristenlager (large shared room with military style bunks) but were pleasantly surprised that we were upgraded to a private room with sink. The room was comfortable and very clean and we were happy to have our own space. Dinner from the self-service restaurant was a fantastic älplermagronen (Swiss-style mac and cheese with bacon), one of the best we’ve had anywhere.