Hiking the Trans Swiss Trail – Stage 12 Lützelflüh to Langnau i.E.

Stage 12 of the Trans Swiss trail goes from Lützelflüh to Langnau i.E. and is a relatively easy stage at 13 km and only 150 m ascent and 60 m. Following alongside the river Emme, a surprising thing about this trail was the strange mix of nature and industry it had. The river had many little man-made waterfalls, like the one above, including one that was part of a small power generation facility. We also passed a huge lumber mill, many greenhouses with large gardens for potted plants – mums mostly as it is autumn, and a big recycling center. So while it wasn’t a particularly scenic stage, it certainly showed us another side of Switzerland.

Detail Summary
Where: Lützelflüh to Langnau i.E.
Canton Bern, Switzerland
Train/Bus: Zürich HB -> Lützelflüh-Goldbach – 1 hr 59 min

Langnau i.E. -> Zürich HB – 1 hr 44 min
What: Trans Swiss Trail – Stage 12 Lützelflüh to Langnau i.E.
Yellow trail markers – Trans Swiss Trail Route 2
Skill: Easy – About 3 hrs 15 min
Length 13 km, Ascent 160 m, Descent 60 m

Additional Information

Photo Stories for All Stages
Stage 1 – Porrentruy to St-Ursanne
Stage 2 – St-Ursanne to Soubey
Stage 3 – Soubey to Saignelégier
Stage 4 – Saignelégier to St-Imier
Stage 5 – St-Imier to Chézard-St-Martin
Stage 6 – Chézard-St-Martin to Neuchâtel
Stage 7 – Neuchâtel to Murten
Stage 8 – Murten to Laupen
Stage 9 – Laupen to Bern
Stage 10 – Bern to Worb
Stage 11 – Worb to Lützelflüh
Stage 12 – Lützelflüh to Langnau i.E.
Stage 13 – Langnau i.E. to Eggiwil
Stage 14 – Eggiwil to Schangnau
Stage 15 – Schangnau to Sörenberg
Stage 16 – Sörenberg to Giswil
Stage 17 – Giswil to Flüeli-Ranft
Stage18 – Flüeli-Ranft to Stans
Stage 19 – Stans to Seelisberg
Stage 20 – Seelisberg to Erstfeld
Stage 21 – Erstfeld to Wassen
Stage 22 – Wassen to Andermatt
Stage 23 – Andermatt to Passo del San Gottardo
Stage 24 – Passo del San Gottardo to Airolo
Stage 25 – Airolo to Osco
Stage 26 – Osco to Anzonico
Stage 27 – Anzonico to Biasca
Stage 28 – Biasca to Bellinzona
Stage 29 – Bellinzona to Tesserete
Stage 30 – Tesserete to Lugano (Comano)
Stage 31 – Lugano (Paradiso) to Morcote
Stage 32 – Morcote to Mendriso

Getting There

The Trans Swiss Trail is best done with public transportation as each stage starts and ends at different points. Stage 12 picks right up where stage 11 left off – the Lützelflüh-Goldbach train station.

When we arrived in Lützelflüh, we first stopped at the grocery store in town to pick up some picnic supplies and then we were on our way.

The Trail

After a short walk through town, we crossed a bridge over the Emme river and the trail looped down along the riverside where it stays for pretty much the entire way. While we couldn’t always see the river, we could almost always hear it. When it was particularly loud, we decided to scramble down the river bank to get a good look at the man-made waterfall in the last picture below.

The sound of falling water was nice, and there were a lot of large rocks to sit on, so we decided to make that our picnic spot for the day. After lunch, we scrambled back up to the trail and continued on our way, passing the dam and power generation facility in the first picture below, and the pretty river views in the other two pictures.

After passing the town of Zollbrück, the trail goes by an enormous lumber mill. When we passed the lumber stacks in the second picture, it had a slightly unreal feel to it. I remarked that it looked a bit like Minecraft come to life.

After the lumber mill, the trail continued along the river through forests and fields. After commenting that the lumber mill looked like Minecraft earlier, it was a funny coincidence that we came across a pickaxe in the trail (fourth picture below) later.

Shortly before we got to Langnau i.E. we passed several large greenhouses. I included a picture of the fields of potted plants we saw there, because I think they really exemplify the mix of nature and industry this trail had.

Getting Back

Just before the bridge in the first picture below, the trail turns away from the river and heads into town. A short walk later, we were at the train station and ready to head home.

This was a pleasant enough stage, but just before this hike, I got a new phone (iPhone 13) and I was really hoping for a more scenic trail than this one to try out the camera. Maybe stage 13? I guess we’ll see when I get there!

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