Hiking at Horgenberg – Horgenberg, Nordecke to Hirzel Loop
For our last hike of 2022, we decided to do something close by and headed up to the Horgenberg for an easy loop around the fields to Hirzel and then back along the ridge past Hirzel Höhi. This isn’t an “official” hiking route, but I decided to write a post about it anyway just to remind myself of the fabulous views we have so close to home.
Detail Summary| Where: | Horgner Bergweiher – Traumhafte Aussicht Loop from Feld Horgenberg, Nordecke to Hirzel Canton Zürich, Switzerland |
| Train/Bus: | Zürich HB -> Horgenberg, Nordecke – 50 min This is where we started the hike, but there is minimal service to this stop and you need to walk a bit to get to the loop. or Zürich HB -> Horgenberg, Moorschwand – 35 min The loop begins and ends at this bus stop. If you are coming from Zürich HB, and taking public transport, I recommend using this stop. |
| Car: | Parking is available near both bus stops: Horgenberg, Nordecke (Intersection of Forststrasse and Zürcherstrasse, Horgen) and Horgenberg, Moorschwand (Moorschwandstrasse 114, Horgen). |
| What: | Horgner Bergweiher – Traumhafte Aussicht Loop from Feld There isn’t specific signage for this loop. It is best to just follow along the map found on Komoot linked above. Basically from the Horgenberg, Nordecke bus stop, head in the direction of Hirzel going past the Moorschwand bus stop and the Bergweiher (pond). After the pond, continue towards Hirzel following the road and path to the right of the moorland/swamp. After reaching Hirzel, head up thorough the edge of town towards the Hirzel Höhi and the top of the ridge. Follow the ridge until you can look straight back towards the Moorschwand bus stop and parking lot. From there, simply head down hill along the road to the bus stop where you finish the loop. The view is open for most of the way, so there isn’t much chance of getting lost. Don’t stress out if you don’t follow the loop exactly. |
| Skill: | Easy – About 3.5 hrs Length 14 km, approx. Ascent 200 m, Descent 200 m |
| Cost | Free |
| Horgen Bergweiher Walk – A Swiss Family Fun post about a shorter loop that just goes around the pond. I’m including it here because it contains useful information about parking and other services in the area. |
Getting There
We drove and parked near the Horgenberg, Nordecke bus stop.
From there it is a straight walk along the edge of the field to the Horgenberg, Moorschwand parking lot and bus stop where the loop begins.
The Trail
Heading straight past the Moorschwand parking lot, the path dips into the forest for a bit. In about a kilometer you come to the Horgen Bergweiher (pond). This pretty pond has plenty of picnic spots along the shore. I’ve heard you can swim here in the summer, but this was the end of December and I didn’t see any information about swimming posted.
After passing the pond, we continued following the trail towards Hirzel. We stepped off the path briefly to follow a sign to the viewpoint in picture one below. It was only 20m or so out of the way so worth the diversion. On the way to Hirzel, we passed some swampy moorland to our left (picture two below.) After reaching Hirzel, we skirted the edge of town as we made our way up the ridge. Lovely view over the town on the way.
After passing the church in the first picture below, we continued following the path towards Hirzel Höhi. As we crested the ridge, we got a fantastic view of Mt. Rigi and Mt. Pilatus. The sun was beginning to set casting a lovely orange glow behind the peaks.
Just really lovely views as we made our return trip along the ridge.
As we followed the path back towards our starting point, we also got some fantastic views of Zürich.
With the Moorschwand bus stop and parking lot in sight (picture four above), we knew we were just about at the end of our hike. After retracing our steps to the Nordecke bus stop parking lot, we were done for the day. I really enjoyed this loop. I feel really lucky to have hikes with such amazing views practically in my backyard.
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