Hiking to the Legler Mountain Hut from Mettmen
The hike up to the Legler Mountain hut (german) is 5.5 km long with 677 m of ascent that starts at the top of the Kies gondola, takes you over the Kärpfbrugg, a 50 m wide natural stone bridge, and then up to the hut. Although there are other routes you can take, this is the shortest and easiest route, and an absolutely wonderful hike. A friend and I recently did this as a there and back day hike (total of 11 km) with lunch at the hut, and enjoyed our day very much.
Detail Summary| Where: | Legler Mountain hut (German) Canton Glarus, Switzerland |
| Train/Bus: | Zürich HB -> Kies, Talstation – 2 hrs |
| Car: | Park at the Schwanden, Däniberg Park and Ride Lot, then take bus to the Kies, Talstation. |
| What: | Legler Mountain hut (German) Trail Map Follow signs past the hotel towards “Stausee Garichti”. When you reach the reservoir, go left along the shore in the direction of “Chärpfbrugg/ Leglerhütte SAC”. This is a yellow trail until you reach the Chärpfbrugg, then a red and white mountain trail the rest of the way to Leglerhütte. Here is the route we followed: Mettmen -> Stausee Garichti -> Chärpfbrugg/ Leglerhütte SAC -> Leglerhütte SAC -> Chärpfbrugg -> Mettmen Note: There are several trails that branch off and loop back to Mettmen, some more difficult than others. The trail past the Chärpfbrugg is the shortest and easiest. |
| Skill: | Challenging – About 5 hrs Length 11 km, Ascent 677 m, Descent 677 m |
| Cost 2024 | Luftseilbahn Kies-Mettmen (German) Gondola Roundtrip ticket Adult: 22 CHF Child (6 -16): 11 CHF No discounts for SBB GA/Halbtax |
| Trail Map Legler Mountain hut (German) Luftseilbahn Kies-Mettmen (German) Elm Ferien Region Mettmen-Alp Berghotel Mettmen Legler Mountain Hut Loop – Swiss Family Fun – This is the original loop we planned to do. But as we planned to di it in reverse direction, it would have ended our hike on some steep switchbacks and past some steep slopes when we were tired. Not wanting to overextend ourselves, we decided to simply return the way we came. I do plan to go back sometime and do this loop as it does look more interesting. |
Getting There
The hike starts at the top of the Kies-Mettmen gondola. The valley station of the Kies-Mettmen gondola cannot be reached by car. We took public transportation the whole way there. If you choose to drive, you will need to park at the Park & Ride lot at the Schwanden (Däniberg) bus stop and take the bus from there to the gondola. (Photos from a previous hike.)
After taking the bus up to the gondola, we purchased tickets (22 CHF each roundtrip) and took the gondola up to the start of the hike. If you want the extra challenge, have time, and want to save some money, you can hike up from the bus stop. Personally, I think the gondola price was worth it. Plus, this time, the gondola operator was also an alp horn player and he played some songs while we waited. Very cool.
The Trail
Their first part of this trail is the same as the Kärpfbrugg Rundweg. After arriving at the top of the gondola station, we walked past the Berghotel Mettmen, then followed the signs towards “Stausee Garichti.” When we reached the reservoir, we went left along the shore in the direction of “Chärpfbrugg” and Leglerhütte SAC. After passing the lake, the trail begins to climb. The trail here is wide and not overly steep and fairly easy walking. Since I already blogged the Kärpfbrugg Rundweg trail, I didn’t take very many photos on the way to the Kärpfbrugg, a 50 m wide natural stone bridge, but I did take a few.
When we reached the Kärpfbrugg, we took some time to explore. It is possible (at your own risk) when water levels are low to walk under the bridge. We took a peek inside, and this time we decided to risk it and went under the bridge.
After going under the bridge and then back over to take the picture above, we continued on our way to the Leglerhütte. For this part of the hike, there are several branches in the trail, and at each branch we just kept following the signs towards Leglerhütte.
As we neared the top, the trail got quite a bit steeper and we hiked quite a bit slower. Several people coming down told us, just a half hour more, and that it was totally worth it. And after about 40 minutes, we got our first peak over the ridge.
The next part of the hike was a rocky scramble with some snow patches here and there. We needed to watch our footing but it wasn’t too bad. We were already getting amazing views and it was a really great feeling when we finally caught sight of the hut.
When we arrived at the hut, we took a seat at a shaded picnic table and went to the counter to order our lunch (cash only). My friend was absolutely delighted that they had gluten-free crackers for the cheese plate. I got a fantastic quiche made with a potato crust.
After lunch, we spent some time just admiring the views. They were absolutely stunning! It all seemed too beautiful to be real. You can stay overnight at the Legler Mountain hut (German) but I have heard it books out quickly. I will have to try to book a place sometime, though. (On the way back we saw lots of families with small children hiking up, each child carrying a teddy bear with them for the night.)
It was time to head back and my original plan was to take a different route back to Mettmen. Just as we were discussing whether to take the easier route we came up on or to take the slightly more difficult route back with a steep descent at the end, a Rega mountain rescue helicopter flew over. We decided that was just the sign we needed to not risk overextending ourselves and so we decided on the easier route back. Perhaps another time. I did take some additional pictures on the way down.
After we got back to the Garichti-See resevoir, it was just a short walk down to the hotel and the gondola. As we had time before the last bus, we decided to stop at the Berghotel Mettmen restaurant for some well deserved Aperol spritzes.
This was a great hike and I recommend it.
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