This trail starts at the top of the Schneehüenerstock cable car (valley station at Oberalppass) and goes to the Nätschen train station and is approximately 9 km long with 125 m ascent 875 m descent. This gorgeous high-elevation hike (the Schneehüenerstock is at 2600 m) near Andermatt is fairly easy (and can be easier, see variations below), and relatively affordable. The only disappointment was the restaurant at the Schneehüenerstock – better to pack a lunch and picnic along the way.
Detail Summary
| Where: | Schneehüenerstock to Nätschen Cantons Graubünden and Uri, Switzerland |
| Train: | Zürich HB -> Oberalppass – 2 hr 49 mins, then cable car to Schneehüenerstock Nätschen – > Zurich HB – 2 hr 51 min |
| What: | Hiking from Schneehüenerstock to Nätschen Red and White trail markers Schneehüenerstock – Nätschen/Lutersee – Nätschen |
| Skill: | Easy – About 3 hr Length 9 km, Ascent 125 m, Descent 800 m (approximately) |
| Cost 2025: | Full-price ticket for the cable car one-way from Oberalppass to Schneehüenerstock: Adult: 22 CHF Child (under 16): 11 CHF Child (under 5) free with adult Discount for SBB Half-fare and GA, Swiss Pass, and Junior cards. |
Additional Info
| Trail Map (SwissMobility) Andermatt Tourism Website Andermatt Webcams, Weather, and Snow Report Schneehüenerstock is sometimes spelled Schneehüenderstock (including on the map). |
Getting There
This is a point-to-point hike, so best done with public transportation. This trail start starts at the top of the Schneehüenerstock cable car. After arriving at the valley station at Oberalppass, we got our ticket for the cable car and rode up to the top. The Schneehüenerstock is at 2600 m and quite a bit cooler than in the valley – always fun to see snow in July.
There is a restaurant at the top and we stopped for lunch before heading out on the hike. While the views are fantastic, the food is not. I recommend packing your lunch and having a picnic along the way instead. The shore of the Lutersee lake would be a nice spot.
The Trail
After lunch, we set out on the trail. From the gondola station, there is one trail down and it initially faces the direction of Disentis before it turns around and goes under the cable cars. If you look up, you can see the military installations embedded in the mountain.
Just before going under the cable car, there were two signs pointing to Lutersee lake, our next stop. We took the one that also pointed towards Nätschen, our final destination. The views on this section of the Lutersee lake were amazing!
When we reached the lake, we decided to take the detour to the shore. We then followed the path along the shore and up to the highpoint my husband is standing on in the last picture below. Here the trail ends and it is recommended that you retrace your steps past the lake and return to the main trail. We didn’t do that. Instead, we scrambled over the boulder field and reconnected with the trail on the other side. I think not going as far around the lake and then retracing our steps would have been better.
After rejoining the trail, it was a fairly flat hike to the top of the Gütsch cable car station. Along the way, it was worth taking time to look back (see the first and last pictures below).
After we reached the Gütsch cable car station, we decided not to hike immediately down to Nätschen, but instead walked a short way towards the windmills to see what we could see. (We had hiked a short loop trail here a few years ago and I remembered it being rather nice. See variations below.)
After snapping the picture above, we turned around and returned to the path down to Nätschen. The hike down wasn’t overly steep, but it was still a bit tough on the knees. Great views, though!
Oh, and when we hiked past the cows in the last picture above, we made sure to give the mama and her baby space.
Then a selfie, and one final picture before we got to the train station.
Getting Back
The Nätschen station is “stop on request,” so be sure to press the button at the station to request that the train stops. It will say in English if the request has been accepted. If you don’t want to wait for the train, the gondola station is right next to the train station. It costs extra, but it will take you immediately back to the Andermatt train station.
We really enjoyed this hike, and I definitely recommend it. The views were fantastic and it can be customized to different abilities. Plus, with the GA card/Swiss Pass it is very affordable.
Variations and Suggestions
With the SBB GA card/Half Fare/Swiss Pass this hike is relatively affordable (only 11 CHF) for the gondola up. It is also fairly easy making it a good choice for guests who aren’t that used to hiking. Some variations to consider to make it a bit easier if you need to:
(1) At the lake, don’t follow the path along the shore and up to the highpoint as we did. Just go down to the shore, have your picnic, take some photos and then return to the main trail.
(2) When you reach the top of the Gütsch gondola, add the small loop around the Ober Gütsch lake (SwissMobility) where the windmills and military station are. We did this loop in October of 2022 when it was much colder and but still very beautiful. This only add about 1.5 km and would be really nice addition, especially if you aren’t hiking down (see the next suggestion). Some photos from that hike are below, including the first one which is a look back towards the Schneehüenerstock and Oberalppass.
(3) Take the Gütsch gondola down to Nätschen (14 CHF) or all the way down to Andermatt (38 CHF) instead of walking down. Discounts with SBB GA card/Half Fare/Swiss Pass cards.
(4) Andermatt is a good base for hiking in Switzerland. We’ve done several hikes in this area that we have really enjoyed. See Stage 22, Stage 23 , and Stage 24 of the Trans Swiss Trail and the Gotthard 5-Seen-Wanderung (5 Lakes) trail.
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