Stage 15 of the Alpine Panorama Trail (Route 3) is a 16 km hike with 640 m ascent and 840 m descent that goes from Lüderenalp to Moosegg. We did this hike over two days because both endpoints, Lüderenalp and the Moosegg Hotel, have very limited bus service. Looking at the schedule, even if we got the first bus of the day to Lüderenalp we would have had to really book it to catch the last bus of the day from the Moosegg hotel. Fortunately, at about the 12 k mark, there is the Emmenmatt train station with trains every half hour to Bern.
In early June, we hiked the first part of this stage from Lüderenalp to Emmenmatt. This section was lovely but, unfortunately we hiked on a very hazy day and we could just barely make out the outlines of the mountains. (Reading the news, it seems the haze was actually smoke from forest fires in Canada.) I imagine on clear day it would be much nicer. However, one exciting thing for me about this section was that we crossed over Trail 2 – The Trans Swiss Trail – a real milestone for us.
Then in mid-July, we returned to Emmenmatt and hiked the final 4 k up to the Moosegg hotel where we stopped for a long lazy luxurious lunch before going home.
Detail Summary
| Where: | Lüderenalp to Moosegg Canton Bern, Switzerland |
| Train/Bus: | Zürich HB -> Lüderenalp 2 hr 31 min Check bus service carefully as it is very limited and does not run all year or every day. Emmenmatt -> Zürich HB Located at about the 12 k mark of the trail, this station offers regular daily train service making it a good stopping point if you are doing this stage as a day hike. Moosegg Hotel -> Zürich HB Check bus service carefully as it is very limited and does not run all year or every day. |
| What: | Alpine Panorama Trail – Stage 15 Lüderenalp to Moosegg (SwitzerlandMobility) Yellow trail markers – Alpine Panorama Trail Route 3 |
| Skill: | Easy – About 4 hrs 45 min Length 16 km, Ascent 640 m, Descent 840 m Note: If you are doing this as a day hike I recommend stopping at Emmenmatt, at about the 12 k mark. |
Additional Info
| Alpine Panorama Trail – Stage 15 Lüderenalp to Moosegg (SwitzerlandMobility) Bärensicht hotel and restaurant (located at Lüderenalp – we had lunch there at the end of stage 14 and it was really nice.) Moosegg Hotel Hike through options If you have stayed at the Bärensicht hotel at Lüderenalp, be sure to get an early start so that you can catch the last bus from Moosegg at 14:50 (be sure to double check the schedule to verify the time.) If you plan to hike through to stage 16, then I would suggest staying at the Moosegg Hotel located at the endpoint of this stage. The restaurant there, while pricey, has excellent food. It also has a wellness area, and it looks like a very relaxing place to stay. Day hike option with public transport If you are doing this as a day hike I recommend taking the bus to Lüderenalp and then stopping for the day at the Emmenmatt train station, at about the 12 k mark. Trains leave every half hour to Bern. |
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 Stage 15 – Lüderenalp to Moosegg Stage 16 – Moosegg to Münsingen Stage 17 – Münsingen to Rüeggisberg Stage 18 – Rüeggisberg to Guggisberg |
Getting There
The Alpine Panorama Trail is best done with public transportation as each stage starts and ends at different points. This is stage start at the Lüderenalp bus stop. The road up to the Lüderenalp is single lane and busses have right of way. On our way up, a car coming down had to back up the mountain for us to get past. Backing up that road looked terrifying and I never want to do that, so I vastly prefer to take public transit.
After we arrived at the bus stop, I snapped some photos and we were on our way.
The Trail – Lüderenalp to Emmenmatt
The trail from Lüderenalp to Emmenmatt follows along the top of the ridgeline as it winds its way down. If it weren’t so hazy the view would have been spectacular. Surprisingly, the haze was apparently smoke from forest fires in Canada.
One of the nice things about this path, was that it had quite a few benches and picnic tables along the way. We were spoiled for choice when it came to picking our lunch spot. As you can see from the view from our table in picture two below, we didn’t choose badly!
After lunch, it was a sort of gentle up and down hike that dipped through the forest and went past pastures with cows, always with mountains in the background.
As we approached Emmenmatt, we passed a farm with some very precisely, yet creatively stacked fire wood.
Just before Emmenmatt, we reached the spot where Trail 3 – The Alpine Panorama Route meets Trail 2 – The Trans Swiss Trail – a real milestone for us.
I made sure we got a photo.
Getting Back
After crossing the river, it was a short walk to the train station.
It took until mid-July to return to the trail and when we did only hiked the 4 km up to the Moosegg hotel. (I had considered continuing on with part of stage 17, but we didn’t end up doing that.)
The Trail – Emmenmatt to Moosegg
After getting back to the Emmenmatt train station, we rejoined the trail and started the hike up to Moosegg.
From the train station, it is a fairly steady climb up to the Moosegg. Not particularly steep, but sweaty on a very humid day. It was nice to get a break from the heat while shaded in the forest. I loved the moss and ferns here.
As you can see above, we got some nice views at about our half-way point for the day.
And there were some nice views as we continued to the Moosegg. When we reached the hotel, we were very ready for lunch.
The view from the restaurant was just lovely! As the bus didn’t come for a few hours, we decided to have a very leisurely lunch, which was a really great idea. The food was fantastic! An arancini to start, then a cold gazpacho with goat cheese, a perfect steak, and a dessert so delicious looking we started eating it before I could take a picture (that’s why the picture is so messy). And a coffee to end the meal. Heavenly!
But our lunch , as wonderful as it was, ended up being a bit too leisurely and we had to rush to pay the check in order to catch the last bus of the day.
Fortunately the bus stop is just outside the hotel and we got to the bus on time. Then, just as we were getting on the bus a downpour hit! I’m glad we got the bus and didn’t have to hike to a train station (the shortest route would be back to Emmenmatt.)
As there are only two busses per day to the Moosegg hotel, we’ll need to get an early start to get the morning bus when we continue with stage 16. I’m looking forward to it, but it might take us a while to get back to this trail as I am hoping to do some of the high-elevation trails that are only open in July/August/September next. I’ll keep posting whatever I do!
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