Stage 16 of the Alpine Panorama Trail (Route 3) is a 19 km hike with 440 m ascent and 860 m descent that goes from the Moosegg hotel to Münsingen. This is a lovely section of trail that is, I think, prettier than my photos turned out. And while I definitely enjoyed the wide open panoramas, this hike also had some charming smaller pleasures, including interesting mushrooms growing along the trail, and a pretty display of braided onions at a farmhouse.
Detail Summary
| Where: | Moosegg to Münsingen Canton Bern, Switzerland |
| Train/Bus: | Zürich HB -> Moosegg 2 hr 30 min Note: Busses to the Moosegg hotel only run on the weekend and there are only two busses per day, a morning and an afternoon bus. Check the schedule carefully before heading out. Münsingen -> Zürich HB 1 hr 30 min |
| What: | Alpine Panorama Trail – Stage 16 Moosegg to Münsingen (SwitzerlandMobility) Yellow trail markers – Alpine Panorama Trail Route 3 |
| Skill: | Medium – About 5 hrs Length 19 km, Ascent 440 m, Descent 860 m |
Additional Info
| Alpine Panorama Trail – Stage 16 Moosegg to Münsingen (SwitzerlandMobility) Moosegg Hotel Gasthof Waldhäusern (german) |
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 stage starts at the Moosegg Hotel bus stop. Busses to the Moosegg hotel only run on the weekend and there are only two busses per day, a morning and an afternoon bus. Check the schedule carefully before heading out.
We made sure to get the morning bus to give us enough time to hike. And right after we arrived at the bus stop, we were on our way.
The Trail
The Moosegg hotel is located on a spur off of the main trail. So, after hiking that little bit, we soon joined the main trail and were on to new territory. The first thing we passed, was the Gasthof Waldhäusern (german). We didn’t eat there but it looked nice. The trail then went into the forest.
The hike through the forest was really pleasant. There were a lot of red mushrooms that look like Smurf houses growing along the trail. Probably Amanita muscaria, but don’t take my word for it – I’m not a mushroom expert. I just think they are pretty. Also pretty was the view from the Blaseflue viewpoint.
As the hike continued, we left the forest and passed through a lot of farm land, including one farm with white Galloway cattle. Look at how fuzzy they are! Another farm was decked out for autumn with flowers, pumpkins, and onion braids. This section also had fantastic wide open panorama views.
I really love it when the Alpine Panorama trail lives up to its name. After about 2 hours of hiking, we came to a picnic area where we stopped for our lunch and enjoyed the views.
Another little surprise along the trail was an extensive model train village. It appeared to be part of a private residence but it was rather impressive. I also always love seeing the traditional Swiss buildings with the flower boxes in full bloom.
At about the half-way point, we passed through the town of Grosshöchstetten. There is a train station here so if you wanted to break this hike into two shorter hikes, this town would be a good stopping point. We were up for a longer hike, so we kept going.
After Grosshöchstetten, it was more forest, more fields, and more panorama views.
Although the views along the way were terrific, the picnic area in picture two was really well situated and had particularly fantastic views all around. We stopped for a bit and rested there.
After a our rest we were on our way again, and, yes, there were also really nice views as we made our way down into the valley.
In the valley, there were more farms, forest, and views of the alps.
All in all, a very lovely hike!
Getting Back
And then we ended the hike with a rush through Münsingen to catch our train.
Münsingen looked like it had some cute restaurants and a good cheese store. If we have time, we might walk around Münsingen a bit before we head out on the next section. The days are getting shorter, so it may not be easy to find the time.
Leave a Reply