Rigi Hiking Trails
Rigi Kräbel to Rigi Scheidegg

The path from Rigi Kräbel to Rigi Scheidegg is one of many beautiful Rigi hiking trails. One of 120 kilometers of hiking trails which includes easy-peasy strolls, moderate hikes and adrenaline-filled climbs. In conclusion, Mount Rigi, Queen of the Mountains, has a lot to offer!

Mount Rigi | Queen of the mountains

Before we head off on another hiking adventure, let us have a quick look at the “Queen of the mountains”.

Firstly, the mountain massif of Mount Rigi is located in Central Switzerland. More precisely, it is split between the cantons of Schwyz and Lucerne.

Secondly, Rigi offers views galore, from almost every angle! How come? The mountain massif is almost completely surrounded by water, namely Lake Lucerne, Lake Zug and Lake Lauerz.

Thirdly, you can climb up to six different peaks! The highest, Rigi Kulm, lies at 1,797 meters above sea level.

Subsequently, there is A LOT to discover and every hike is rewarded with a phenomenal view of Central Switzerland´s panorama. It did not really require much more to convince us!

Here we go again | On memory lane

As a matter of fact, we have been here already, at Rigi Kräbel cable car station.

We have been here with the same tingling anticipation of a fantastic hike. However, last year, Rigi brought us right back down to earth….

The last time we opted for gold, by choosing to hike up to Rigi’s highest peak, Rigi Kulm.

As mentioned earlier the Rigi hiking trails vary from easy to difficult. To us, one year ago, the trek was without a doubt on the difficult side. A 3 hours and 30 minutes hike with 1000 meters of elevation challenged us tremendously.

To give you an idea, I have added some amusing memories of that walk, beautiful (the view) and painful (the ascent) at the same time.

Krisztian still to this very day says that he almost passed out during the last meters before the peak. Hahahaha, good God, he actually did!

A year older and a year fitter!

This time it was going to be different. We are one year older, one year fitter and one year more mountain-experienced. We could do this and even more important, we could actually enjoy it!

Hence, we arrived at a similar sign, after a familiar, but this time round, not-so-challenging ascent, with a different mindset.

It must be said again, that our regular tours truly made a difference to our fitness condition. Ascents, that a year earlier seemed almost unbearably steep, are still steep today, but “unbearable” has turned into “enjoyable”.

Yes, it sounds funny. As a matter of fact, we never thought that we would ever enjoy a long, strenuous and sweaty ascent. I suppose it is the newly gained strength and fitness that one enjoys after all. Hear, hear, this was a goof time now for a pat on the back…ha!

If only, we could take this up another notch to the point where we would lose a couple of pounds. Anyway, we will tackle this topic another day…

Rigi Dächli | Hikers among themselves

Back on Mount Rigi, we arrived at our first stop. Rigi Dächli.

The restaurant was closed, but a self-service fridge offered cool refreshments, bliss! I simply love this based-on-trust attitude of so many restaurants and other vendors in Switzerland. Flowers, fresh produce, vegetables, drinks, eggs, dairy products and chimney wood, you can get plenty of stuff this way.

Another two hikers had already enjoyed a lemonade and a beer on the restaurant´s terrace. We stopped for a chat, exchanging our mountaineering experiences and recommendations.

I must admit, I was glad, that we could already contribute to this conversation with confidence from our previous experiences. After a year, we were one step further away from being classified as tourists.

A great hike for a warm day

After the short break and motivating chat, we continued our hike upwards through the forest.

This particular hike is especially suitable in warm temperatures, as you will be moving a lot in the light woods. In addition, the mumbling sounds of the refreshing Aabach river accompany your trail for quite a while.

Rigi hiking trails & Rigi´s railways

Soon we arrived at our next stop, Rigi Fruttli train station. Not only does the Queen of the Mountains provide us with a great variety of Rigi hiking trails, but also with a vast selection of impressive railways and cable cars.

And, did I mention already that Mount Rigi is served by Europe´s oldest mountain railway? If not, let me give you a few astonishing facts:

• The Vitznau – Rigi Kulm cogwheel railway opened in 1871, making it Europe´s first mountain railway.
• In 1874 the train already transported over 100,000 passengers
• Altogether, two mountain trains, as well as seven aerial cable cars serve the popular mountain
• Nowadays, all means of transport carry up to 650,000 guests. Out of these, around 550,000 are Swiss Nationals. Mount Rigi is therefore one of the most popular destination for local tourists

We sat down at the train station and took a moment to rest. In retrospect I am glad we did, as the following ascent was rather steep. Furthermore, we got a little bit lost, which led to another couple of unnecessary meters in the burning sun. 

Therefore, pay attention at Fruttli train station! The path continues right opposite to the building and leads you via a patch of lawn right into the forest.

A steep way up

The path through the forest was steep and a little tiring, but at least it was in the shadow.

As soon as we emerged from the delightful shades of the trees, we found ourselves well exposed to the sun.

Alright, we were exposed to the boiling sun, but at the same time, got to enjoy the idyllic mountain pastures. Look at that! Everything comes at a price, doesn´t it?

The path continued steadily up and I must admit, this time Krisztian was in much better shape than me. I took every opportunity (cows, alpine hut, any other views) to take a break and a picture (as a pretext).

The reward? Magnificent views!

Ah well, thanks God, we do this for fun and enjoyment, rather than competition. Eventually we made it and were rewarded with magnificent views of the central alpine panorama. Bliss!

At Rigi Scheidegg a bench is more than just a bench

After enjoying a well-deserved large bottle of sparkling water at Berggasthaus Rigi Scheidegg, we spotted an unusual sight.

An extraordinarily large bench invited us to take out our sandwiches and indulge in our well-deserved late lunch. Bon Appetit!

The art of holding on to a happy moment

To us, those are very precious moments of happiness.

The feeling of exhaustion combined with triumph is simply wonderful. In addition, hungrily wolfing down homemade sandwiches, add to the overall feeling of content and joy.

I personally think it is important to be aware of these special moments. Often, we rush from one thing to the next, too busy to notice the great things that happen along the way.

Without intending to be over-philosophical, try it out every now and then. Make yourself consciously aware of happy moments, hold on tight to them and bring them back whenever needed.

I also noticed, that once you are already on the right track, aka a positive mindset, often it gets even better!

Whilst a gigantic bench with a hell-of-a-view undoubtfully is quite extraordinary already, a comfy lounger actually outdoes the bench. Just outside the cable car station we spotted two inviting sunbeds, as if they were waiting for us.

We decided to stay an extra hour before taking the cable car back down. This turned out to be a great decision! We took several long breaths in and endless breaths out. Darling Rigi, you truly are the Queen of Mountains!