Amden – Chapf (1296m) – Arvenbüel – Vorderhöhi – Gulmen (1788m) – Hinter Höhi – Niederschlag
Meadows, beautiful moorland and a 360° view from the peak of Gulmen
A lovely, lovely half-day stroll on a sunny terrace above the Walensee. Great views of the lake, stunning views from Gulmen and wonderful stroll through a glorious moorland.
This is a circular hike starting from Amden in St Gallen (north-east Switzerland).
Time of year: Spring, Summer, Autumn
Tags: Circular hike, Public transport, Mountain transport, Suitable for families, Food en-route, Ice-cream at end of hike, Can be shortened
Rating: 
Hiked by us on: 21st October 2018
With fog in the Rhine valley and only wanting a half-day hike we decided to visit Amden. This is a village perched on a lovely sunny plateau above the Walensee. Amden is actually also a “Kurort” – a village specialising in natural health remedies – so it would be good for the soul!
We parked in Amden and headed towards Arvenbüel. There is a gentler way across the meadows, but we decided to take the steeper way which has amazing views of the Walensee.
After 200m of climb through the woods with lots of glimpses of the lake we arrived at Chapf with its dedicated view point. Stunning!
Leaving the viewpoint we headed through Arvenbüel (lots of places to eat and drink) towards Vorderhöhi. It really was a very pleasant stroll.
By the farm huts at Vorderhöhi we turned left and headed more steeply uphill towards Gulmen. We were well rewarded at the top with 360° views! Towards Saentis…
… and in the opposite direction to the Glarner Alps.
After heading down from Gulmen we turned right towards the moorlands at Letzbüel. What a pretty area!
After the moorland it was a flattish stroll…
… to top of the Niederschlag chair lift. You can take the chair lift back down to Amden or stroll through the meadows. Either was it’s a lovely hike!
Food, accommodation and/or villages we found on this hike
Arvenbüel
(Town)
Pleasant little village with numerous places to get a drink and bite to eat.
Alpstübli Strichbode
(Food only)
Welcome to the Alp! In and around the Alpstübli Strichbode you have arrived in the mountains. The cow bells ring, the panoramic view is enormous and the alpine hut is so "rustic". Just a few minutes walk from the mountain station of the Mattstock chairlift above Amden at 1320 meters above sea level lies this beautiful alpine idyll.
The 5 day forecast in Amden
Webcams
We could not find any webcams in the area close to this hike.
Need some hiking down-time?
If you need a day off from hiking, below are some of the great things you can do within 30 km from the start of this hike.
Lago Mio
(2.4 km away)
Lovely little swimming area on the banks of the Walensee close to Weesen
Walenstadt lakeside beach
(11.9 km away)
Large grassy swimming area with wonderful views of the surrounding mountains
Badi Schönenbodensee, Wildhaus
(17.7 km away)
Beautiful small lake for swimming above Wildhaus below the Alpstein
Lichtensteig outdoor pool
(20.0 km away)
Wonderful relaxing pool in the Toggenburg region
Kronberg Alpine park
(23.4 km away)
Alpine "park" with summer sledge run and rope park - fun for all!
Werdenberg
(23.6 km away)
800 years of history and the smallest city in Switzerland - beautifully preserved places to visit
Hot-pot Appenzellerland
(24.3 km away)
Relax in a a unique hot-tub surrounded by Appenzeller hills and mountains
Sargans castle
(24.3 km away)
900 year old castle full of history (and a restaurant)
Appenzell town
(28.2 km away)
Wonderful historic picturesque town at the foot of the Alpstein mountain range
Appenzell outdoor pool
(28.4 km away)
Great outdoor pool in the shadow of the Alpstein mountain range
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2 Comments
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A really lovely hike. I did it the other way around and was rewarded with the amazing views of the lake near the end of the hike. Don’t under-estimate the hike though – it’s more like 1000m elevation change if you don’t take any bus or chairlift. You can easily skip the peak Gulmen to shorten it. Be careful – the path through the woods near Chapf is very steep (especially if coming down them!)
Thanks Paul – we adjusted the distance and time estimate!