Amden, Arvenbüel–Vorder Höhi–Amden, Arvenbüel
- Distance: 8km
- Duration (with breaks): 3h 15min
- Route type: to the top and back
- Start/end: Amden, Arvenbüel
- Highest point: Vorder Höhi pass (1532m)
- Elevation gain/loss: 380m/380m
- Difficulty: easy to moderate
- When to hike: mid-December to mid-March
- When did we hike: end of January
Why this route?
Officially there are more than 100 well maintained and marked winter paths in Switzerland. Some of those paths are for snowshoeing, some are for walking. I came across this route as it is relatively close to Zürich, where we stayed. It does not require snowshoes and promises great views. And they were great indeed.
How to get there?
By public transport: from Zürich, there is a train to Ziegelbrücke (~ 45 min), from where there is a bus to Amden, Arvenbüel (~ 35 min), the last stop is where you’re heading. This connection is available once per hour and for us, it worked very smoothly. Once you step out of the bus, there is a signpost to various summer (in yellow) and winter (in pink) hikes. Look for a pink sign with #191 to Vorder Höhi – this is your route.
By car: you should drive straight up to Amden, Arvenbüel on a fun winding hill road. The handiest place to leave your car would be next to the final bus stop and the start of the hike, a parking lot called Parkplatz Amden | Arvenbüel / Chapfstrasse. I’m sure there are more parking lots in the village as it is part of a ski area.
So how was it?
The trail began with a short climb through the Arvenbühl village and past a ski area. While the village roads were almost snow-free, once we left the village behind, the path was fully covered in snow. The winter wonderland begins! The path was wide and clean, so we had no problem walking.
Once above the village, the views opened even further as we walked next to snow-covered hills. Tall mountains in the near distance showed up even though it was an overcast day. We passed a few buildings and even found a bench to take a small break. In general, the ascent was very gradual except for the last part which was a tad steeper. The path was marked with tall wooden sticks and occasional signposts all the way to the top.
At the top, you’ll see a sign to Vorder Höhi pass, which is the highest point of this hike and takes another 5 mins. The path will be less clean, but still doable without snowshoes.
The mountain hut was closed, so we took a break next to one of its buildings. While in summer I might have chilled there for 30-45min, in winter even 15min is a lot to ask. When not moving, my body tends to get cool veeeeery quickly, so our break was short. On the way down we met the snow machine that cleans the path and makes it accessible for hikers like us, thank you very much!
Overall, it was a great hike. Even though it was cloudy, the landscape was still breathtaking and grand. Snow everywhere, tall mountains around us – a great start to winter hiking. It is an awesome trail for any beginning winter hikers as no special equipment is needed while you’ll still have a fair share of climbing to reach the top.
