Arnisee Snowshoe Trail

The Arnisee snowshoe trail is a great choice for beginners because the trail is divided into three loops, so you can shorten or extend the tour to your energy and abilities. You can even ride a cable car straight to the lake for the views and skip the hike altogether.

No ski resort here, so only walkers and ski tourers enjoying the beautiful mountain and frozen lake. Our family really enjoyed this snowshoe tour and would definitely do it again.

Please check snow conditions before heading out. If avalanche warnings are high, this trail may be closed.

See also How to snowshoe in Switzerland for beginners

Trail Overview

To reach this trail, it’s best to ride up the Intschi cable car and start and end your hike near the lake. The map below shows the full 6.8 km loop but you can easily shorten it.

This trail is broken into three smaller loops, which are color coded on the trail marker poles. This map on the Arnisee website shows the three loops. However the pole colors don’t really match.

The southern loop is marked with blue poles. The middle loop is marked with red poles. We didn’t do the northern loop, so I’m not sure what color poles it uses.

If you want a short and easy walk, you can do the winter walk near the lake that doesn’t require snowshoes. We saw lots of people just in hiking shoes strolling around the lake. 

How to get there

This snowshoe trail is located near Amsteg, south of Luzern.

This snowshoe hike is accessed by the Intschi cable car (near Gotthardstrasse 22, 6476 Intschi).

By car: There is metered parking across the street from the Intschi cable car. About 40 min drive from Lucerne. If that parking is full, drive to the Amsteg-Arnisee cable car, which has more parking and also accesses the snowshoe hike. 

By public transport: Take a train to Erstfeld, then a bus to Intschi, Seilbahn. The cable car is adjacent to the bus stop. 

Gondola tickets & operating times

In 2025, a return ticket on the Intschi cable car costs CHF 16/adult and CHF 8/child aged 6-16. Under 6 free.

No discounts for travel passes. You pay at the top. They prefer cash and charge a small fee if you pay by card. 

The cable car runs every 20 mins from 8:15 to 11:55 and 12:55 – 16:55. Check their website for current prices and operating times.

Snowshoe rental

You can rent snowshoes at the Restaurant Alpenblick near the Intschi cable car. Rental costs CHF 12/day for adults. Snowshoes for kids are free. If you are a big group, best to call ahead to make sure they have enough. 

Photo story of trail

In our photo story, we rode up the Amsteg cable car instead of the Intschi cable car. So the story is in a bit different order than you might do the hike.

Riding up the Amsteg cable car

It’s a small cable car fitting only 4 people. You can put your gear in the luggage racks on the outside of the car. You just get in and usually the car will start on its own. Otherwise follow the instructions near the phone inside the car and push the green “AB” button (means “up”).

Part 1 – Snowshoe up to Arnisee lake

Starting the trail from the Amsteg cable car.

The snowshoe trail is marked with poles of different colors depending on what part of the trail you are on. The part from the Amsteg cable car up to the lake has red poles. The loop that leads southwest of the lake has blue poles. The loop north of the Amsteg cable car has a different color. We only saw a couple of the traditional light purple snowshoe trail signs. So just follow the poles.

Looking back at the cable car.

You start across this big open area heading to the forest. The loop ends here too. We took the left fork doing the loop clockwise.

Walking through the forest to reach the lake.

A bit of a steep incline right before getting to the lake. Use your snowshoe heel lift on this part.

Reaching the Arnisee lake, a nice place for a short break.

Back in the forest a bit as we loop around the lake.

Reaching the Intschi cable car on the south side of the Arnisee lake. Turn right here to head back to the lake.

The trail leads back to the lake, then you turn left and follow the blue trail. Or you can cut it short and walk around the lake and back to the Amsteg cable car.

Part 2 – The blue loop into the hills

After a brief time at the lake, you turn left and follow the blue loop part of the trail to the southwest.

One of the prettiest parts of the trail right here.

After a few minutes, the trail dips downhill and crosses this bridge. 

Then back uphill. I was worried my boys would be annoyed on this part, but they were fine. I was happy to have the fitness.

More uphill, a bit steep in parts.

Looking back across the valley, so many pretty views.

Trail flattens for bit, a nice rest.

Then another bridge crossing a rushing river.

Then the last short uphill. The trail turns back toward the lake and is in the forest for a long while. Since it was a sunny warm day, we were happy to have some shade. But on a colder day, you might need some layers to keep warm here.

Part 3 – From the lake back to the cable car

Back at the partially frozen lake, rejoining the red loop.

Turn left and follow the path along the lakeshore. This is the most popular part of the trail, with lots of people strolling without snowshoes. It’s not groomed here, so we preferred snowshoes to deal with the lumps, slush and ice.

Turn left at this red pole labeled 882, the official trail number. This leads back to the Amsteg cable car on a different path than you came up. If you want to do the third mini-loop north of the cable car, just follow the left split in the trail as you near the cable car.

I hope you like this trail! See more Swiss snowshoe trails we recommend.