Chlosterweid • Easy Snowshoe Trail near Zürich

This lovely snowshoe trail south of Zürich is a great choice for beginners. It’s a relatively easy 5 km loop, with a little uphill but not too much to make everyone want to quit. The quiet countryside is very beautiful and not crowded because it’s not near any ski hills or other amusements.

We got snowshoes for Christmas to make more socially distanced winter activities possible for our family. Although we had each gone snowshoeing a couple times before, this was our first snowshoe outing as a family and a happy success. At the end of the trail, my 13yr old said: “I like snowshoeing! Let’s do it again.” I was relieved because I thought they would be missing racing down the mountain on their snowboards. But even our kids want to minimize their contact with others during the pandemic. 

Below are details for this snowshoe trail, what equipment we used and where you can rent snowshoes in the area.

See also How to snowshoe in Switzerland for beginners and What to pack & wear on a winter hike

Overview

This Euthal snowshoe trail is located near Einsiedeln, southeast of Zug and Zürich. It is easily accessible by car or bus.

This snowshoe trail is official route 816, marked with pink trail signs and wooden markers. It is a 5,2 km loop, with about 200m elevation gain and descent. We did the route counterclockwise, which I recommend because the ascent is less steep in this direction. 

The day we were there, the snow was stomped down and could have been done with regular hiking boots. But no guarantees. The first 1.5 km of the trail is relatively flat, through a field along a river. This section is easy walking and could be done with small children or pulling a sled with children. After that, the trail heads up the hill through the forest.

There are longer, more difficult snowshoe trails branching off from this trail. See map of winter walks and snowshoe routes (PDF) in the Einsiedeln region. See more official snowshoe trails all over Switzerland on SwitzerlandMobility.

Getting There

By car: Drive to Euthal and turn on Obereuthalstrasse. After a couple minutes, you’ll see a barn with parking spots on your right (47°05’51.8″N 8°49’11.0″E) and a big sign with a trail map. Parking is free.

By public transport: Take a train to Einsiedeln, then a bus to Euthal, Drusberg. The bus runs about every 30 mins from Einsiedeln and takes 14 mins to Euthal. Then a 600m walk, as shown below, to the start of the snowshoe trail, starting at the barn on the corner of Weissstannenstr and Obereuthalstr.

Snowshoe Equipment

Our family has MSR Lightning Trail snowshoes, which are high quality, very light snowshoes. We got them during a December sale at Ochsner Sport for about CHF 220 each.

You can rent snowshoes at many sport shops. At Migros SportXX, it costs CHF 11/day. At Ochnser Sport, it costs CHF 15.80/day. Near Euthal, you can rent snowshoes for CHF 20/day at the Nordic shop (website) for the Bolzberg-Trachslau cross country course. Bolzbergstrasse 8840 Einsiedeln (47°07’19.9″N 8°44’05.6″E). This shop is about a 15 drive from the snowshoe trail.

Starting the trail

We parked our car in the parking spots next to a barn, where the trail starts. There is a big trail map here, so it seems to be an official parking area for hiking and winter walks.

Follow the pink snowshoe signs with the 816 marker.

The trail turns left at the stream and follows that stream toward the mountains. It’s easy walking for the first 1.5km.

Just keep walking along the stream. There are signs asking you to stay along the “path” and not cross other fields, which may be used by wild animals that need to be protected.

The path was easy to follow although it might not look it in this picture. There are plenty of pink wooden poles showing you where to go.

Looking back toward Euthal.

Near the end of the flat part of the trail.

Right before you enter the forest, you’ll pass a picnic area with a fire pit. When we were there, a big family was having a winter picnic there.  Looked fun!

Walking up through the forest

Then the trail enters the forest and climbs up the hill for about 15 mins. It’s not super difficult, but you will get a workout walking uphill.

The stream is lovely with frozen bits.

This is the far end of the loop. 

At this sign, turn left, direction Euthal and Chlosterweid.

The path continues uphill in the forest for about 10 minutes. Then you exit the forest and get a nice view down to Euthal.

Keep following the pink signs.

Looking back on the trail.

Walking downhill back to Euthal

Then you descend the hill.

Some parts are a bit steep and even though the snowshoes dug into the snow, I was happy to have my sticks for balance.

Eventually you reach another stream and follow that back into town.

When the path reaches the road, cross the road and join back with the path along the stream from the beginning of your hike.

See more Snowshoe trails and Winter Walks in Switzerland

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