Seealpsee: Mountain Hike from Ebenalp

The Seealpsee is a beautiful lake in the Appenzell region, surrounded by the impressive Alpstein mountain peaks. You can reach this lake for free by walking up from the valley on a service road.

However, many people prefer to hike to the Seealpsee via the mountain trail from Ebenalp. In this case, you start by riding a cable car up the mountain. Then hike down to the famous cliff restaurant and continue down the mountain on a steep, often exposed, trail to the lake.

We’ve hiked the mountain trail several times and enjoy it. But it’s hard on the knees and best for experienced hikers who are comfortable with risk.

Keep reading to learn more about this mountain trail.

Safety note

Please note that this mountain trail is dangerous, often with very steep slopes to one side of the trail. Just in summer 2022, there were 5 deaths on this trail, including children. If you are a less experienced hiker and/or hiking with children, we strongly advise you to use the safer trail that leads up from Wasserauen.

Note: This article is for general information and entertainment purposes only. You are reading and/or using any of the information from this website at your own risk. 

Gallery

Location

Ebenalp is located in the Appenzell region of Eastern Switzerland. Our hike starts at the top of the cable car that runs from Wasserauen to Ebenalp. See location on Google Maps.

Trail overview

This map shows an overview of the trail. From Wasserauen, you ride the Ebenalp cable up to the trail start. Then a short hike down to the famous Gasthaus Äescher cliff restaurant (about 20 mins).

Then the dangerous descent on a narrow footpath, mostly switchbacks in the forest (about 2km and 1+ hour). Some parts of this section have a very steep slope to one side, with cables on the mountain side for a hand rail. Unfortunately, several people have died on this section just in summer 2022. Use extreme caution.

After the descent, you join the service road that leads to the lake, where you’ll find two hotel/restaurants, row boats to rent and many places to relax and picnic along the lakeshore. We suggest walking around the lake, though that is optional.

To return to Wasserauen, you can hike down on the mountain trail as described here. Or follow the service road down, which is easier. This is about 3 km and took us about 1hr15.

Hiking map

Here is the hiking map for the Ebenalp-Seealpsee-Wasserauen trail. 

View an interactive printable map and download GPX files on SchweizMobil • Komoot • AllTrails • OutdoorActive

Safer trail alternative: For less experienced hikers and children, we strongly recommend hiking to the Seealpsee using the service road from Wasserauen, which is much safer and easier walking. See details.

Alternative for non-hikers: For a short outing, ride up the cable car and walk to the cliff restaurant, then walk back and ride down. See Ebenalp Wildkirchli Hike for details.

How to get there

Seealpsee is located near Appenzell in eastern Switzerland, easy to access by car or public transportation. It’s good day trip from Zürich, which is 90 mins by car or just over 2 hours by train.

By train: Take a train to Wasserauen, Bahnhof. The Ebenalp cable car station is directly across the street from the train station. The trail returns you back to the train station. 

From Zürich, you typically take a train to Gossau, then change to the S23 trains to Wasserauen, Bahnhof.  From Appenzell, it’s a 12 mins ride on the S23 train to Wasserauen. 

See train schedule on SBB.ch. You do not have to book train tickets in advance or reserve seats. Learn more about Swiss train travel

By car: Drive to Schwendetalstrasse 82, 9057 Wasserauen and park in one of the metered parking lots near the base station of the Ebenalp cable car.

Last time we were there it cost CHF 5/day. The parking meters take coins only or you can pay with a mobile parking app like EasyPark. On busy days, the local farmers open their fields for overflow parking, pay in cash to the attendant.

Note: In summer 2022, I read a news article indicating that the locals had decided to significantly reduce Wasserauen parking. There are plans to offer overflow parking in neighboring villages. I suggest checking the Ebenalp website for current parking info.

Planning your day

Ticket prices

At the cable car station, buy a one way ticket up the cable car, since you will be hiking down. In 2024, a one-way ticket cost CHF 22/adult and CHF 9/child 6-15. Children with SBB Junior Card or under age 6 ride free.

Discount with SBB GA, Half-fare, Swiss Travel Pass, and Swiss Flexi Pass. Free with Appenzell Holiday Card, Oskar Card, and Lake Constance Holiday Pass.

You can pay with cash or card. You can purchase cable car tickets online, which allows you to skip the ticket line and go directly to the cable car line. But you cannot reserve a specific time. Also, cable car tickets will never sell out for the day.

Operating hours

The cable car runs for summer season starting end of April through the beginning of November. It runs every 15 mins from about 7:30 to 18:00, but check operating times before you go.

However just because the cable car is running, it doesn’t mean the trail is open. So check the trail status before heading out. We do not recommend this trail in rainy or wet weather.

The cable car is small, so on very crowded days, you may have to wait in line to go up. But the run the cable car continuously, so the line moves quicker than you might expect. I’m always worried about the crowds. But while it was packed with people at the top and along the short trail to the cliff restaurant, once we split onto the trail to Seealpsee, there were less hikers and they were more spread out.

What to wear and bring

This is a challenging mountain trail that requires sturdy hiking shoes with good tread. We strongly recommend hiking sticks to improve safety and balance.

This hike is located in the mountains where weather and temperatures can change quickly. Dress appropriate to the weather forecast, bringing layers like a fleece and windbreaker/rain jacket as needed. On sunny days, make sure to bring sunscreen, sun hat, and sunglasses. 

Although there are restaurants along the way, I still recommend bringing at least 1 L of water per person and snacks.

Where to eat and stay

At the Seealpsee, you can eat at and stay overnight at Gasthaus Forelle and Berggasthaus Seealpsee. They do not offer luggage transfer, so you must carry your luggage from your starting point as you hike to the hotel. Pack light.

If you prefer to stay in the valley, you can stay at Alpenrose Wasserauen, which is near the parking and train station. 

If you stay at any of these hotels for at least three nights, you get the Appenzell Holiday Card, which includes many free and discounted activities in the region.

Photo story of trail

Arrival in Wasserauen

This is Wasserauren valley as you approach the Ebenalp cable car, which goes up the hills on the right side of this picture.

If you came by train, just walk across the street to the cable car station.

If you came by car, there are a few metered parking lots near the train station and Ebenalp cable car. If you don’t see a metered spot, keep driving up the valley until you see a parking attendant directing you to overflow. In this case, you usually have to pay the parking fee in cash.

Hike from Ebenalp and Gasthaus Aescher cliff restaurant

At the top of the Ebenalp cable car, follow signs to Gasthaus Aescher. It follows a lumpy path down below the cable car line.

You walk through a dark cave with lots of sloped stairs and loose rock, which can be slippery.

As you exit the cave, you’ll reach the hermit house and a church built into a cave.

A few minutes later, you’ll reach the Gasthaus Aescher (shown below), which has a restaurant and some outdoor seating (no reservations). The food is typical Swiss fare, but the views are fantastic. On busy days, expect the small restaurant to be completely packed, as this is the main destination for most visitors.

Trail down to Seealpsee

To continue the trail to Seealpsee, walk through the patio seating, following signs to “Seealpsee.”

At a fork in the trail, you’ll see a yellow trail sign pointing left to Seealpsee. There is also a sign warning you about the dangers of this trail. Please take this section of the trail very seriously and only go if you are wearing proper shoes, have hiking experience and fully understand the risks associated with mountain hiking.

As shown in these pictures, it is a steep narrow mountain trail, with lots of stairs, but no more than other steep mountain trails we’ve been on. There are sections where the mountain descends very steeply on one side of the trail. In most of these areas, there is a cable on the mountain side to assist with your safety. Proceed with caution.

The first time we did this trail our kids were aged 6 and 10. We kept them very close and walked slowly. In retrospect, I wouldn’t recommend any child that does not have hiking experiences and best for children 8+ that are responsible, experienced hikers. Once again, please consider the alternate safer trail to the Seealpsee. 

Most of this section is in the forest, with very steep switchbacks and stairs. 

Join the road up to the lake

After about an hour, the mountain path with join the paved road, where you’ll encounter hikers who walked up road instead of down the mountain trail.

After about 10 mins after you join the paved road, you’ll see a few barns, buildings and cows.

Arrival at the Seealpsee lake

A few minutes later, the road ends at the lake. This lake is very popular, so don’t expect to be in an empty, remote spot after working so hard to get there; many people walk up the service road from the parking area. But you can hike around the lake and find a nice quiet place to relax and wade in the water.

If you have energy and time, I recommend walking all around the lake, which is very beautiful and only adds about 1.5 km of easy walking. The path gets a little narrow and bumpy on the south side of the lake, so not good for strollers.

Very beautiful in October with the fall colors.

Where to eat

At the lake, there are 2 restaurants with outdoor patios overlooking the lake. The first is Gasthaus Forelle shown below.

Berggasthaus Seealpsee has a small playground next to the outdoor seating.

Picnic area

If you walk through the restaurant patio and follow the path through a small forest, you’ll end up on the narrow eastern leg of the lake. Lots of people were sunbathing here and some even splashing around in the water. The water is very shallow here, probably the best section if you have small kids that want to get wet.

I didn’t see any official fire pits, but there were lots of informal ones around the lake. It was a little tricky to gather up enough firewood, but we managed it in the end. We tried to swim, but it was so icy cold, none of us got in very deep.

Renting a rowboat

I highly recommend renting a rowboat from the restaurant. It was CHF 5 for 30 minutes, best deal in Switzerland! You cannot rent it longer because they want other people to have an opportunity to use the boat. It’s very informal. You just find a server at the Berggasthaus Seealpsee, tell them you want to rent the boat, and pay CHF 5 in cash. We didn’t have to sign anything, leave a deposit, or check in when we were done. They didn’t have life vests, so use at your own risk.

The kids loved taking turns at the oars and barking orders at each other. Good times. One time I dropped the kids and my husband off on the other side of the lake. Then I rowed back and returned the boat, then walked around to meet my family.

It’s a little tricky to re-dock the boat. You have to carefully aim to get the boat exactly lined up with these logs, then pull the boat up and connect it to a chain. The water is really shallow there, so the first time, my boat got stuck before I made it to the logs. So I had to get in the water (about 20 cm deep) and pull the boat over to the logs. You have to pull the boat up the logs a bit, which can be tough because the boat is really heavy. Luckily these kind hikers helped us out.

Trail back down to Wasserauen

To get back to Wasserauen, you can walk on the service road or mountain trail as shown in the map below. 

This photo shows the service road on the left. The path on the right leads to the mountain trail.

This trail starts on the east side of the lake, a little southeast of the restaurant. Below we are just starting the trail away from the lake.

The trail starts through some wide open fields.

As you start the descent, the trail gets more uneven. 

Then lots and lots and lots of stairs and some switchbacks through a dark forest. I thought this was the hardest part of the trail, steep with loose rock, but not as dangerous as trail above the lake. Take your time.

A little more than an hour after leaving the lake, we had the car park and train station in sight. Our knees were hurting a bit from all the downhill. 

I hope you enjoy this hike and stay safe!

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to book the Ebenalp cable car tickets in advance?

It’s not necessary as the cable car tickets will never sell out and you cannot reserve a specific time. But buying tickets in advance can save you time, since you can skip the ticket line and get directly in line for the cable car. Buy online tickets here.

Can I make a reservation Gasthaus Aescher-Wildkirchli?

You can only make a reservation for groups of 10+. Otherwise it’s first come, first served. 

Can you drive to the Seealpsee?

No. Although there is a service road that leads directly to the lake, you can only drive on this road with special permission. You must park in the valley and hike to the lake.

Can you visit Ebenalp in winter?

Yes, Ebenalp has a ski resort that is open in winter. However the trail described here is not open in winter due to snow. Learn more.