Kreuzboden Alpine Playground & Wellness Theme Trail

Kreuzboden is the best choice for families in the Saastal region. It has a big alpine playground with swings, zip line, climbing tower, bouldering wall, water play, a little pond, and a little petting zoo.

There is also a short sensory trail with several interactive stations, a barefoot path and little suspension bridge. It’s a beautiful area with lots of things to keep the kids interested and busy.

We recommend combining this with a visit to Hohsass, a glacier viewpoint farther up the mountain. 

Location

Kreuzboden is a mountain area at 2400m in the Saastal region in southern Switzerland. You can access Kreuzboden with a gondola from the valley. You can optionally continue riding higher up the mountain to Hohsaas (see this post for details).

Trail map

The Wellness sensory trail is at the Kreuzboden middle station. It is also a 1 km loop, easy walking, but not really for strollers. There is a big playground and restaurant adjacent to this trail.

Getting There

By car: Drive to Saas Grund and follow signs to the Hohsaas Bergbahn (near Seilbahnstrasse 10, 3910 Saas-Grund). There is a large metered parking lot adjacent to the gondola station. 

By train: Take a train to Visp, then a bus to Saas Grund, Bergbahnen, which is adjacent to the gondola station.

Tickets

Buy return tickets to Kreuzboden. In 2020, an adult return ticket cost CHF 36. Discounts for children (6-16), SBB GA, Half-fare and Swiss Travel Pass. Kids with SBB Junior card or under 6 ride free. See current prices here.

Hohsaas is included in the SaastalCard, which is free for anyone staying overnight in Saastal region. You receive this card from your hotel or apartment where you are staying.

Hohsi Land Playground

Ride the gondola from Saas Grund to Kreuzboden and exit the gondola station. If you want to continue riding to Hohsaas, change to the second gondola going up the rest of the mountain. Make sure you ticket covers this section.

At Kreuzboden, you’ll find Hohsi Land, a big playground with a climbing tower, swings, zip line, bouldering wall, a stream to play in, go karts, and a little petting zoo. 

Here is the little pond near the playground.

There is a cafe near the playground, but the food is not amazing. I’d recommend a picnic at the playground instead.

Wellness Theme Trail

Just below the playground and to the right of the lake, you’ll find the Wellness theme trail, which has various nature-themed educational signboards (slightly neglected) and sensory exhibits.

Last I checked, you could buy a little “Expeditionssäckli” with a workbook, crayons, and craft materials for 5CHF at the cable car ticket booth. But we didn’t get it, so I don’t know about that.

We liked the suspension bridge where strangely, the wind made a very weird sound only when you were on the bridge, like a magic trick.

We also liked the barefoot trail, which finishes in an icy cold water bath for your feet and arms.

A lovely little pond along the way. 

At the end of this trail, there are some hammocks and sun beds so you can relax. Well, my kids wanted me to push their hammock like a swing, so I wasn’t really relaxing. But I could see how someone else might be able to relax in this situation.

Mountain scooters

If you want more excitement, you can rent “monster scooters” from the Kreuzboden gondola station and ride them 11km down the mountain. The scooter rental is CHF 19/adult and CHF 13/child, quite high compared to other scooter runs. Helmet included. Recommended for kids 10+.

The first couple km are really rocky and bumpy, difficult to manage even as adults. One of us crashed but nothing serious. Then it turns into a paved road and that was much easier to handle.

I hope you have fun!

See other hikes in the Saastal region