Mounteens Detective Trail at Pizol

Last weekend, we tried this new theme trail designed for older kids, with 10 activity posts along the way, either with a question or a hidden clue. The trail is accompanied by a story book, which tells about a ghost that haunts the mountain and the four teen detectives that try to solve the mystery. The book has a short chapter for each post, which you can either read or listen to on your phone. It’s only in German, so best if your kids that understand German or if you can translate. I found it good practice for my German skills.

At the end of the trail, you type the secret code you discovered into a tablet and solve the mystery. My 12 yr old really liked the story and searching for the clues, even though some were very difficult to find. The trail passes through a picnic area with water play and ends near multiple restaurants with playgrounds, for ice cream and treats. After the theme trail, you can optionally ride to the mountain top for a short stroll with even bigger panorama views. A great family day in the mountains.

Note: Thanks to Heidiland Tourism for sponsoring this trip. All opinions expressed here are my own.

More activities at Pizol and in the Heidiland region

Location

Pizol is a mountain resort in eastern Switzerland near the Rhein valley. The Mounteens trail is accessed from the Wangs cable car near Bad Ragaz.

Overview

Here is the official Pizol panorama map. The Mounteens hike starts at the Furt middle station, which is accessed from Wangs by a cable car. I recommend also riding up to the top at Pizolhütte before or after the hike to get even bigger views.

Trail Map

Here is the trail map shown in the Mounteens story book. There are 10 posts marked by very obvious sign boards. The trail starts and finishes at the Furt middle station.

I tried to map out the trail based on what my GPS tracked while we were hiking. My map is not perfect, so best to use the trail signs, which are easy to follow.

Getting There

By car: Get yourself to the town of Wangs, taking exit 50-Sargans off the A3, then following signs to the Pizolbahn. There is a big parking lot, which is not metered during summer.

By transit: Take a train to Sargans, Bahnhof, then a bus to Wangs, Pizolbahn. The bus drops off at the far side of the Pizolbahn parking lot, a short walk from the gondola station. The bus runs about every 30 minutes.

Here is the parking lot and the elevator which takes you up to the Pizolbahn.

Opening Times & Prices

To reach the trail, you will take the Wangs-Furt gondola, which is usually open from 8:15 – 17:30, with an hour break at lunchtime on weekdays.

In 2019, for just the Mounteens trail, the return trip costs CHF 34/adult, CHF 17/child aged 6-16, under 6 free. SBB Half fare and Junior cards accepted. GA gives half-price. Pay with credit or cash.

It’s CHF 7 extra for the Mounteens story book. You only need one per family.

If you also want to ride the chair lifts to the top at Pizolhütte, buy a return ticket to the top and you can stop in the middle for the Mounteens trail on the way up or down. Return to the top costs CHF 51/adult. The last ride down is at 16:00. Check website for current schedule.

They also offer a day pass family ticket for CHF 110 for 2 adults and all their children under 17, a good deal for those without discount travel cards.

Mounteens story book

The Mounteens story book can be purchased for CHF 7 at the counter where you buy your gondola tickets. The book is part of the experience, telling a story that makes the stations hang together. It also has a place to record your secret code as you go. Though you could technically solve the clues without it, I wouldn’t recommend it. The book is currently only available in German.

The book tells a detective story in chapters matched to each post along the trail. So it’s best to read each chapter before you do the activity at the next station. Fortunately, there is an audio clip as well that you can access using a QR code in each chapter. It was more fun to listen to the story while we walked, rather than sit down and read it. Each chapter took about 3-6 minutes to listen to.

Although this trail is labeled teens, I think it would be most enjoyed by kids 7-13. My 12 yr old really like the story and wanted to read the other Mounteens books available on their website.

Riding up to Furt

There are 5 special Mounteens gondolas that have an audio story (German only) playing to introduce you to the characters and the story and have fun facts about the area. We liked it! The operator will see that you have kids and will help you get onto one of these special gondolas. The story was in High German so I could understand most of it and my kids understood everything.

Arriving at the Furt Middle Station

Directly outside the Furt gondola station, you’ll see the first post of the detective trail. It’s just an intro, no clues.

You’ll find a couple restaurants and playgrounds. This would be a good place to eat lunch after the trail.

On the detective trail

To continue the trail, walk straight uphill on this dirt road. Don’t worry, it branches off in the forest on the right after post 2.

Some posts have questions, some easy to answer, some not so easy.

Then the trail dips into the forest. At post 3, you have to search for a little deer statue in the forest. We searched all up and down the trail all the way to the next post, even though the clue said: not more than 20 meters from the post. So profi tip: we found it close to the post, not down the trail, not where we are looking in this pic.

Lots of pretty views along the way.

While the trail is easy and short, the clues are sometimes difficult. Three other groups caught up to us while we were looking for the clue with this telescope. Several adults and lots of kids looked for a good 15 mins and no one could find it. Finally my husband pointed out something *above* the trail (profi tip!) and we finally found it. Another profi tip: a Nashornvögel is a toucan.

Meeting one of the suspects for the mystery.

An activity unrelated to the mystery along the trail, throwing rocks into buckets with different point values.

The path u-turns and heads back toward the start. It’s short.

Finding a clue on top of this climbing rock.

Wasserwald play area

Near the end of the trail, you’ll pass through the Wasserwald play area, which is a nice place to take a break and have a picnic. It has a variety of water play activities, so good for a hot day.

There are a couple big marble runs going down the hill. You can purchase a wooden marble for CHF 1 from a dispenser.

There are fire pits with wood and plenty of places to settle in for a picnic.

A waterfall and some animal sculptures around the Wasserwald.

Solving the mystery

When you are ready to finish the trail, continue walking on the path out of the forest, past the chair lift and up the hill towards the gondola station. You’ll see post 10 to your right, with a signboard next to a little white room. You enter the room and enter the code gathered into a tablet. If you are correct, it tells you who the bad guy was and the end of the story.

There are a couple different play areas here next to the restaurants. Nice place to have a snack or lunch while the kids play.

Collecting your prize

Back at the valley station in Wangs, you can show your completed code at the ticket counter and they will give you a postcard and armband for your favorite character from the book. My son liked the armband but some kids might find this prize a little underwhelming. I wouldn’t hype the prize element too much.

Optional ride to the top

I would highly recommend riding up the two chair lifts to Pizolhütte. You can simply admire the view, take a short stroll or do the 1 hour panorama loop that passes by the lake shown below. Details for that trail here.

The full service restaurant here has a fantastic view.

Do you think you might the Mounteens trail? If you do, leave a comment and let me know what you think!