This beautiful winter hike hikes from one mountain area to another, with views of many peaks along the way. The loop trail leads to an alpine restaurant for refreshments before heading back.
You’ll burn some calories on this hike, walking up and down many rolling hills along the way. We saw a few children on the trail, but it’s probably more suitable for adults.
Contents
| Location: | Toggenburg, Canton St Gallen, Eastern Switzerland |
| Address: | Wildhaus-Oberdorf chairlift |
| Car: | Parking: Munzenriet 12, 9658 Wildhaus 1hr30 from Zürich |
| Transit: | Bus stop: Wildhaus, Lisighaus bus stop 2hr from Zürich |
| Trail: | 10 km loop, about 3 hours |
| Difficulty: | moderate, groomed snow |
| Elevation: | highest point 1440m, 360m up, 360m down |
| Cost: | Chair lift Adult CHF 20/adult discount with Swiss travel cards |
| Open: | mid Dec to end of March |
| Services: | restaurant at start and half-way point |
| More info: | www.wildhaus.ch • webcams |
Trail overview
Here is a map of the Wildhaus ski resort. I’ve marked the important elements for this winter hike.
On SchweizMobil, the official trail is Oberdorf-Gamperfin Weg – Route 152. This loop trail starts at the top of the Wildhaus-Oberdorf chairlift, hikes out to the Skihaus Gamperfin restaurant and back.
While the official trail shows a few loops over the course of the trail, most people walk the lollipop version that I show below. In any case, just follow the pink poles and groomed path and you won’t get lost.
See trail map on Komoot
Conditions: This path is groomed snow, walkable with regular hiking shoes. But if you bring snowshoes, you can explore off-trail following the parallel snowshoe route, which many were doing the day we were there.
Timing: This hike took us about 3 hours round trip, walking with purpose but not particularly fast. My fitness watch tracked 11.2km but the trail map says 1 km less. We hiked the loop clockwise, but we thought the views might be slightly better counterclockwise.
Shorter option: As you can see on the trail map, this trail has multiple loops that join together. So you could loop back after 2.2 km or 3.6 km, instead of doing the full loop.
How to get there
This trail is located in the Toggenburg region in eastern Switzerland. See location on Google Maps. You can access this area with a car or bus. To reach the trail, you ride a chairlift.
By car:
drive to Wildhaus and following the blue P sign to the parking just beyond the “Curlingzentrum” (ice rink) – Munzenriet 12, 9658 Wildhaus (47°12’03.5″N 9°20’38.2″E). Parking is free. It’s a short walk downhill to the chairlift. If that parking is full, just keep driving down that same road to the second parking next to the children’s beginner’s area (47°12’00.1″N 9°20’50.0″E).
By transit:
Take a bus to Wildhaus, Lisighaus. Then a 5 min walk down the road to the chair lift as shown below.
Costs
To reach this hike, you need to ride the Wildhaus-Oberdorf chairlift.
On our last visit, a return ticket costs CHF 21/adult . Discount for children aged 6-15 and adults with SBB Half-fare/GA cards. Children under 6 ride free. See current prices.
Opening times
The Wildhaus ski resort is open for winter season from mid December to end of March. The chair lift runs daily 8:30 – 16:30. The lift may close due to poor weather conditions.
This trail is not in an high risk avalanche zone, but may close due to poor snow conditions or safety concerns. Check current lift and trail status.
Photo story of the trail
Arriving in Wildhaus
Here is the parking next to the Curlingzentrum.
A short walk downhill to the chair lift. Skiers can ski down the snowy part to the right.
Here is the chairlift and ticket office. You can pay by card or cash.
Looking back to the second parking lot next to the beginners area. Even though it’s a farther walk, I might prefer to park there because the walk is flat.
At the top of the chairlift, you see the Oberdorf ski resort. The winter hike starts uphill just to the left of the drag lift.
Starting the trail
Here’s the pink sign showing the winter trail.
After walking uphill, the trail turns left into the forest for a few minutes.
More uphill.
Most of the path meanders over fields.
More uphill.
This trail has three loops that connect. Here’s one of the connection points. It doesn’t matter which fork you take as long as you stay on the groomed trail towards Gamperfin (the restaurant at the far end of the loop).
Here the trail dips down into the forest.
Another fork in the trail. On the way to Gamperfin, we always took the forks to the left and returned on the other side. But I think it might have been nicer views going the opposite direction.
So pretty on this side.
Curving down to Gamperfin.
Lunch at Skihaus Gamperfin
Arriving at the Skihaus Gamperfin restaurant. In winter season, they are open Wed thru Sun from 11:30 to late. They have indoor and outdoor seating.
A few tables were already reserved for big groups. But happily we got a table. We were there on a Friday at noon and all the tables were full by 12:30. Maybe it would be even more crowded on a weekend.
The menu is typical Swiss with soups, cheese & meat plates, rösti, sausage, fondue, etc. You can pay with card but they strongly prefer cash.
Nice view from our table.
You can actually drive here from the other side of the mountain. I’ve driven the road a couple times and it’s stressful even in summer because it’s a one lane mountain road most of the time.
Hiking back to Oberdorf
Back on the winter trail, a long uphill in the shadows.
Looking back down the trail at the restaurant.
Some pretty light coming through the trees.
Headed back to the other side of the mountain.
Looking back at the beautiful massif on the Gamperfin side.
More rolling hills. On our way back, we again took all the forks to our left so we saw something new.
Epic views all around.
A curvy trail across the fields.
Ending the trail back at Oberdorf, walking down parallel to the drag lift. It’s a bit steep so we were happy to have our hiking sticks and traction cleats.
More info
What to wear & bring
You should wear warm layers appropriate to the weather forecast and waterproof outer layers to stay dry in the snow. For footwear, you should wear waterproof hiking shoes or snow boots with good traction. You don’t need snowshoe attachments. If you have traction cleats, bring them just in case parts of the trail are icy. I would bring hiking sticks for balance (best with snow baskets so they don’t sink into the snow).
There is a restaurant in the middle of the hike, but I would definitely bring at least 1L water and snacks. See also: What to pack & wear on a winter hike.
Where to eat
Skihaus Gamperfin is at the far end of the trail loop, about 1hr30 to 2hrs of walking. During winter season, the restaurant is usually open Wed thru Sun from 11:30. You can call +41 81 771 37 43 to check if it’s open on the day you go. There are also restaurants at Oberdorf near the chairlift at the beginning of the hike. There are no other services along the trail.
I hope you enjoy this winter hike!
