This beautiful mountain hike visits two peaks along the relatively short loop. It’s a hard hike but not particularly dangerous, suitable for experienced hikers and older children. It does have steep slopes and uneven terrain, so best with proper hiking shoes and sticks, if possible. Since we were staying overnight in a mountain hotel, we did this hike in the late afternoon, with the warm fading sunlight lighting up the landscape and the trail completely empty. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it to hikers who want a little fitness and great views.
At the end of the hike, you can ride mountain go-carts 2km down a bumpy dirt road, an exciting reward for a hike well done. Definitely recommended.
Contents
Note: This hike was done as part of a press trip with Pizol
| Location: | Pizol • Heidiland • Eastern Switzerland |
| Starting point: | Wangs Pizolbahn gondola |
| Car: | Parking at Wangs: Schiggstrasse 14, 7323 Vilters-Wangs 1hr10 from Zürich |
| Train: | Bus stop: Wangs, Pizolbahn 1hr10 from Zürich |
| Trail: | 6.5 km loop, about 2.5 hr |
| Elevation: | 588m up/down, highest elevation 2309m |
| Condition: | narrow dirt path, uneven terrain, some very steep slopes that require extra care, no strollers! |
| Skill: | challenging, requires steady footing, experienced hikers only |
| Services: | restaurant at start/end of trail. mountain carts |
| Open: | July to mid October |
| Cost 2021: | Cable car return CHF 42/adult SBB Half-fare, GA and Junior Cards accepted |
| More info: | pizol.com • webcam |
How to get there
Pizol is a mountain resort in eastern Switzerland, about an hour south of Zürich. This area is easy to reach by car or train, arriving in the valley and using gondolas and chair lifts to reach the trails.
For the hike described here, it’s best to use the Wangs Pizolbahn gondola. (There is another Pizol gondola in Bad Ragaz that accesses a different part of the resort.)
By public transport: Take a train to Sargans, Bahnhof, then bus 429/430 to Wangs, Pizolbahn, which drops you at the Pizol parking lot. Walk across the lot to the elevator, which takes you up to the gondola. From Zürich HB, this is about a 1hr10 journey.
By car: Drive to Schiggstrasse 14, 7323 Vilters-Wangs and park in the large parking lot next to the elevator. Parking costs CHF 5/day. You can pay with coins or the EasyPark app. Take the elevator up to the ticket office and gondola entrance. From Zürich, this is about a 1hr10 drive.
Trail overview
Here is the summer map for Pizol, where I’ve marked important elements. This loop hike starts at the top of Furt-Gaffia chair lift. It hikes up to the Garmil peak, then across to the Gamidauerspitz peak, then loops back down to the Gaffia chair lift.
Trail map
I recommend hiking this trail counterclockwise, because part of the trail between Garmil and Gamidauerspitz is a steep, slippery scramble and a bit exposed. It’s easier and safer to climb up this section than to hike down it. It’s a lot of elevation gain/descent packed into the 6.5 km.
See trail on SchweizMobil • Komoot • AllTrails • OutdoorActive
Trail conditions
The trail climbs to the Garmil peak, a typical red/white mountain trail on a dirt path with some obstacles, not dangerous at all. After Garmil, you follow a faint path through the grass to a steep scramble up the mountain. This section is new and not yet well-defined. When we were there in 2021, it was marked with bright orange sticks, not the typical red/white markers.
The slope is steep and the ground slippery with loose dirt and rocks. You need good hiking shoes and sticks on this part. Eventually the path flattens a bit and winds it way over to connect to the popular Five Lakes trail, with the Gamidauerspitz peak right above you. The trail up to that peak is not as difficult as it looks from below, so don’t worry and definitely go up there. Then hike down towards Gaffia on the same path as all the people on the Five Lakes trail.
Trail alternatives
Shorter option: If you don’t think the kids (or you) can make the whole distance or you want to skip the steep scramble to Gamidauerspitz, I would still recommend hiking from Gaffia to Garmil and back. It’s a really nice, well defined trail, not dangerous and fantastic views. Loved this peak! It’s about 4.4 km round trip from Gaffia to Garmil, with 316m up/down.
Longer option: This trail is part of the full “Quartet of Summits” trail is 18.6 km, visiting all 4 peaks in about 7.5 hrs. See trail map and details for the full “Gipfel Quartet” trail (in English).
Tickets for Pizol gondola
For this hike, you need a round trip ticket from Wangs to Gaffia, CHF 42/adult in 2021. Pizol gives a discount for GA and SBB Half-fare cards. Children with a SBB Junior card and those under 6 ride free. They also offer family discounts that include all children under 17.
If you are staying overnight, you can buy a day pass (or multi-day pass) with unlimited rides on mountain transport. This gave us the flexibility to travel around the mountain as we liked and ride the mountain carts multiple times. We stayed at Berghotel Gaffia near the chair lifts for this trail (see more about our hotel stay).
Operating times
The Pizol mountain transport is open for summer season from late June through mid October. With good weather, they often run also on weekends only through mid November. Lift may close without notice for bad weather, including strong winds.
The Wangs gondola starts running at 8:15. The last ride down from Gaffia is 16:30. Most of the lifts close over lunch. So check the schedule carefully before planning your day.
See current operating times here.
Planning your day
Timing for the hike
My husband and I did this hike in the late afternoon before dinner while the the kids rested at the hotel. We were on the trail about 3hrs, with 2hr actual walking time. We started at 16:00 and it was so wonderful to see the fading light over the mountains. Plus the trail was completely empty and quiet. A nice benefit of staying overnight in the mountains.
The last chair lift down from Gaffia is at 16:30 and mountain carts at Gaffia are available until 16:15.
What to wear and bring
This is a mountain trail where conditions can change quickly. So even on warm days, best to bring a layers in case the weather changes. You should wear sturdy hiking shoes with good tread. There are some sections with long grass, bushes and sharp rocks. So I would prefer long trousers instead of shorts to protect your legs. I recommend hiking sticks on this trail to help manage the very steep sections that have slippery ground. I would probably use metal points to dig into the dirt.
Services along the trail
There are no services along the trail. So bring at least 1L of water per person and energy snacks. It’s not a very long trail so you don’t need to bring a lot of food. There is a cafe near the chair lift where the trail start/end. I did not see any firepit along the trail and there wasn’t any wood to burn anyway.
Mountain carts
The trail ends at Gaffia, where you can rent a mountain cart to ride 2.2km down the mountain instead of riding the chair lift. We really enjoyed these and definitely recommend it. It costs CHF 13/adult and CHF 10/child aged 12-16. Younger children can ride double with an adult. They provide helmets and will send you backpack down the chair lift to meet you at the end of the ride. More info here.
Impressions of the Garmil + Gamidauerspitz trail
Climb to first peak – Garmil
From the Gaffia lift, it’s steady climb up the mountain on a dirt path as shown here.
You can already see the Garmil peak in the distance.
The path is a typical mountain train, narrow dirt, some rocks, not particularly dangerous. It is steep in parts, but that is expected.
Looking back along the trail. You can see how it snakes under the cliff walls, where we saw a sign warning of rock fall.
Getting closer to the Garmil peak. You can almost make out the cross at the top.
Looking back at Pizol. You can kinda see our hotel on the curve of the mountain road.
Loved this lush grassy section leading to the cliffs and peak.
At this trail sign, go right to walk the last few meters to the Garmil peak. Then come back here and follow the wood sign to Gamidauerspitz (maybe the sign will be new by the time you go).
Almost there and easy walking to the Garmil peak. There is a bench up there if you need a rest.
Climb up to Gamidauerspitz peak
Retrace your steps back to the trail sign. There is a very faint path leading through the grass up the mountain. We almost didn’t see it and argued for awhile if it was even a trail. But it is. I took a pic of the path but it just looks like grass. So instead, I’m showing this pic with the trail drawn on it. I highly recommend downloading the trail onto your phone so you can make sure you are going the right way.
This part was pretty hard! We had some trouble seeing the path, but we never lost the path. Parts were very steep and still the trail isn’t so well defined, it was sometimes tricky knowing where to step.
Hiking on the yellow part below was also difficult as the dirt was very loose and slippery. But we made it! I much preferred hiking up this than down, for sure.
Since it’s new, it doesn’t have proper red/white trail markers yet. Instead it has bright orange sticks as shown here.
The trail flattens for a short bit so we could catch our breath. It wasn’t well marked here so it took us awhile to figure out that the upper trail is the one we should follow.
Here the trail briefly connects to the main trail leading back down to Gaffia. But make a hard right here and follow the path up to Gamidauerspitz.
The trail gets really exciting here! It’s not as dangerous as it looks, pretty normal trail.
Ahead, you can see the Five Lakes trail. You can do that next time.
One of my favorite spots on the trail.
As you round the cliff wall, turn right and follow the path up to the peak. It’s only a couple minutes, don’t skip it. Then take pics like this and don’t fall off.
Hiking down to Gaffia
Then follow the path back down and join the Five Lakes trail and follow signs down to Gaffia.
It’s a well built trail with lots of switchbacks. But it’s over 300m of elevation descent in less than 2km. So it can hurt your knees and toes.
You can see the Garmil peak from here. Look how are you’ve hiked. Good job!
When you reach the Gaffia chair lift, you can get refreshments at the cafe there. You can also rent mountain carts to ride down to the next station instead of riding the chair. You don’t have to reserve ahead but you may need to wait in line as it gets busy in the afternoons. More information about Pizol mountain carts
Highly recommended!
I hope you like this hike at Pizol! See more hikes and activities at Pizol and eastern Switzerland.
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