We love this beautiful lake in the Appenzell area, surrounded by the impressive Alpstein mountain peaks. You can reach it by walking up a service road or hiking trail, no cable car needed.
The Seealpsee lake is a very popular spot on sunny weekends, but there’s plenty of room to spread out. At the lake, you can stroll around the lake, picnic on the shore, row a boat around the water, eat at a restaurant, even splash in the water on a hot day.
Keep reading for all the info you need to plan your outing to Seealpsee.
Note: This post describes the safest way to reach the Seealpsee. Some people hike to the Seealpsee lake on the trail leading down the mountain from the Aescher cliff restaurant. However this trail can be very dangerous – five people died on that trail just in summer 2022. So we are recommending the trail described in this post, which is much safer.
| Location: | Appenzell, Eastern Switzerland |
| Address: | Schwendetalstrasse 82, 9057 Wasserauen |
| Car: | Metered parking next to cable car From Appenzell 10 mins, from Zürich 1hr20 |
| Train: | Train station: Wasserauen From Appenzell 12 mins, from Zürich 2hr05 |
| Trail: | 5.6 km round trip |
| Elevation: | highest point 1040 m |
| Condition: | paved and gravel service road, but no strollers due to steepness |
| Skill: | easy terrain, moderate fitness, 270m up/down |
| Open: | May to October |
| Prices: | free, except parking |
| Services: | restaurant, playground |
| More info: | www.ebenalp.ch • webcam • forecast |
Location
The Seealpsee is located in the Appenzell region of Eastern Switzerland. This hike starts at the Wasserauen parking & train station. See location on Google Maps.
Trail overview
Below is the summer hiking map for the Ebenalp area. The Seealpsee lake is in an alpine valley surrounded by mountains.
The yellow trail is the safe and easier trail to the Seealpsee, walking on a wide service road (sometimes steep though). The red trail is a narrow dirt foot path with uneven terrain and stairs. Both routes are beautiful. But if you are a less experienced hiker and/or hiking with small children, we suggest the service road.
At the lake, you can optionally walk around the lake, which adds about 1.5 km. For your return trip, you can go up and back on the same trail you came up. Or do a loop so you see something different on the way up and down.
Note: You can also reach the Seealpsee by descending a mountain trail from the Ebenalp cable car. However, there have been many deadly accidents on this trail recently. So we highly recommend using the service road instead. If you are an experienced hiker, see details for the Ebenalp to Seealpsee mountain trail.
Hiking map
Below are hiking maps for both the service road and mountain trail. You can hike up and back on the same trail. Or you can do a loop so you see something different on the way back.
Map for service road route
Here is the hiking map for the service road path from Wasserauen (yellow above). It’s 2.8 km to the lake, about 1 hour. Return the same way. Optional 1.7km loop around lake on easy, flat gravel path.
See trail map on Komoot • SchweizMobil • OutdoorActive
The service road is a wide relatively obstacle-free path, suitable for less experienced hikers and children. It is not suitable for strollers or wheelchairs as it is very steep at times. It is not a difficult hike, but it does require some fitness to climb the 270m of elevation to reach the lake.
Map for mountain trail loop
Below is the hiking map for the more difficult mountain trail from Wasserauen to Seealpsee (red trail from above). I’ve mapped it as a loop, starting with the mountain trail because it’s a bit easier hike this terrain up than down. Then return via the service road. But you can customize the route to your liking.
See trail map on Komoot • SchweizMobil • OutdoorActive
It’s about 3km (about 1hr20) on the mountain trail from Wasserauen to the lake. Then about 1.7 km around the lake (about 30 mins). Then 2.75 km on the service road back to Wasserauen (about 1 hour).
The mountain trail portion is a narrow dirt path with uneven terrain, many stairs, and steep sections with loose rock. It’s not particularly dangerous but it is more suited to experienced hikers that are comfortable with this kind of terrain.
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 hike starts on the road directly in front of the train station.
From Zürich, you typically take a train to Gossau, then change to the S23 trains to Wasserauen, BahnhofFrom 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
Cost
There is no fee to visit the Seealpsee. Your only cost is parking if you drove.
When to go
The best time to visit the Seealpsee is May through early November. Since you don’t have to take a cable car to reach the lake, you can visit any time of day. This is a popular destination, so it can be very crowded on sunny weekends and holidays. If possible, visit on a weekday and/or overcast days.
Where to eat
There are two restaurants located directly at the Seealpsee: Gasthaus Forelle and Berggasthaus Seealpsee. Both have restaurants that are open for lunch with outdoor patios. We have eaten at Gasthaus Forelle and enjoyed their food, especially the grilled trout.
You can picnic along the lakeshore but there are no official picnic areas with tables and grill pits/wood. We did see many informal fire pits but wood is scarce. I would suggest a cold picnic instead. If you need picnic supplies, best to stop at a grocery in Appenzell before continuing on to Wasserauen:
- Migros – Unteres Ziel, 9050 Appenzell
- Coop – Zielstrasse 13, 9050 Appenzell
- Volg – Weissbadstrasse 86, 9050 Appenzell
Where to stay
At the Seealpsee, you can stay overnight at Gasthaus Forelle and Berggasthaus Seealpsee. They do not offer luggage transfer, so you must carry your luggage from Wasserauen 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.
What to wear and bring
If you are walking on the service road, you can wear any comfortable walking shoes. If you are using the hiking path, you should wear sturdy hiking shoes with good tread and bring hiking sticks for 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.
There are restaurants at both ends of this trail where you can buy drinks and food. But I still recommend bringing at least 1 L of water per person and snacks.
See also our Hiking Pack List for Kids
Photo story of trail
1. Arrival in Wasserauen
As you approach Wasserauren, you already have beautiful views of the mountains. This picture was taken in mid-May.
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.
Hiking up the service road
The trail starts on the road in front of the train station. If you are taking the service road, just follow the road up the valley. If you are starting with the mountain trail, take the footpath to your left, following signs to Seealpsee. My photo story will start with the service road and end with the mountain trail.
The service road starts very flat through cow pastures like this one.
After a few minutes, you’ll pass this kiosk that sells ice cream and snacks. It wasn’t open the day we were there.
After the gate shown here, the road gets steep and climbs the mountain.
Looking back on the road towards Wasserauen. You have mountain views most of the time, not too much in the forest.
At this junction, a mountain trail from Ebenalp joins the road. Keep walking on the road, direction Seealpsee.
About 10 mins after the junction, you start to see a few barns, buildings and cows. You are almost to the lake.
2. Arrival at the Seealpsee lake
The road leads you directly to the lake. You can follow the path to your right to walk around the lake. Or go the restaurants on your left.
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.
3. Walk around the lake
If you have energy and time, I recommend walking all around the lake. Even on a crowded day, there is plenty of room to find a nice quiet place to relax.
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.
It’s an easy gravel and dirt path, about 25 mins around.
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.
The fall colors are nice in mid October.
4. Renting a rowboat
I highly recommend renting a rowboat from the restaurant. Last time we went, it cost CHF 5 for 30 minutes. 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 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.
5. Hiking back down to Wasserauen
To walk back to your car or train back to Wasserauen, it’s easiest to take the service road you came up on, the left path in the photo below. The path on the right leads to the mountain trail.
If you are an experienced hiker, you can take the more difficult hiking trail, which I’ll show in detail below. 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 and is quite easy at first.
Then the long downhill starts and the trail gets more lumpy.
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, so take your time.
A little more than an hour after leaving the lake, we had the car park in sight. Our knees were hurting a bit from all the downhill.
Hope you enjoy Seealpsee!
Frequently asked questions
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.
Are dogs allowed at Seealpsee?
Yes, dogs are welcome at the Seealpsee and you will see many people with their dogs here. But please be courteous to other hikers by keeping your dog on the leash on the trail and cleaning up after your dog. The restaurants at Seealpsee are dog friendly.
Can I use a stroller or wheelchair on the Seealpsee path?
Although the service road is relatively obstacle free, it is not recommended to use a stroller or wheelchair on this path because it is so steep at times. Please see our stroller-friendly trails and official network of obstacle-free paths in Switzerland.
Can you swim in the Seealpsee?
Yes, you are allowed to swim. However, the water is so cold that you rarely see anyone swimming there. Some will cool off quickly or splash around on the shore.
Can you visit Seealpsee in winter?
Depending on the snow conditions, it is possible to visit Seealpsee in winter by walking up the service road from Wasserauen. The other hiking trails will be closed during this time and not safe to use until after the snow melts in summer.
4 Responses
Hi , Thanks for the great post, we are planning a day hike to seealpsee and was wondering if it’s ok to take our small camping stove and cook something while around the lake and enjoy the day.
Could you please let me know Is this acceptable or will it look antisocial in that case we’ll plan something else.
many thanks
A cooking stove would be definitely fine. It’s probably better for the area than a fire pit, which people do there too.
Good post, given the recent tragedies. One note I might add, but this information is a few years old. While taking the train to Wasserauen in the Fall, can’t remember which months, probably Sep/Oct, the train service stopped one or two stops BEFORE Wasserauen, which made sense, given the less number of hikers during this time of year. So, if important to a hiker, they would need to calculate the walking time from the last train stop to Wasserauen. Again, this may have recently changed. Best!
Thanks for sharing your experience. The online train schedule should indicate where the train stops. In some cases there are special codes that indicate certain days and seasons when the train/bus does not stop at certain stops. I’ll definitely look for this next time I ride to Wasserauen.