This winter trail hikes up to Gamplüt, a sunny hill overlooking the beautiful Toggenburg valley and Alpstein peaks.
Starting directly from the parking or bus stop, the groomed winter path winds up the mountain to the Gamplüt mountain restaurant.
You can optionally hike a bit further to a higher viewpoint or simply continue the loop back to your starting point.
Keep reading for the details for this winter hike.
Contents
Quick Info
| Region | Toggenburg region, Eastern Switzerland |
| Address: | Chuchitobel parking, Wildhaus |
| By car: | Metered parking – Egg 289, 9658 Wildhaus From Zürich 1hr30 |
| By public transport: | Bus stop: Wildhaus, Dorf From Zürich 1h45 |
| Trail: | 2h30 • ⬇️trail map |
| Distance: | 7.3 km loop |
| Difficulty: | moderate • 360 up & down |
| Condition: | groomed winter trail |
| Elevation: | 1100m to 1430m |
| Open: | Dec to March, assuming snow |
| Cost: | free |
| Services: | restaurant & WC at middle point and parking |
| More info: | trail status • weather • webcam |
Gallery
Trail overview
This winter trail is ScwheizMobil Route 153 (solid). If you prefer to snowshoe, you can follow Route 711 (dotted).
Starting at the Wildhaus parking, the winter trail is a loop, hiking up to the Gamplüt restaurant. After the restaurant, you can optionally hike up to a higher viewpoint. Then descend on the other side of the loop.
The winter trail is on the service road, making it a wide walking path. If there is enough snow, the path is groomed with machines.
This means you can hike in winter boots, no snowshoes required. However, if snow conditions are poor, the path may be lumpy with ice patches and/or mud.
Trail map
This trail map shows the Wildhaus Gamplüt winter hiking route. It is marked with pink trail signs labeled Wildhaus-Gamplüt-Weg 153.
See trail map on SwitzerlandMobility • Komoot
We find it easier to hike this clockwise, so the ascent is more gradual. The ascent on the right side of the loop is steeper.
More in this region: We also like the Wildhaus Gamperfin winter trail and Sellamat snowshoe route.
How to get there
This snowshoe trail is located in Wildhaus, in the Toggenburg region of Eastern Switzerland.
By car:
Park in the metered parking lot at Egg 289, 9658 Wildhaus. You can pay the meter with EasyPark mobile app.
By public transport:
Take a bus to Wildhaus, Dorf. Then a 4 min walk to the trail start at the Chuchitobel parking lot.
Planning your day
Opening times
The snowshoe trail is usually open from December to March, depending on snow conditions. Even if there is not much snow, you can usually still do this trail. Check trail status on SchweizMobil.
Services
The Gamplüt restaurant is in the middle of the trail, at the top of the gondola. Usually open daily 8:30 – 16:30. Cash only!
For a picnic, we like the benches at the highest point of the trail – see on map.
There is a free public WC near the parking and at the Gamplüt restaurant (door is behind the restaurant, near the wind turbine).
Photo story of trail
The photo story describes the hike in a clockwise direction. But fyi, some photos show us walking in the “wrong” direction since they were taken on a different trip.
1. Starting the trail
Here’s the Wildhaus parking, the start and end of the winter trail loop.
The winter trail follows the service road. The lower parts are often snow free as shown here.
The road passes by lots of cute chalets.
Follow the pink signs labeled 153.
You’ll have fantastic views of the Churfirsten peaks across the valley.
Looking down to the Wildhaus village.
As we got higher up the mountain, the road was covered in snow. It had not been recently groomed, but the tractor tires has flattened the snow to make it easy walking.
Looking across to the Chäserrugg ski resort.
Some of the path was slippery with ice, so we were glad to have hiking sticks.
Path flattening out as we get closer to the top.
View of Mt Säntis from the trail.
On this day, it was pre-season and the winter trail had not been groomed after the most recent snow. So it was quite lumpy but still possible without snowshoes.
2. Arriving at the restaurant
At about the halfway point, you reach the Gamplüt restaurant next to the top of the cable car. The restaurant is open almost every day. Cash only.
Nice big sunny terrace with a view.
Also a cozy inside if you need to warm up.
3. Detour to viewpoint
We suggest climbing the hill just above the restaurant to get a bit closer to the mountains.
Looking back on the trail.
The path to the viewpoint is supposed to be groomed, but it wasn’t both times we were there. But so many hikers has already done it that the snow was packed down.
View from the trail up.
The reward for the climb.
Some benches at the top, nice place for a picnic.
You can explore farther up the valley, but then you have to come back the same way to rejoin the main trail. There is a steep trail down through the forest, but we don’t recommend it.
4. Down on the winter trail
After the viewpoint, hike back to the main winter trail and continue the loop down to Wildhaus.
It was early December, so the trail wasn’t groomed yet.
This side of the loop is much steeper.
The shady sections had slippery ice patches – be careful!
No snow on the last few minutes of the trail as we returned to the parking.
Hope you enjoy this day out!
See more winter trails and snowshoe routes.
