In winter, many ski resorts near Lucerne prepare winter hiking trails, where the snow is groomed so you don’t need snowshoes or special equipment. Below are our favorite winter hiking trails that are good day trips from Lucerne and Zurich. Most are pretty easy, suitable for casual hikers and families.
All of these are good days trips from Zurich too. But check out my other list of Best winter hiking trails near Zurich
1. Mount Rigi winter hike
During winter, Rigi grooms the snow on the panorama trail so anyone can enjoy the walk without special equipment. We like to start at the top at Rigi Kulm, first wandering around the viewpoint area with other tourists. Then we descend on the winter trail to Rigi Klösterli, where we catch the train down the rest of the mountain. You can easily shorten or lengthen this walk to suit your crew’s needs.
- Hike: Moderate • 2 h • 4 k • 50m up, 440m down
- Cost: Mountain train Adult CHF 72. Discount for SBB Half-fare Card. Free with GA and for children to age 15.
- Location: Rigi mountain train from Arth Goldau, southeast of Lucerne. See on map.
- Distance from Zürich: 40 mins by car, 50 mins by train
See details for Rigi Panorama Winter Hike.
You can combine this hike with the Rigi “Classic Round Trip” which includes a boat ride from Lucerne, cogwheel mountain train to Rigi Kulm and cable car ride. In this case, you would do a shorter version of the the winter walk to Rigi Kaltbad. Book here.
2. Rigi Scheidegg
On the southern end of the Rigi mountain range, you can ride a cable car up to Rigi Scheidegg. At the top, there is a short winter walking trail on groomed snow with spectacular mountain views. Lots of benches along the way where you can lounge and soak in the sun.
It has a short climb to get your heartbeat up, but otherwise quite easy. If you want a longer outing, you can just keep walking, following the panorama trail as far as you like and ride the mountain train back.
- Hike: Easy • 1 h • 3 k • 100m up & down
- Cost: Cable car Adult CHF 44. Discount for SBB Half-fare Card. Free with GA and for children to age 15.
- Location: Kräbel-Rigi Scheidegg cable car, southeast of Lucerne. See on map.
- Distance from Zürich: 40 mins by car, 50 mins by train
See details for Rigi Scheidegg winter hike
3. Brunni Engelberg winter hike
Surrounded by impressive mountain peaks, I absolutely adore this easy winter trail at Brunni Engelberg. After riding a cable car and chair lift up the mountain, the trail leads away from the busy ski hill onto a wide path that winds its merry way down the mountain. About halfway down, you’ll find an alpine restaurant where you can enjoy refreshments on their outdoor terrace.
The trail is a bit short for a full day. So we suggest starting with the exciting 2.5 sledding path near the start of this trail. Then enjoy the winter hike in the afternoon.
- Hike: Easy – 1.3 h – 3 k – 270m down
- Cost: Mountain lift return Adult CHF 46, discounts for children and Swiss travel cards
- Location: Brunni-Bahnen cable car – Wydenstr 55, Engelberg
- Distance from Zürich: 1hr15 by car, 2hr by train
See details for Brunni Engelberg winter hike.
4. Engelberg Trübsee – walk around alpine lake
This short and easy winter walk loops around the Trübsee lake at the Engelberg Titlis ski resort. The trail has open views of the surrounding mountains (no forest) and is quiet, happily set away from the busy ski slopes. Your walk ends at a self-service restaurant and small sledding hill with free sleds and magic carpet.
- Hike: Easy • 1 h • 3 k • 20m up, 40m down
- Cost: gondola Adult CHF 36, discounts for Swiss travel cards and children
- Location: Engelberg-Titlis cable car – Gerschnistrasse 12, 6390 Engelberg
- Distance from Zürich: 1h10 by car, 2h by train
See details for Engelberg Trübsee winter hike
5. Fürenalp Engelberg winter hike & sled run
On this winter hike, you hike up the path then sled back, adding a little thrill to the hike. Sleds are provided for free and you can repeat the loop as many times as you like. Though in practicality, we were pretty tired after 3 loops.
The mountain views are so spectacular that just enjoying a hot drink and cake at the restaurant would be lovely outing in itself. If you want a longer walk, they also rent snowshoes so you can explore the mountain above you.
- Hike: Easy • 30 mins • 2 k • 100m up/down
- Cost: cable car Adult CHF 20.50 / Child CHF 10. Slight discount with Swiss travel cards.
- Location: Fürenalp cable car in Engelberg, south of Lucerne. See on map.
- Distance from Zürich: 1h20 by car, 2h15 by train/bus
See details for Fürenalp winter hike & sledding
6. Arnisee easy winter walk to frozen lake
Ride a tiny cable car the mountain to reach this easy winter trail in the mountains. It leads to a beautiful lake that partially freezes in winter, with a backdrop of tall mountain peaks. There is a mountain hotel and restaurant near the lake. If you have snowshoes, you can do a longer loop.
- Hike: Easy • 40 mins • 2 km loop • 40m up & down
- Cost for lifts: cable car return CHF 16/adult, CHF 8/child. No discounts with travel cards.
- Location: Intschi-Arnisee cable car – see on map
- Distance from Lucerne: 40 mins by car, 1hr35 by train
See details for Arnisee-Weg winter trail
7. Wirzweli
Ride two cable cars to reach a lovely viewpoint over this mountain area and restaurant. From there, the winter hike is mostly downhill, sometimes in the forest, a very quiet and peaceful walk. Part of the trail is also the sled run, so make sure to listen for oncoming sledders to avoid collisions.
- Hike: Easy • 1h45 • 5.3 k • 30m up, 380m down – see trail map
- Cost for lifts: Adult CHF 28.40. Discounts for children and Swiss travel cards.
- Location: Dallenwil-Wirzweli cable car – Wiesenbergstrasse 25, 6383 Dallenwil
- Distance from Zürich: 50 mins by car, 1hr20 by train
See details for Wirzweli winter hike.
8. Sattel Hochstuckli winter hike
This easy trail loops around a small mountain, with panorama views of neighboring peaks like Rigi and Grosser Mythen. It includes walking over the 100m long suspension bridge. After the hike, you can add a little excitement by sledding 3.5 km down the mountain. It’s a good choice for any non-skier, but particularly parents that are waiting for their kids in ski school.
When it snows, the resort prepares the trail with machine so you can walk on it without snowshoes. But it can get icy in the shade, so I like to bring traction cleats just in case. Since this trail is rather low elevation, it doesn’t necessarily have snow all winter season. But you can usually still walk this trail, though it might be muddy.
- Hike: Easy • 2h • 5.75 k • 140m up/down
- Cost: cable car Adult CHF 26, discounts for Swiss travel cards and children, free with GA
- Location: Sattel-Mostelberg cable car: Eumatt, 6417 Sattel
- Distance from Zürich: 45 mins by car, 1hr20 by train
See trail map and details for Sattel Hochstuckli winter hike.
9. Melchsee-Frutt
This winter hike is long but easy, wandering around an alpine lake and mountain arena. From the top of the gondola, you walk through the ski village to a free standing elevator that takes you down to the lake and trail. Then you walk to the far end of the loop where you’ll find a restaurant. Then back along the lakeshore to your starting point. End your day with a 7k long sled run
- Hike: Moderate • 9 k • 3hr45 • 140m up & down
- Cost: Lifts Adult CHF 37. Discount for children and Swiss travel cards.
- Location: Stöckalp-Melchsee-Frutt gondola, southwest of Lucerne. See on map.
- Distance from Zürich: 1hr10 by car, 2hr10 by train/bus
10. Hasliberg winter hike
Beautiful views of the Bernese Oberland mountains from this short and easy winter hike at the Hasliberg ski resort. It takes less than an hour, so you may want to add other activities to fill up the day, like sledding or another winter hike. We did this hike, then a long lunch, then a second winter hike in the afternoon.
- Hike: Easy • 3 k • 1 hr • 30m up, 150m down
- Cost: Lifts Adult CHF 32. Discount for children and Swiss travel cards.
- Location: Hasliberg Twing-Käserstatt gondola, near Interlaken. See on map.
- Distance from Zürich: 1hr20 by car, 2hr10 by train/bus
See details for Hasliberg winter hike
11. Stoos Fronalpstock winter hike
Ride the steepest funicular train in Switzerland to the quaint Stoos village. Then two chairlift to a spectacular viewpoint over Lake Lucerne and many mountains. From here, there’s a short winter walk along the cliffs to give yourself more time to soak in the beauty. Afterwards, enjoy a meal at the restaurant and optionally sled 3.5 k down the mountain back to the village.
- Hike: Easy • 30 mins • 1 k • 10m up & down
- Cost for lifts: Adult CHF 48. Discounts for children and Swiss travel cards.
- Location: Stoos funicular southeast of Lucerne. See on map.
- Distance from Zürich: 50 mins by car, 1hr20 by train
See details for Stoos Fronalpstock winter hike.
12. Höher Schachentalerweg winter hike
Traverse the sunny side of a mountain range, with big panorama views across the valley. We did a 7.4 km stretch, but you can easily adjust the distance by using different cable cars along the way. We chose to walk downhill for an easier day, but you can hike in reverse for more fitness. There are several restaurants at the small ski resorts you pass on the trail.
- Hike: Easy • 2.5 h • 7.4 k • 90m up, 320m down
- Cost: Cable cars Adult CHF 21, no discounts for Swiss travel cards
- Location: southeast of Lucerne, Brügg-Ruogig cable car. See on map.
- Distance from Zürich: 1hr10 by car, 2hr by train/bus
See details for Höher Schächentalerweg winter hike
What to wear for a winter hike
For groomed snow winter trails, you should wear waterproof hiking shoes, preferably with a high ankle to help keep out the snow. In case you encounter icy conditions, I would suggest bringing traction cleats that attach to your shoes. I also suggest bringing hiking sticks with snow baskets to help with stability.
Wear warm clothing appropriate to the weather forecast. Best to wear layers as you can get quite warm while walking, but also cool down quickly once you stop.
For more tips, see What to wear and pack for a winter hike.
