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Rigi Hochflue Hike Near Brunnen, Switzerland: Hiker’s Guide

Rigi Hochflue Hike Near Brunnen, Switzerland: Hiker’s Guide

Rigi Hochflue is an incredibly challenging hike up a very steep incline that leads you to a panoramic viewpoint, marked by a cross looking out over Vierwaldstattersee, which is the huge Lake Lucerne. The hike is not for the faint-hearted with a vertical ladder climb on the way up and a rocky descent on the way down.

a man with a beard is climbing up a mountain.

RIGI HOCHFLUE HIKE

  • Hike Duration: 5 hours
  • Hike Difficulty: Consistent steep climbs. Vertical ladder up rock-face (not hard but if you fall it won’t be pretty). The descent is with chains bolted in for hand-holds and steep rocks. Very steep decline. I would rate this with up there as very physically challenging and attack with caution
  • Hike Incline: Starting point at Goldau Arth: 510m – Rigi Hochflue height: 1698m

YOU WILL ALSO LIKE MY SWITZERLAND HIKING GUIDE: 50 AWESOME HIKES IN SWITZERLAND

a man sitting on top of a mountain with his arms in the air.

HOW TO GET TO RIGI HOCHFLUE

Mount Rigi ‘Queen of the Mountains’ is located in central Switzerland and can be reached by train in just under an hour or 40 minutes by car. The train station you need is Goldau-Arth where you will begin the hike (in Goldau town). 

If you have the Swiss Half-Card you will receive a huge discount on your tickets. I bought mine when I arrived in Switzerland and it has saved me over a thousand dollars throughout my trip.

GET A SWISS TRAVEL PASS!

a red and yellow train traveling through the mountains.
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Enjoy UNLIMITED train, boat, and bus rides in Switzerland for up to 15 days. Click to book a flex Swiss Travel Pass or choose the Consecutive Swiss Travel Pass.

The Swiss Travel Pass starts at $260 for 3 days. Click here to check if it’s available on your travel dates.

TRAILHEAD MAPS AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR RIGI HOCHFLUE

There are several ways to get to the Rigi Hochflue Viewpoint. It is possible to drive up part of the way or even take a cable car up to Rigi and avoid the massive incline. There are even multiple access points to Rigi Hochflue so you can climb up on multiple sides of the viewpoint.

I’m going to tell you how I did it and then make some alternate suggestions.

  • Arrive at the town of Goldau (Goldau/Arth station)
  • There are considerable signs in the town on the yellow placards and what you are looking for is Gatterlipass or Gatterli, which is the halfway point of the hike. If you can make it to Gatterlipass, which is a restaurant up in the mountains, it is signed from that point on for Rigi Hochflue, although there are also signs in the town for Rigi Hochflue.
  • The best way to get started is to head to the Wolf’s Den Cabin. If you follow your way to this cabin you will ultimately be on the right track and can follow the red and white ‘Wanderweg’ (trail) markers and the yellow signs to Gatterli and then to Rigi Hochflue. I’ve attached the Google Map directions to make sure you reach the cabin and then from this point on it is very well signed and you can also just make sure you more or less head towards Gatterlipass.

 

I’ve then created this map below that shows the way toward Gatterli Pass and to the Rigi Hochflue although. you will have signs pointing you in the right direction the whole way from Wolfden’s Mountain Cabin to Gatterli Pass and then to Rigi Hochflue.

Goldau Train Station to Wolfden's Cabin to Gatterlipass to Rigi Hochflue Map

Once we made it to the top there are lots of signs pointing you wherever you need to go. You can descend with the following options:

  • Return the same way you came back to Goldau (3.5 hours)
  • Head down to Gersau (2 hours and 20 minutes)
  • Head down to Brunnen (3 hours)
  • There are some cable cars etc. in the area but I’m not sure how they are functioning and from exactly where you can get them so I will let you figure that out of you want to save your legs on the way down.

GOLDAU TOWN TO WOLFDEN’S CABIN

After arriving at Goldau station, we had little idea where to walk but quickly found a few of those fantastic yellow signs that are posted all over Switzerland. We were headed for Gatterlipass, where we knew there were signs of Rigi Hochflue. The trail took us on a paved road, in the middle of the rough Swiss sun for almost three kilometers past pastures and houses in the field. It was pretty but also steaming. 

We continued our way to the edge of the forest until we reached the ‘Wolfden’s Cabin’ as I mentioned earlier in the instructions.

The paved road from Goldau Station to Wolfden’s Cabin
No cover from the harsh sun on our way to the forest.

WOLFDEN’S CABIN TO GATTERLI PASS

Once you hit the cabin the trail immediately heads straight up into the mountain. There are few breaks in the intense incline although you are covered from the sun, which is about the only respite. There are genuine sections of the trail that are a 45-degree incline for 15 minutes straight. We were surprised by the intensity of the trail.

The beautiful moments were deep inside the forest where the trees were so dense we could hardly see out to the mountains in the distance.

Once you hit the forest it is up, up, up.
The huge trees give some great shade.
One of the few flat sections on the way to Gatterlipass
Following the dirt path within the forest.

Aside from the grand scale of the trees in the forest, the highlights were the free mountain raspberries we picked up as snacks along the way. They were plentiful and found throughout the hike. They proved to be a great rest stop for us at many moments. The other highlight was finding this strange, sleek, black lizard who crawled across our path.

The cheapest snacks in Switzerland are free raspberries.
Lizard, Salamander or Dinosaur?

After about an hour and a half, we emerged from the forest and back out into the open sun. We now had no coverage from the shade but beautiful views to the mountains and beyond. You can’t have it all! From this point, we followed the signs that led us through more pastures, cows, and fields full of flowers. The layers of mountains in the distance kept us entertained as we started to pray there was water available at Gatterlipass.

Open fields again after exiting the forest.
Beautiful Switzerland. Almost at Gatterlipass now.
Mountain Layers on the way to Gatterlipass.

And we finally made it to Gatterlipass after about two or so hours. We were out of the water but luckily there was a freshwater tap, albeit with the lowest water pressure in the world. It took about five minutes to fill a bottle but we were stoked to be able to replenish our supplies.

There is a restaurant at Gatterlipass but it wasn’t open on the day we arrived. For reference, it was 11:30 am on a Tuesday so maybe it is only open on the weekends. Either way, we had packed some pretzels, honey, and snacks. While a coffee would have been great, we had sufficient stocks to make it through the day. 

You can actually drive up to Gatterlipass somehow as we saw parked cars. That made us feel great as we sat dripping in sweat and tired from the crazy incline!

Gatterli pass restaurant.
Gatterlipass restaurant views.

GATTERLIPASS TO RIGI HOCHFLUE HIKE

After drinking several liters of water and downing our pretzels we begrudgingly left the Gatterlipass restaurant and headed up the hill towards Rigi Hochflue. From here you have sufficient signage the whole way.

All you do need to know is that at a certain point there are two Rigi Hochflue signs. One leads you to the vertical ladder and the other to the alternate path, which is 30 minutes longer. If you choose the short route with the vertical ladder you will now follow blue and white markers. Otherwise, keep following the classic red and white stripes on the trees and rocks.

On the way up to the ladder, you will come across a tree that will keep your spirits up!

Here we go to the Hochflue
So many routes. We want blue!
Getting steeper now!
We can see the Hochflue in the distance.
At this point, the tree was the only one smiling as we grimaced up the hill!

The trail was genuinely steep now and took us quite a while to power up to the base of the wall where we encountered the vertical ladder. It wasn’t quite as dangerous as I thought it might be. It didn’t overhang a huge drop and had a base below it and was almost tucked in between a couple of boulders. If it was out on the edge of a huge drop I would be a little more intimidated.

Climbing up the ladder was one of my favorite parts of the whole hike as it honestly had some of the best views of the whole day.

The vertical ladder wasn’t too bad.

Once we made it up to the ladder that was pretty much it. We had scaled the rocks and made it to the summit of Rigi Hochflue. The huge cross looked out over the Lucerne Lake and snow-capped mountains created the ultimate backdrop for the view. There are lots of awesome things to do in Lucerne if you are in the region for a couple of days or more.

Mountains covered the horizon in all directions while lakes filled the valleys below. We were stunned at the beauty around us considering it was quite an off-beat hike! I took a seat and enjoyed the view for a while before sending up the drone for an aerial perspective!

The cross at the top of Rigi Hochflue.
Looking for our next peak to summit
Yewwww we made it!
Aerial view of Rigi Hochflue
Lucerne Lake
A cabin on the way down to Brunnen
The cross and epic landscape of Rigi Hochflue

RIGI HOCHFLUE DOWN TO BRUNNEN OR GERSAU

Now that you have reached the summit you have to get down. We could choose either:

  • The 2hr route to Gersau and catch a1 10-minute bus to Brunnen
  • The 3-hr route down to Brunnen
  • Return 4-hrs back to Goldau

We chose to head to Brunnen and actually cut out in between Brunnen and Gersau and caught the bus to Brunnen so we only took about 2-hours to get down.

The route down is very steep cutting its way through the rocks. Solid chains have been installed along the route, which made the journey much safer. We had to keep our eyes focused on the trail instead of being distracted by the epic views over the lake.

The boys making the descent.

The descent was so steep that we all had sore quads when we finally emerged after a couple of hours at the edge of the forest. It was a physically demanding hike that put us through our paces. We emerged about 3 km out of Brunnen, which meant we would have to catch a $5 bus to the train station in Brunnen because none of us wanted to do another 3km!

Where we emerged from the trail to meet the lake.

Luckily we emerged right next to the beautiful lake and there was no question, we needed to cool off. It was one of the most refreshing swims of my life and what a view!

So thankful for this lake.
Lucerne Lake is stunning and super clear.

We caught the bus back to Brunnen Train Station and then from there went back through Goldau and all then on to our transit home. It was a wonderful hike but I do only suggest this one if you want a challenge. It isn’t a comfortable hike but it was great fun!

I hope you enjoyed this guide to the Rigi Hochflue Hike in Switzerland.

SWISS TRAVEL PASS or HALF-FARE CARD

OPTION 1: Buy the Swiss Half Fare Card: Switzerland trains, buses, and cable cars are EXPENSIVE! I found the best way to get around cheaply was to buy the Swiss Half-Fare Card before I arrived. It gives you 50% off every regular train, bus, and even many cable cars. It only costs $150 USD but pays itself off in just a few days with many train tickets in Switzerland costing close to $100 alone. If you are staying for more than 5 days, I suggest buying the Swiss Half-Fare Card.

OPTION 2: Buy the Swiss Travel Pass: The second option is to get the Swiss Travel Pass, which gives you unlimited train, bus, and (many) cable car rides but it’s pretty expensive at around $100 USD per day so if you don’t travel each day it isn’t worth it.

OPTION 3: Buy the FLEXI Swiss Travel Pass: The final (BEST) option is to get the FLEXI Swiss Travel Pass, which allows you to buy 8 days’ worth of transit but you can choose the night before if you want to activate the next day. That way you don’t need to travel every day to get your money’s worth, you can just activate the FLEXI Swiss Travel Pass on the days when you are doing sizeable transits. My advice is to book the Swiss Half-Fare Card or the FLEXI Swiss Travel Pass in advance before your trip so it’s ready to go when you arrive.

GET A SWISS TRAVEL PASS!

a red and yellow train traveling through the mountains.
a person holding a smartphone with a map and a qr code.

Enjoy UNLIMITED train, boat, and bus rides in Switzerland for up to 15 days. Click to book a flex Swiss Travel Pass or choose the Consecutive Swiss Travel Pass.

The Swiss Travel Pass starts at $260 for 3 days. Click here to check if it’s available on your travel dates.

MY SWITZERLAND HIKING GUIDES

I spent 100 days hiking in Switzerland and created a guide for different regions around the country. You can click on one of my Switzerland hiking guides below to help you plan your trip.

MY SWITZERLAND TRAVEL TIPS

RJ

Thursday 9th of September 2021

We should appreciate it more that we are allowed to live in this beautiful place. I grew up in Gersau and live in Brunnen today. was many times on the Hochflue ... Beautiful how you describe this hike.

:-) I rave about down under ...

Rodrigo

Saturday 18th of April 2020

I moved to this region last year and I am still discovering places like this one. I just got to the Gatterli Pass today, but I hope I will make to the top next time. Thank you for the great tips and pics and the nice post about Switzerland. Cheers to Adelaide ??

Jackson

Sunday 19th of April 2020

Hey Rodrigo! Yes some epic spots around there. Enjoy :)