Located in the beautiful Appenzell region, spending one whole day hiking at Saxer Lücke during in June for the summer is a great choice for a beautiful short hike for all ages. This exclusive white-red-white trail hike will let you discover the beautiful, spikey mountain peaks and unique geological aspects from the region, with impressive views also towards Lichtenstein, Austria and more of Switzerland.
The hike is possible for all ages with a good level of fitness, and can be combined with hiking to a few other peaks or lakes nearby during 1 day. This post is based on our experience starting the hike by 9am in the morning and taking it slow, easy and with a relaxed pace.
Since experiencing this hike, we can see why it’s quite popular in Switzerland. But if you time it right, you’ll enjoy the hike all to yourselves – like we did.
So read on to see more about the route details, our experience, our tips and some photos to inspire you for hiking at Saxer Lücke during the month of June!
About Saxer Lücke
The Saxer Lücke mountain viewpoint is part of the Alpstein mountain range, located in the Appenzell region of Switzerland – between the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and St. Gallen.
TIP: Get excited for the hike by checking the local webcams!
Saxer Lücke Route Details
The trail itself is manageable for all ages, with just a few small sections that could be a little steep for young children. The pathway is mostly dirt and some rocks along the way, passing the amazing views of the area along the whole route.
Here below are some of the route details about our hike from Berggasthaus Staubern to Saxer Lücke:
- 1 hour 8 minutes one way
- 3kms in length one way
- 91m ascent / 129 decent elevation
- Route open from late May through early November (due to winter closure)
Arriving by car or public transport
By Car:
If you are starting in the same location as us, you can park your car at the bottom of the Berggasthaus funicular. When we arrived on the Friday evening around 5pm, there was plenty of space – but keep in mind it might be quite busy on weekends and public holidays with good weather.
Parking location: Frümsnerbergstrasse, 9467 Sennwald
By Public Transport:
You can arrive by bus, which brings you to the main village area Frümsen, Luftseilbahn Staubern. From here’ it’s just a short 10 minute walk to the cable car station. Depending on where you are coming from, you will likely need to take an SBB train first to the closer area and then change to the bus that takes you to this stop.
Final bus stop location: Luftseilbahn Staubern, 9467 Sennwald
Starting With The Cable Car
For reaching Berggasthaus Staubern to start the hike, the cable car will cost you 20 CHF per person one way (adults). So a total of 40 CHF return trip. Unfortunately there are no SBB discounts for this trip.
It takes 8 people at a time, and only about 8 minutes for the journey. On busy days, this will be running continuously, else on quiet days it will take the journey every 30 minutes. For us there was no queue on the Friday afternoon and we didn’t have to wait very long for the journey to start.
You can buy your tickets at the machine at the entrance area, as there is no ticket office. Dogs are of course allowed to join you up the mountain, but just make sure to buy a ticket for them. For the hike, please keep them on the leash.
We stayed 1 night at the Berggasthaus Staubern, so we bought one way tickets for the Friday that we went up – and then we bought tickets for our return (which you buy from the Berggasthaus) to return on the Saturday.
It’s good to share that this cable car is open all year round, with the restaurant and hotel at the top available and open throughout the colder seasons. However for this hike, the best months to visit are from late May through early November – due to winter closure, levels of snow and no maintenance.
Here is the location for the cable car: Frümsnerbergstrasse, 9467 Sennwald
Our Hiking Saxer Lücke Experience
For our hike to Saxer Lücke, we started the day around 9am on a Saturday morning. We had slept the night at Berggasthaus Staubern, which was perfect for 1 night with breakfast.
Since already being up the top of the mountain, it was a very peaceful start to the day. There were a few other hikers, but no one seemed to be hiking the same route as us at 9am. Maybe they had already done this section the day before, so they were actually hiking to Hoher Kasten instead. Or that they simply not wanting to hike at 9am like us!
With a really nice hike along the mountain edge towards Saxer Lücke, we felt like we had the mountain to ourselves. By 1-2 hours at a leisurely pace, we were at the well known viewpoint looking towards the mountain ridges. This felt quite special since we were also alone!
We had great weather, and enjoyed sitting with the mountain views for quite a while. There were plenty of butterflies here as well as birds flying around, giving us really nice late Spring vibes. Since we were hiking in June, early summer was definitely kicking in with the sun warming us up well and having to get out some sun cream.
Back to Berggasthaus Staubern
You can consider doing more of a round-route hike, where you follow the route down the mountain towards Lake Fälensee. Or also even further with a stop at Lake Sämtisersee or to the village of Brülisau – which has a gondola heading up to Hoher Kasten. So do your research for what you want to hike, the length and potential difficulties for yourself.
For us, we were happy to take the day easy and hiked the same route back to Berggasthaus Staubern – where we then enjoyed a cold beer and the views again. You can pay here with cash or card, and have plenty of seating inside or outside.
We highly suggest to also sleep here for at least one night. It’s quite special to wake up at the top of the mountains, or stay for the evening and catch both the sunset and sunrise!
Get inspired with these other local Swiss hikes and mountain hotels:
Our Cosy Mountain Stay At Berggasthaus Staubern
Sleeping High In The Mountains At Fronalpstock Hotel, Switzerland
9 Must Do Summer Hikes In Ticino Switzerland
Mount Pilatus: A Day In The Swiss Alps
Piora Valley Ticino Hiking: The 3 Lakes Of Lago Ritom, Lago Di Tom And Lago Cadagno
Summary
Our hike here was very enjoyable, especially since it was so quiet – which was very surprising for us. However we could tell that when we reached back at Berggasthaus Staubern, there were many more people who were clearly starting their hike to Saxer Lücke. So it was going to be a lot busier around lunch time and for the afternoon.
In general, we see why it’s a popular route for the warmer seasons. The hike is fairly easy for all ages, and the views are outstanding. The viewpoints and scenery along the way made us definitely take plenty of photos and videos.
We think hiking here in Spring or Autumn would be just as special as in Summer like we did. So if you have the chance to hike the route from late May to early November, you should!
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