One of our very favorite Swiss trails is the spectacular ridge trail at Stoos near Lucerne. They are famous for their fancy funicular train, the steepest in the world, that takes you the quiet alpine village.

To reach the trail, you can ride a chair lift to the ridge, then hike about 2 hours to the cliff viewpoint at Fronalpstock. Then a chair lift back to the village. If you want more fitness, you can skip the chair lifts on either side of the trail.

Although Stoos is not super well known to tourists, it is popular with the Swiss and often crowded on weekends. We suggest arriving as soon as the lifts open to beat some of the crowds.

Trail info

This one way trail is from the top of the Klingenstock chairlift to Fronalpstock. You can hike in either direction and optionally skip the chairlifts on either side of the hike.

Trail: moderate • 2 hours one way • 4.4 km • 290m up, 300m down
See trail map.

It is a well built trail, but it could be dangerous since it often has very steep slopes on the side of the trail without railings. This trail is suitable for experiences hikers with steady footing and proper hiking shoes.

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If you need an easier hike, ride up to the Fronalpstock viewpoint and do the short panorama loop along the cliffs.

How to get there

The Stoos funicular train is located at Grundstrasse 232, 6430 Schwyz. There is lots of metered parking next to the funicular station. By bus, get off at the Schwyz, Stoosbahn stop.

To reach the trail, you do a short walk from the Stoos village to the Klingenstock chair lift and ride that up. The trail ends at Fronalpstock where you can ride chairlifts back to the Stoos village.

Tickets

For this trail, you'll need the "Peak Experience" ticket, which includes a round trip ticket from the valley (includes funicular and chair lifts).

In 2024, it costs CHF 56/adult. You get a discount with Swiss Travel Pass, SBB GA and Half-fare cards. Free with Tell Pass.

The ticket is slightly cheaper if you buy it online, plus you can skip the line. Tickets do not sell out and you do not need a reservation.

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