My first trip to the Alpstein, in northeast Switzerland, was a mixed bag. The Alpstein is a compact range of limestone peaks, very different from the heavily glaciated massifs in Switzerland’s Berner Oberland, but nonetheless stunningly beautiful in its own rite. The Alpstein is home to dramatic, towering spires, lush alpine pastures and picturesque lakes with rugged backdrops.
I came to Appenzell after a hut-to-hut solo hiking trip in the Räitikon Alps, intending to do some scouting in the Alpstein for an upcoming trip I was leading, and to enjoy the largest ‘cow parade’, or Öberefahre, in the area. The weather, mixed with rain and thick fog, prevented me from taking some of the premier hikes I had intended to tackle. I did, however, enjoy the Öberefahre, a centuries-old celebration of cows being led from the high pastures to the valley for winter.
From the balcony of my hotel room in nearby Urnäsch, I was able to gaze down on a steady procession of farmers leading their cows down from the high pastures through the cobbled streets of the town’s centre to the crowd’s delight. Each farmer’s parade began with the arrival of young boys in bright mustard-coloured lederhosen, white button-up shirts and red vests, accompanied by the farmer’s pure white, endangered Appenzell goats, known for their historical importance, excellent confirmation and abundant milk production. Next came the cows and farmhands, with the caboose being the farmer himself, accompanied by his trusted cattle dog.
The parade is an acoustical delight, a sound mosaic of yodeling, clanging cow bells, the bellow of alphorns and the spectators’ cheers, all of which is accompanied by the olfactory delights and taste sensations of aged alp cheese and sausages grilling in nearby market tents.
With each wave of a farmer’s arrival in town, the waitress from the bar at my hotel ran out with a tray full of glasses, generously poured to the rims with sparkling wine.
The gleeful farmhands gratefully grabbed a glass and downed the wine without breaking stride with the cows or missing a song note in their yodel.
Despite the rain and fog, I thoroughly enjoyed the Öberefahre and got out to hike to the iconic Seealpsee, a pristine lake with the massif Säntis in the backdrop. I rode the cable car to Hoher Kasten and hiked up to the famous Berggasthaus Aescher, the hut famously built into the rock above Wasserauen.
As luck would have it, the cable car to Ebenalp, the bluff above the Berggasthaus Aescher, was closed for repairs, leaving a relentlessly steep hike as the only way to reach the hut. I hiked up and, arriving at the hut, delighted in having the entire hut (typically swarming with tourists who arrived by cable car) to myself! I enjoyed a pint of hefeweizen and a plate of alp cheese and local meats while chickens scratched around by my feet under the table and the hut’s resident dog begged for scraps by my side.
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The clouds parted on my last day in Urnäsch, and I was able to ride the Säntis cableway to 2,502 meters atop the mountain Säntis, where the views span six countries and reach Lake Constance (Bodensee). When I departed Appenzell after my first visit, I left with the understanding that I would soon be back.
The regret of missing the iconic hikes of the Alpstein was unsettling, and I knew I needed to right that wrong post haste. The following summer, I planned a four-night stop in Appenzell on my Good Soles Adventures, LLC hiking holiday. Second time was a Charm! We not only caught two Öberefahre cow parades but enjoyed nearly perfect hiking weather and clear blue skies.
I led my group on a few exquisite hikes, the first being the Saxer Lücke circuit. From our hotel in the heart of Appenzell, we rode the bus to Brülisau, then the cable car up to Hoher Kasten at 1,794 meters. We took a moment to drink in the mountain and pastoral views across the Alpstein and beyond.
I pointed out the Rhine River, the demarcation between Austria and Switzerland, Liechtenstein below us to the southeast, and Bodensee (or Lake Constance), to the north, where my group had cycled from Bregenz to Lindau a few days prior. We set out on our hike to Saxer Lücke, a pass connecting the Rhine Valley with Appenzellerland, known for inspiring views of the prominent Kreuzberg spires, before descending to Berggasthaus Bollenwees on the shore of Fälensee (lake), where we took lunch in the sun on the hut’s open deck.
Next, we marched back toward Brülisau past Sämtisersee (lake) and beyond to a tiny cheesemaker’s hut where we enjoyed refreshments to punctuate our gratitude for such a stupendous day in the mountains. We bused back from Brülisau to our temporary home in Appenzell, where we tucked into a locally inspired three-course dinner.
On another day, I was pleased to take the stronger hikers in my group who had a good head for heights on the Schäfler Ridge hike, which involved some scrambling and steep exposure. We rode the Ebenalp cable car from Wasserauen, then hiked across to the Schäfler Hütte, where some participants headed back to the Berggasthaus Aescher for lunch.
A third of the group accompanied me along the Schäfler Ridge for a long traverse across the mountain scree before cutting back toward the Berggasthaus Aescher for a late lunch, where we reunited with the rest of the group.
We alternated easier hikes with the more demanding hikes, interspersing light hikes to Seealpsee and along the Lilliweg Trail. We stopped at the Lillibeizli Hütte, where we enjoyed beer and conversation in German with the hut owner, a delightful farmer who, after giving us a tour of his farm and stable, drank and laughed with us despite the language barrier.
We spent our evenings in Appenzell, enjoying local food and alp cheese, taking in the charming painted buildings in the old town and enjoying the warm hospitality at our locally owned hotel alongside the river Sitter. After four nights, we were off to hike in western Austria, reluctantly bidding Appenzellerland adieu. As we boarded the van hired to whisk us to our next destination, I thought to myself, bis bald, Appenzell (see you soon)!
Cheers and see you out on the trail! N
Denise is a long-time local real estate broker in Coeur d’Alene and a second-generation organizer of overseas hiking trips as the managing member of Good Soles Adventures, LLC
As seen in the 2026 Winter/Spring Edition
By: Denise Lundy