Braunwald is a beautiful ski resort in the Glarnerland region, south of Zurich. This winter hike follows a similar route to the popular summer Panoramaweg.

Trail: 2 hours • 7 km • 20m up, 660m down • See trail map.

Trail Description

This is a one way trail from the top of the Gumen chair lift, passing through Grötzenbüel, and ending in Braunwald. We rode the funicular to the Braunwald car-free village. Then a 15 min walk uphill to the Gumen lift. From the top, it's a steep descent next to the ski run for about 500m. This part was not groomed, so we were happy to be on snowshoes.

After that the trail mellows out and is groomed snow, easy walking with just winter boots. We suggest the short detour to the Ortstockhaus, a mountain restaurant with a gorgeous panorama terrace. We had their herbed veggie soup and winter salad, very tasty and fresh. We particularly liked their comfy lounge chairs in the sun.

Then we continued toward the Grötzenbüel station, the last bit on shared trail with skiers, quite narrow along the cliffs, not my favorite part.

Instead of forking down to Grötzenbüel, the main walking path goes straight, dipping into the forest for a bit, then through the village to Braunwald.

Or if you don't want to hike more, you can walk down to the Grötzenbüel station, where you'll find a restaurant and toilets. You could rent sleds here and sled down. Or ride the gondola down and a short walk to the Braunwald station.

Note: This could be a loop, but the section between Seblengrat and Gumen is often closed due to avalanche risk. We suggest this half of the loop because it is less in the forest.

How to get there

The Braunwald funicular is located at Stachelbergstrasse 2, 8783 Glarus Süd Switzerland.

By car: About 1h20 drive from Zürich. There is metered parking next to the funicular station.

By public transport: Train station Linthal Braunwaldbahn. About 1h30 from Zürich HB.

Tickets

You'll need a return ticket on the Braunwald funicular and a one-way ticket on the Gumen chair lift.

If you don't have a travel pass, you can get the Winter Hiking Day Pass.

If you have a Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Half Fare Card or SBB GA, it's cheaper to buy the individual tickets instead of the day pass.