The Riesenwald trail at Elm is a fun activity trail for children with the theme "Giants in the Forest". It has more than a dozen play stations, including a giant xylophone, an oversized picnic table and forest kitchen, an obstacle course, a suspension bridge, and more.

Much of the trail is in the forest, but you still have great views of the surrounding mountains. There are several picnic areas with fire pits, so definitely bring a lunch to cook. Next to the restaurant, there is a playground, including lots of trampolines so you can jump with a view.

Trail Info

Trail: 45 mins walking time • 2.5 km loop • 60m up, 50m down
See trail map.

The path is smooth dirt, mostly flat, suitable for strollers and small children walking. When our youngest was only 2 years old, he walked almost the whole thing by himself.

There are several picnic areas with grill pits, the largest and best at the far end of the trail before it turns to come back.

• See our SwissFamilyFun.com article for more info.

Tickets

To reach the trail, you need to ride a gondola up to the Ämpächli station.

In 2024, this combo ticket cost CHF 19/adult, CHF 10/child. It includes your helmet. No discount for Swiss travel pass/cards.

If you plan to ride the scooter after hiking, you can purchase a combo ticket that includes one way up the gondola and a scooter rental.

See Elm website for current prices.

Scooters

At the end of the trail, you can ride kick scooters and go carts down the mountain, instead of the gondola.

For the kick scooters, children 9+ can ride alone. Younger children can ride double with adult, better 5+.

Alternatively, you can rent a three-wheeled "Mountaincart," which my teens prefer. You must be at least 12 years old and 140 cm tall to ride the go carts.

How to get there

Elm is located in Switzerland and the gondola is just a few minutes past the village - see on Google Maps.

Open: The scooter run is usually open from early June thru October.