About the Route

• Route: Hoher Kasten to Saxer Lucke (via Staubern) to Lake Falensee (Bollenwees hut) to Lake Samitersee to Brulisau village
• All Trails: Link
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Distance: 17 km/10.5 miles
• Elevation Change: approx. 600m
• Estimated Time: 6 hours (+2 hours for breaks)
• Rating: 9/10
• Type of Trail: open loop (point to point)
• Getting to the start: take a train to Weissbad and then the bus to the Hoher Kasten cable car. Ride the cable car to the top

The Map

This hike starts from the top of the Hoher Kasten cable car. There is a restaurant at the top here and lots of viewpoints so it’s a spot non-hikers will visit as well. Follow signs to Berggasthaus Staubern. The path will start by heading behind the cable car and along the cliffside which goes under the cable car. Continue onward and walk along the trail starting to capture the beautiful view from above of Lake Falensee. The views of the lake with the mountain backdrop are stunning. The path here is along a ridge, but is not too challenging or scary (much better than the ridge past Schafler for those who experienced this one). The path is quite shaded, which is nice if hiking in the heat and offers lots of views throughout the walk, both towards the lake but also opening up onto the other side of the ridge as well at times.

Berggasthaus Staubern is a lovely hut with panoramic views around the area. If you’re ready for a break, this is an excellent spot to enjoy a snack or a drink. Note there is a cable car which comes right to this hut which can be convenient for some as well if you’d like to hike a shorter distance (towards Hoher Kaster or towrads Saxer Lucke – both are nice!) or just come up for the view. There are bathrooms to use here if needed.

Continuing onward, follow signs towards Saxer Lucke and Bollenwees. This next part of the hike continues on the ridge trail. With the views remaining as incredible as before, you’ll soon approach the Saxer Lucke section with the stunning view of the dramatic slim rock formation. On a clear day, you’ll have panoramic views of the mountains around, river, lake and rolling hills. It’s breathtaking.

You’ll then follow the path towards Berggasthaus Bollenwees. This will commence your descent as you’ll take a series of switchbacks on a rock and gravel path. Although the descent can be a bit hard on your knees, this is very doable. It again would be nicer with hiking poles but doable without. Soon you’ll reach the base of the valley and approach the hut. This lake is a pleasant surprise with an absolutely unreal view behind the lake when standing at the hut. As this hut is a bit harder to reach, it will not be as busy and instead be one well frequented by hikers and climbers in the area. Plan to have lunch or a drink here and enjoy the serenity of the area. The hut has bathrooms and tap water to fill up your bottles. You may even want to take a swim in the lake!

Once you’re ready to go, you’ll be able take the long gravel road towards Lake Samitersee or continue past the hut and head down into a forest area. We opted for the forest path and descended in the trees. The descent was quick, meaning larger steps, but was nice in the shade. At the bottom of the forest, the path opened up again into another valley where you will continue on a flatter gravel path. You’ll pass areas where cows are grazing and a few houses on this walk before Lake Samitersee is in sight. As you approach this lake, you’ll notice it is even quieter than the other lake. On a nice day, you’ll find folks having a picnic around the lake, but there are no huts directly on the lake. The path continues on one side of the lake and you’ll have one final ascent before a grand descent.

The ascent ends at Berggasthaus Plattenbodeli where you can stop for a break if you like! The next and last part of the trail is a long descent down to Brullisau village. You can take part of the descent in a forest path, and I’d recommend this, because then you will take the rest of the descent on the white gravel road. Although somewhat easier to walk-on than some other surfaces, part of the walk is very steep. We started creating our own switchbacks on the wider path to help with the incline grade and also because our legs were quite tired from descending.

The walk will run next to a stream which gets heavier as you reach the bottom. The covered path will open up back into the sun as you reach a parking lot. From here, you’ll continue along the gravel road back until you reach the Hoher Kasten. From here, the bus stops right outside the cable car and you can comfortably sit down after a long hike!

Huts passed along the way or in the close area