Hike above Lake Seealpsee – Wildkirchli and Äscher

This tour through the beautiful Alpstein takes you upward only. There are two very steep climbs needed to reach Ebenalp. It is recommended to take your swimsuit with you for a swim in the Seealpsee. Enjoy a breathtaking scenery and kneefriendly cablecar ride down to Wasserauen.

Unfortunately, the place is very crowded, especially during peak season. The sheer number of visitors takes away some of the landscape's tranquility and magic. Anyone looking for a quiet moment to pause or reflect will find it difficult to find here. Nature is there, but the peace and quiet are lacking. A scenically impressive place, but one that suffers from its popularity.

From Wasserauen, take the Ebenalp cable car to the summit station. You can easily float up a good 700 meters in altitude. Nevertheless, the mountain hike has it all. Wildkirchli and Äscher soon follow. Two popular classics in the Alpstein. A stop at the Äscher mountain inn is highly recommended. The view from the terrace is fantastic and the food is regional and delicious. In a slight up and down it goes on. Steep, alpine and secured with steel cables over longer passages, the descent to Seealpsee follows. Here the tour runs flat and comfortably on a gravel path. A blessing for the knees. Wonderful, the eyes wander in all directions, the view is magnificent. The second passage down leads along a gorge with smaller cascades in the shade through the forest.

A wonderful early summer day lures my youngest son and me out of the house for a joint tour today. The destination is our favorite mountain area, the Alpstein. The website of the Ebenalpbahn tells us that operations there start as early as 7:30 am and the forecast weather data show summery temperatures during the day. Reason enough for an early start. Indeed, there is little activity in Wasserauen and also at the valley station of the Ebenalp cable car upon our arrival, and so we let ourselves be gently rocked upwards by the gondola. The Ebenalp mountain station, and thus the starting point of our tour, is at an altitude of 1640 meters, the destination of our hike is the valley station in Wasserauen at 870 meters, which gives the round trip significantly more descent meters (970) than ascent meters (270). Richtig and important for me: To be able to enjoy the mountains without exceeding my physical limits! The haze in the air does not allow a view of Lake Constance from the mountain station today, and the mountain range of the Hoher Kasten also blurs a little in the veil of haze today. The view is nevertheless fantastic. An impressive mountain range frames the valley, in the depths of which lies the Seealpsee like a shimmering green eye. The highlight at the end of the valley is the summit of the Säntis. Initially, the path leads us a little downwards and guides us into a cave. With pleasure, we let ourselves be swallowed by the mountain and spat out on the other side, directly under a vertical rock face. The path is spectacular but well secured, leads us past the Wildkirchli directly to the Äscher guesthouse. This seems to cling directly to the vertical rock face and already invites the first guests for coffee and a Gipfeli in the morning. We continue hiking and a mountain path descending to the Seealpsee warns of the danger of falling. In recent years, accidents have apparently occurred here repeatedly, tragically sometimes also with fatal outcomes, even though the path is not inherently difficult to assess. Here, as everywhere in the mountains, the rule is to know your own abilities, to have good footwear, and to be attentive. We don't want to start the descent so quickly yet and follow the mountain path branching off to the right, which first leads us a little higher again. The pastures are still empty and the alpine huts are still closed. We hike in a gentle up and down over a beautiful mountain path and reach the Altenalp. Here, the owner is preparing everything for the upcoming season, but she can still offer us a great resting place and a chilled iced tea. From the Altenalp, it goes downhill. First across sunny alpine meadows, then into a shady mountain forest. In some places, the path is secured with steel cables and offers a small adventure-Alpine feeling with harmless little climbing sections. Finally, the Seealpsee beckons with fresh, cool water and a beautiful spot for a lunch break. For the way back to Wasserauen, we choose the descent through the Huettentobel. Before we can immerse ourselves in its shady coolness, we pass the alpine meadows of the Groß- and Kleinhütten pastures. Here too, there is still a peaceful quiet and the pastures for the cows are still empty. The Hüttentobel surprises us at the end with a small waterfall before we reach the sunny meadows of Wasserauen again. Conclusion: A magnificent and relatively easy tour, offering great paths, beautiful scenery, and a wonderful mountain lake.

The first Alpstein tour this season - and it was simply fantastic 🥰 times ☀️ times 🌧️, which is why I stopped twice to avoid the rain. But for the most part the weather conditions were good. There weren't many people out and about 👍😊, which I think is great.

Seealpsee - Altenalp is only suitable for long legs. Our well-trained bulldog often had to be lifted onto the next stone. App was only stopped after the train journey

I was overjoyed because Oli finally came to visit again today 😊🤗😘. It had been far too long since our last meeting, and I enjoyed the time we spent together with him all the more. For our little reunion, we decided on a leisurely hike: From Wasserauen, we climbed to the Äscher Inn, which was still closed. The path led us further along the middle high trail to Altenalp, where numerous friendly jackdaws joined us. Of course, they weren't my two beloved "Gulmen jackdaws," but I just have a weakness for these animals 😊🥰🤗. Gradually, thicker clouds gathered, and so we began the descent to Seealpsee. The wire ropes aren't taut yet, but you can still hold on to them easily 👌. Once at the bottom, we had a leisurely rest before hiking back to Wasserauen in light rain. We've definitely had worse weather in this area 😅. Oli barely recognized the landscape; despite the many clouds, the visibility was surprisingly good 😂. But this time, the focus wasn't on the view, but on our reunion. It was beautiful – simply lovely to spend time together 😊🥰🤗😘😘😘

Somewhat unsettled by the weather forecast, we started our hike up to Ebenalpe over the Seealpsee and the mountain restaurant Äscher as it brightened up on site. The weather lasted until we had fought our way up to ⅔ on safety ropes. Going back was too dangerous because of the slippery ground. So rain gear on and the hike pulled through. Things didn't get any better when we crossed the tree line. A narrow path between rain-soaked meadows sloping at a 45 degree angle demanded the greatest attention. It continued to rain very hard. Occasional thunder and strong winds didn't exactly add to the feel-good factor. The knowledge that two hikers fell to their deaths in the same week on the Alpstein massif did not help to calm down either (both were torn from the path by their dogs). We had of course inquired in advance. The statement was it is damp but with good footwear and surefootedness to cope with. My fear of heights can only be combated if I go hiking like this again and again and get into the routine. But there were sections where I was wondering what I was actually doing here and that had to be. In the Black Forest and Palatinate Forest, my feel-good factor is significantly higher.