The hike up tho the “Grosser Mythen” is the perfect excursion if you want to enjoy a wonderful panoramic view. It is particularly beautiful at sunrise.

Text and pictures by Marc Gottwald

The Grosser Mythen stands proudly above Lake Lucerne. I already felt as a child that this mountain is something special. But now it was time to hike the Swiss mountain by myself and enjoy a wonderful panoramic view.

Grosser Mythen Hike – the ascent

For the “Grosser Mythen Hike” we make the sunrise edition. We start at half past three in the morning in Brunni, where we have parked our car. There are no cable cars running at this time. If you want to start the hike later, you are welcome to use the cable car to Holzegg and shorten the hike by about 300 metres in altitude. Or spend the night directly at the Holzegg Hotel.

But as a tip: In summer it can get really hot very quickly through the day (from about 10 am). I recommend that you do not do the “Grosser Mythen” hike at this time. If you want to do the sunrise edition of the Mythen hike, you should start at least 2.5h-3h before sunrise in Brunni and have good hiking experiences. It is also important that everyone has a torch light.

The hard part starts at Holzegg anyway, and this is a tough one. Although more than 40,000 people visit the “Grosser Mythen” every year, the hike is physically demanding. The “Grosser Mythen Hike” has almost 50 hairpin bends each way between Holzegg and the mountain top, which makes its steepness even more apparent. The 500 metres of altitude difference between the two restaurants are covered in about 1h 30 minutes. And yes, it is worth taking breaks, because the view gets better and better. It is also advisable to take enough to drink, especially at warmer temperatures.

Panoramic view from the Grosser Mythen

Once you have reached the “Grosser Mythen”, you can enjoy an incredible 360-degree panoramic view. Especially the sunrise and the view over Lake Lucerne, Lake Lauerz, Lake Zug and the Swiss Alps is breathtaking. It could hardly be more beautiful! But I have to be honest, I’m surprised that so many people are already on the “Grosser Mythen” that early in the morning. If you want to enjoy the sunrise alone, I would certainly do something else than the Mythen hike.

If you want, you can treat yourself to something delicious in the restaurant on the Grossen Mythen. The hut is open from the beginning of May to the end of October and offers nice delicacies. Please note that you can only pay in cash and cannot stay overnight.

The descent back towards Holzegg is the same hiking trail as the ascent.

A mystical mountain

Have you ever been on the “Grosser Mythen”? Have you already been on this mountain 3333 times? Only one person can answer this question with a yes. It is Mythen hiker Armin Schelbert, who has already been on the Mythen over 3300 times.

The mountain also already has more than 10800 posts on Instagram under the hashtag #grossermythen, which is a lot for a mountain that is not accessible by cable car.

But not only hikers are enthusiastic about the place. The mountain can also be seen, for example, on a huge picture in the Federal Palace in Bern Switzerland. In the past, people even thought that dragons and spirits lived on the „Kleiner & Grosser Mythen“.

The area of the “Grosser Mythen” is a hunting ban area and serves to preserve endangered animals such as the ptarmigan. Animals are coming under increasing pressure in the rapidly growing Switzerland. That‘s why it is important to leave them at least this space. It is strictly forbidden by law to camp or fly a drone. However, with a little luck you can see chamoises or other wild animals, especially in the morning when not many people are hiking up yet.

Incidentally, the Mythen hunting reserve is one of the oldest protected areas in Switzerland. The first zones were designated as hunting bans as early as 1487.

Conclusion Grosser Mythen Hike

The Grosser Mythen hike is a highlight and especially beautiful at sunrise. There is no refreshment between Holzegg and the destination, so we recommend that you take enough to drink with you. The “Grosser Mythen Hike” is very demanding and requires a good level of fitness and surefootedness. It should never be done in rain or snow. If you want to stop at the restaurant on the mountain top, have cash ready, as credit and debit cards are not accepted.