A fantastic circular hike leads from Brülisau to Lake Sämtis. Here you will find all the information, such as parking, tips and the most beautiful places.

Text and pictures Marc Gottwald

Short Summary Lake Sämtis Hike

• Parking facilities near the Alp Siegel cable car station (Pfannenstiel). In summer, the farmer opens his field. Parking fee is 4CHF/day (payable with coin or Twint).
• The hike is short but very steep and not a great option for weak knees.
• Refreshment stop in the restaurant (Berggasthaus Plattenbödeli) after approx. 45 minutes at the Plattenbödeli.
• Swimming and barbecue facilities are also available at Lake Sämtis.
• Cheese purchase possibility on the Alp Soll
• Total hiking time of the circular hike: approx. 3h; fitness level: medium; hiking poles are an advantage.

Arrival and parking Lake Sämtis

The journey follows either by public transport (post bus) to Brülisau. Or by car to the car park near the Alp Siegel railway station. Due to high demand, the farmer turns his field into a car park every summer, where you can park for 4CHF/day. This is the perfect starting point for the Sämtisersee hike.

By the way, there is another way to reach Lake Sämtis. You can take the cable car up to the Hoher Kasten in Eastern Switzerland and hike down from there. 

But now let’s go.

The steep ascent to the lake

From Pfannenstiel it is only possible to continue by foot, as cars are prohibited from here on. The first 50 minutes are steeply uphill towards the Plattenbödeli restaurant. I strongly recommend taking the road, because the hiking trail is not only steep but also very slippery. But you will be rewarded with a beautiful mountain stream to the right of the road. Of course, there is nothing to stop you from taking a break every now and then.

By the way, the trail is child-friendly and can be done well with families. Theoretically, even prams could be pushed up, but due to the steepness and the length, this is a huge effort.

Despite the steep path, you see countless people. Especially on a beautiful vacation day and at weekends, Lake Sämtis has become quite crowded. That’s why it’s worth arriving during the week. But the lake is a real gem.

Lake Sämtis – the Gem of the Alpstein

When we arrive at the Plattenbödeli restaurant, there is of course the option of stopping for a bite to eat. But we would like to continue directly to Lake Sämtis to see the gem of the Alpstein region. To do this, you can either take the narrow hiking trail to the left or continue on the road.

What a dream! Lake Sämtis is nestled between the Staubern and Alp Sigel mountain ranges and the Rhodwald and Sigelwald forests. Apart from that, however, a lot of forest has been cleared for agriculture. Because some of the cows and goats of the Appenzell farmers are at Lake Sämtis in summer and enjoying the wonderful mountain air with the panorama of the Alpstein.

By the way, at the mountain lake you can barbecue at the specially built fireplaces or even take a cool dip in the lake. When the summer is hot, the lake may dry up. If it rains a lot, as it did in 2021, some of the hiking trails are even flooded.

After a great lunch, we continue from Lake Sämtis to Alp Soll. But before that, it’s worth taking a photo near the Töbeli hut. From here you have a great panorama of the lake and the Hohen Kasten. Do the goats pose so beautifully for you too?

To the cheese dairy of Alp Soll

To reach Alp Soll, you first walk along Lake Sämtis until an ascent of around 200 metres in altitude follows. After about 30 minutes you reach the great mountain cheese dairy, where you could even spend the night.

It’s almost hard to believe, but Alp Soll has been farmed for over 700 years! As early as the 18th century, the alp was described as one of the most beautiful in the Alpstein and in the canton of Appenzell. And it is still that way today. Because the great location, the delicious cheese as well as the heartiness of the hosts make the Alp Soll a nice insider tip on the hike. The cows on the alp come from 12 different farmers. Their milk is processed into cheese, which you can also buy there.

Did you know that? A cow on the alp gives about 15 to 25 litres of milk a day. When she is in the valley, she gives 20 to 30 litres more. Why is that? Not only does the cow move around a lot more on the alpine pasture, and therefore needs the energy for locomotion rather than for milk production. The cows in the valley also get concentrated feed, which is not the case here because of the logistics and costs.

Thus, the cows produce much less milk in the summer than in the winter months. It takes about 10-12 litres of milk to make 1 kilogram of cheese. This means that a cow on the alp produces about 1-2 kilograms of cheese per day. Not so much when you think about it.

The descent to Brülisau

As steep as the ascent to Lake Sämtis was, so is the descent from Alp Soll to Brülisau. As there is also a forest path and a road, I recommend taking the road here as well. The forest path is very slippery, especially after rain. However, if you take the road, you come out in Brülisau and have to hike about 1.5 kilometres back to Pfannenstiel. The only disadvantage is that if you take the road, you come out in Brülisau and have to hike about 1.5 kilometres back to Pfannenstiel. However, the ones who want can also continue to Lake Fälensee.

To conclude: The circular hike to Lake Sämtis in the Alpstein region is a beautiful pearl that must be seen and experienced. Here you can find the hiking map: