Lake Seealpsee is a breathtaking Swiss lake in the Alpstein region. Nestled in the picturesque landscape of the limestone mountains and surrounded by grass-green forests and meadows, the lake is a place for painters, poets and connoisseurs.

Text and pictures by Marc Gottwald

Start to the Lake Seealpsee hike

Arriving at Wasserauen station, you think you’ve landed in a dream. The beautiful mountain backdrop of the Alpstein seems to have been painted. The murmur of the light blue Schwendebach makes the moment perfect. On the right you see a cable car going up, which takes guests to the world-famous Ebenalp. From there, it’s a 20-minute walk to the Äscher – the “Place of a Lifetime” according to National Geographic.

Today’s hike, however, goes first to the Seealpsee. If you still want afterwards, you can extend the hiking adventure to Äscher and Ebenalp.

On a road, you climb about 3 kilometres and 300 metres in altitude towards the mountain lake in the Alpstein. This takes about 50 minutes to an hour. The road would even be suitable for prams in summer and autumn, but it can be quite strenuous due to the steep ascent. In winter, the hike is not recommended at snow and ice, as the ice on the steep road makes it impossible to get up and it is slippery as glass.

Here the hiking map to the Seealpsee:

A picturesque dream this Lake Seealpsee

When you arrive at Lake Seealpsee, you will be overwhelmed. Especially in the morning, there is a good chance that the Säntis will be reflected on the surface of the lake. What a dream!

Every angle of the lake and the mountain scenery behind it is fantastic. However, a photo motif at the mountain inn is particularly beautiful. If you want to walk around the lake, it takes about 30 minutes. A nostalgic ambience breathes over you when you see the traditional farmhouses. You can also treat yourself to a dip in the lake.

The Alpstein area is mainly composed of limestone and marl, which were deposited between 135 and 66 million years ago. Then, about 25 million years ago, the Alps began to fold, where today’s Alpstein was also formed. So the beautifully U-shaped valley of the Lake Seealpsee was created as a product of glaciers and erosion. Today there is not much left of the glacier. Only at the Säntis two small remnants are still present.

When it gets colder towards winter, black ice may form on the lake. This happens when the nights are cold and it stays dry for a while. This ice is transparent and has almost no air bubbles. This is why you can see the black bottom of the lake, which makes the ice look black.

The Lake Seealpsee mountain inn – stop for a bite to eat, stay overnight & much more

If you are hungry, you can stop at the Seealpsee mountain inn, where delicious regional cuisine awaits you. You can also spend the night in the same house. The simply furnished mountain inn, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2018, offers incredible charm for all nature lovers. What could be better than waking up in the morning with a view over the mountain lake? The mountain inn is also part of the Appenzell Whisky Track, where you can degustate a total of around 20 types of whisky.

If you’re already at lake, you shouldn’t miss the legendary rowing in summer. For only 5CHF per half hour, you can enjoy the breathtaking panoramic view over the Säntis and the surrounding mountains.

You can also fish at Seealpsee. The licence costs around 38CHF per day and must be ordered early enough from the cantonal administration (071 788 95 24).

Extend the hike – possibilities

The possibilities for extending the hike from Lake Seealpsee are almost limitless. For example, the ascent to the Äscher, the world-famous mountain restaurant is very popular. This hike takes an additional 1h 50min. Those who wish can then take the cable car back to Wasserauen.

Very ambitious hikers can march from Lake Seealpsee to the Säntis. It takes another 3 hours from here. As snow falls relatively early on the Säntis and the climbs are steep, I recommend doing the hike between the beginning of July and the end of September. At good weather, the Säntis offers a fantastic view over the Alpstein mountain ranges and six countries!

Arrival & Parking

The Lake Seealpsee hike is one of the most popular excursions for hikers in Switzerland. That’s one of the reasons why lake and the Alpstein region in general have come to be called the “Disneyland of Switzerland”. This is because there are so many attractions in a small area, such as the Fälensee, the Hoher Kasten, the Säntis, the Ebenalp with the Äscher and much more.

In Wasserauen there are a few parking spaces for 5 Swiss francs, but in summer they are already occupied between 8 and 9 am. Therefore, it is worth arriving very early by car, especially then and at weekends.

A better and more environmentally friendly alternative is to travel comfortably to Wasserauen by train. The train runs every half hour during the day from Appenzell.