Limmerensee

Overview

• 📍 Start Point: Tierfehd (Linthal, Canton Glarus) – Seilbahn to 1870 m

• ⏱️ Duration: ~4.5 to 5.5 hours (plus break at hut)

• ⛰️ Elevation: ~700 m ascent to 2575 m

• 🎯 Highlights: Muttseehütte (2501 m), Muttenchopf viewpoint (2482 m), Limmerensee dam tunnel (2750 m)

• ⚠️ Difficulty: Moderate to challenging (exposed sections, weather-sensitive)

• 🚠 Cable Car: Self-service Seilbahn (limited capacity: ~8 people every 5 min)

• ☔ Best Season: Late spring to early autumn, avoid sunny weekends

Download GPS file

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The Journey Begins

The Limmerensee hike had been on my wish list for a long time. I had seen breathtaking photos and read people calling it one of their top 10 hikes. But it's far from where I live, too intense for a casual family outing, and not ideal for a rushed day trip.

So when I had a conference near Zurich, I grabbed the opportunity.

The trail starts in Linthal, Canton Glarus, where you take a self-service cable car—yes, self-service! You buy your ticket at a machine, press a button, the doors close, and up you go. It’s steep enough to make you feel a twinge of fear, but reassuringly, there’s a help button in the cabin.

🚨 Tip: Avoid going on sunny weekends during peak season. The cable car carries only 8 people every 5 minutes, so you might face long waits. I got "lucky" with a rainy mid-week day and had the place almost to myself.

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Up or Down? Choose Your Loop

Once you reach the top station at 1870 m, you’re immediately presented with two doorways—both leading to the same destination but via very different trails. I opted for a loop, starting with the upper mountain path (door on the left) and finishing along the lake.

⚠️ Warning: The high trail has some exposed sections, even if it is not marked as alpine trail, could be daunting for children or those with a fear of heights. If that’s the case, take the direct path to the lake and back.

My decision was also strategic: rain was expected later in the date, and doing the loop this way meant the final 40 minutes would be under cover—though not in the way you’d expect.

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The High Route: Cliffside Adventure

Right after passing the left-hand door, the path climbs immediately and steeply, including a section atop a narrow wall. If that makes you uneasy, it’s best to turn back.

For the next 30 minutes, you follow a trail along a cliff. It's always at least 1 m wide and never truly dangerous, but the drop below is sheer. On a wet or icy day, it would be risky.

The trail dips and then rises sharply again, turning behind the rock wall. Once you pass the cliff section, the most exposed part is behind you and you're in a gentle valley.

The climb resumes gradually until you reach another ledge—Muttenwändli—a wide, secure trail above cliffs. From there, the landscape becomes rocky and barren, leading to the highest point of the hike: 2575 m.

There’s no distinct summit; at some point the path simply starts descending, and from there you’ll see Muttseehütte (2501 m) in the distance.

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Storm, Soup, and Shelter

As I reached the ridge, the rain began. Minutes later: hail. I ran down toward the hut and arrived 20 minutes later—soaked but victorious—and rewarded myself with soup, beer, wienerli, coffee, and cake. Expensive in a Swiss hut, but I deserved it!

After a cozy break watching Muttsee through the window, I resumed the hike—this time downhill toward Limmerensee.

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The Iconic Viewpoint

Soon after leaving the hut, a side trail branches right (no sign, but clearly visible). This leads in 10 minutes to Muttenchopf (2482 m)—the legendary viewpoint where most of the famous Limmerensee photos are taken. So beautiful that they had to forbid drones.

It’s absolutely worth the detour. The lake sits like a turquoise jewel wedged between cliffs, and from this high perch, the view is jaw-dropping. The clouds danced around me and then, just minutes after snapping my photos, swallowed the whole scene. Just in time!

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Descent and the Hidden Tunnel

Back on the main trail, the descent continues with metal chains on rock ledges, but they felt much safer than the earlier section. The terrain opens into grassy slopes and more ledges until—finally—you reach the dam and lake shore. One advantade to do the loop this way it also that in this stretch you are facing the lake. 

And here, it rained again. But my plan had worked.

To get back to the cable car, you enter a tunnel—yes, a 2.7 km gallery inside the dam! It looked spooky in the fog but turned out to be a highlight.

For the next 40 minutes, I walked through absolute silence, echoing footsteps, and dripping water. If you stop your hears whistle because they are not used to absolute silcence. Halfway through, I started hearing voices and music—sure I was hallucinating—until I passed two hikers with loudspeakers. 

The only exit from the tunnel is near the beginning where stairs which could be found in a horror movie bring your out to the dam.

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The Final Stretch

As I approached the far end of the tunnel, a single thought consumed me: "What if the door is locked?"

But of course it wasn’t. I emerged directly by the lift, right at the panel I had seen at the start. And I was greeted by a heavy downpour I had cleverly avoided underground.

One last ride in the self-service cabin, and down I went—tired, soaked, but satisfied!