My complete Schäfler Ridge Hike guide in Appenzell, from the Wasserauen Ebenalp cable car to Aescher Wildkirchli, Schäfler Hut, the ridge viewpoint and Lake Seealpsee.
The Schäfler Ridge Hike down to Seealpsee was one of my favourite hikes in Switzerland, mostly because it reveals all the best bits of the Appenzell region and lines them up in a very convenient, slightly punishing order.
This guide covers the full route I took: you start at the Wasserauen-Ebenalp cable car, float up to Ebenalp in a few minutes, walk through the Wildkirchli caves, pass the famous Aescher inn, climb to Berggasthaus Schäfler, take in the Schäfler Ridge viewpoints, then descend all the way to Lake Seealpsee before walking back to Wasserauen parking area. I’ll also cover cable car prices, how I used the Appenzell Holiday Card to ride the cable car for free, where I ate, where I stayed, and what I’d tell someone before sending them up there.
In a nutshell, I would say that the hike felt somewhere between moderate and hard: the way up to Schäfler was just slightly demanding but not technical, while the descent to Seealpsee had a few unstable rocky sections where hiking poles were very much earning their place in my backpack.
Route Overview and Description
The Schäfler Ridge Hike can be done in a few different ways, which is where things get mildly annoying when you start researching it online. Some people hike from Ebenalp to Schäfler and back the same way. Some only visit Aescher and Wildkirchli, then walk down to Seealpsee. Some turn it into a much longer Alpstein day with extra huts and passes.
The route I took was the complete version I’d recommend if you want the big Appenzell experience in one day, which you can also find at this AllTrails link:
Wasserauen → Ebenalp by cable car → Wildkirchli → Aescher → Schäfler hut → Schäfler Ridge viewpoint → Lake Seealpsee → Wasserauen
The important thing to understand is that this is not a round-trip cable car hike. You take the Wasserauen Ebenalp cable car up at the beginning, but you walk all the way back down to Wasserauen at the end. That means you only need the cable car for the ascent.
The first part is easy and very scenic. From Ebenalp, you walk toward Wildkirchli and Aescher, passing through the caves before reaching the famous cliffside mountain inn. After Aescher, the hike becomes much more of a real mountain route.
The climb to Schäfler Hut is not technical in good weather. From the hut, it’s only a short walk to the Schäfler Ridge viewpoint, which is the big payoff: sharp green ridges and the Alpstein peaks folding into each other.
From Schäfler, the route drops toward Lake Seealpsee. This is where you’ll need to pay more attention. The descent has rocky, unstable sections, and although I didn’t find it scary, I was glad to have hiking poles. Once you reach Seealpsee, the mood changes completely: the lake is calm, wide, and absurdly pretty, especially after the sharper terrain above.
The final stretch from Lake Seealpsee to Wasserauen is a straightforward descent and takes about 30 minutes. It ends at the same place where you parked your car or arrived by train.
Quick Numbers and Stats
Before getting into the full route, here are the main hiking details for the Schäfler Ridge Hike from Ebenalp to Seealpsee and Wasserauen.
Distance: 10,3 km / 6,4 miles
Elevation gain: 493 m / 1,617 ft
Estimated hiking time: 5 hours
Route type: loop
Start: Ebenalp mountain station, reached by the Wasserauen-Ebenalp cable car
Finish: Wasserauen cable car parking area
Highest point: around 1,900 m / 6,233 ft near Schäfler
Difficulty: moderate
Best season: June to October
Main stops: Wildkirchli, Aescher Hut, Schäfler Hut, Schäfler Ridge viewpoint, Lake Seealpsee
Cable car: Wasserauen to Ebenalp on the way up only
AllTrails link: here
I’ll give you my approximate timeline, considering I’m just an average hiker: I took the Wasserauen Ebenalp cable car at 9:15 and reached Wildkirchli around 09:50, Berggasthaus Schäfler at 11:15, and the Schäfler Ridge viewpoint roughly 10 minutes later. After taking photos at the viewpoint, I walked back to Schäfler hut and stopped for a proper lunch. From the hut, it took me less than 2 hours to descend to Lake Seealpsee, then another 30 minutes to walk back to the Wasserauen cable car parking area.
On paper, the hike looks fairly manageable in 5 hours or so. The climb to Schäfler was easy, but the descent to Seealpsee was definitely more delicate, with some unstable rocky sections.. In good weather, I would be feasible for most experienced hikers, but this is not the route I’d recommend in rainy conditions.
How to Get to Wasserauen
The Schäfler Ridge Hike starts in Wasserauen, in the Appenzell region of northeastern Switzerland. This is where you’ll find the valley station for the Wasserauen–Ebenalp cable car, which is the easiest starting point for this route.
Getting to Wasserauen by car
If you’re driving, set your GPS to Wasserauen-Ebenalp cable car station or Schwendetalstrasse, 9057 Wasserauen.
There is paid parking at the Wasserauen cable car valley station. It’s open 24/7, with around 300 parking spaces and a rate of CHF 5 per day that you can pay by coins or with a local parking app.
I’d still arrive early in summer, especially on weekends. Wasserauen is not only used for the Schäfler Ridge Hike, so the car park has several audiences competing for the same asphalt.
Getting to Wasserauen by train
Wasserauen also has its own train station, which makes this hike very doable without a car. The station is close to the cable car valley station, so once you arrive by train, you can walk straight to the cable car.
From Zurich HB, it takes a little more than 2 hours with a change at Gossau SG. For exact times, use the SBB app or website on the day you travel. Swiss trains are reliable, but mountain-day logistics are not the place to trust a random screenshot from three months ago.
Ebenalp Cable Car: Prices and Appenzell Holiday Card
The current adult prices in 2026 for the Wasserauen Ebenalp cable car are:
- One-way ticket: CHF 24
- Return ticket: CHF 36
- One-way with SBB Half Fare / GA: CHF 12
- Return with SBB Half Fare / GA: CHF 18
For this specific hike, the one-way ticket to Ebenalp is the one that makes sense. A return ticket is useful for shorter routes around Ebenalp, Aescher and Wildkirchli, but not for the full Schäfler Ridge route to Seealpsee and Wasserauen.
The cable car usually runs frequently during operating hours, with departures every 15 minutes or as needed. Always check the official Ebenalp website before going, especially in spring, autumn, or bad weather.
However, I didn’t end up paying for the cable car because I had the Appenzell Holiday Card, also called the Appenzeller Ferienkarte. You get it for free when staying 3 consecutive nights or more at participating accommodation in the Appenzell region. The card includes 2 single journeys or 1 return journey on the Wasserauen–Ebenalp cable car, which covers this hike perfectly if you only need the ride up.
This is worth planning around if you’re staying in Appenzell for a few days, and plan on doing other great Swiss hikes in the area, like the Saxer Lücke.
Where to Stay Near the Schäfler Ridge Hike
If you want to do the Schäfler Ridge Hike without turning the morning into a commute, staying near Wasserauen makes a lot of sense. The route already gives you enough to do, adding a long train or car journey before all that is not impossible, just not especially elegant.
I stayed 3 nights at Hotel Frohe Aussicht, and I’d absolutely recommend it as a base for this hike. It is close to Wasserauen, which made the morning easy, and it also qualified me for the Appenzell Holiday Card because I stayed 3 consecutive nights in the region. The rooms were lovely, the food even better, and there were a couple of adorable cats inside the property, which always helps.
I wouldn’t overcomplicate the base decision. If you’re coming mainly for the Schäfler Ridge Hike and other Alpstein routes like Saxer Lucke, stay close to Wasserauen. If you can find a good place that includes the Appenzell Holiday Card after 3 nights, even better.
Where to Eat & Drink During the Hike
The best place to have a proper meal on this route is Berggasthaus Schäfler (Schäfler Hut) mostly because it sits exactly where you want it to sit: after the climb, near the ridge, and before the long descent to Lake Seealpsee starts testing your knees for structural honesty.
The viewpoint is close enough that you don’t need to choose between food and photos, which is useful because both are fairly important after the climb from Aescher.
You also pass Aescher hut earlier in the hike, right after Wildkirchli. It is the famous cliffside mountain inn you’ve probably seen in half the photos of Appenzell. If you want coffee or breakfast with the view, Aescher can make sense.
My Step-by-Step Schäfler Ridge Hike Route
Once again, this is the exact Schäfler Ridge Hike route I followed: Wasserauen → Ebenalp → Wildkirchli → Aescher → Schäfler hut → Schäfler Ridge viewpoint → Lake Seealpsee → Wasserauen.
Wasserauen to Ebenalp by Cable Car
The hike starts with the Wasserauen–Ebenalp cable car, which takes you from the valley up to Ebenalp. You only need the cable car on the way up. From Ebenalp, turn right to follow the directions to Wildkirchli and Aescher. Having a downloaded trail map is useful in this section, as the directions are not particularly visible.
Ebenalp to Wildkirchli
From the Ebenalp mountain station, the trail quickly drops toward Wildkirchli, a group of caves cut into the limestone cliffs below Ebenalp. This place is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the Swiss Alps: excavations in the early 1900s found evidence linked to Neanderthal presence in the Alpine region, along with cave bear remains. The caves were later used by hermits, and one of them was turned into a small chapel.
The path moves through the caves, then opens suddenly onto the cliffs.
Wildkirchli to Aescher
After Wildkirchli, the path reaches Aescher, the cliffside mountain inn built directly against the rock. Its beginnings go back to around 1800, when hermits and herdsmen started serving visitors who came up to the Aescher meadow. It is often described as one of the oldest mountain inns in Switzerland, and it became internationally famous because, frankly, it looks invented.
I stopped at Aescher only for a photo. It is absolutely worth seeing, but on this full Schäfler Ridge Hike it comes too early for a proper lunch break. My advice is to treat it as a scenic stop or a coffee or breakfast point.
Aescher to Schäfler Hut
From Aescher, the hike changes. The route starts climbing, and you’ll pass another hut first. This section was a bit physically demanding, just due to the constant ascent. You’ll soon reach Berggasthaus Schäfler, or Schäfler hut, a mountain inn sitting high on the Alpstein ridge, with rooms and dormitory beds for hikers during the summer season. Appenzell tourism lists the hut as open from June to October, with 15 beds and 70 dormitory places.
Schäfler hut is the best food stop on this route because it comes after the climb and before the long descent to Seealpsee. I ate Älplermagronen, the Swiss alpine macaroni made with pasta, potatoes, cheese, cream, and onions, often served with applesauce. It is basically mountain mac and cheese, but with a fancier passport.
Schäfler Hut to the Schäfler Ridge Viewpoint
From Berggasthaus Schäfler, it took about 10 minutes to reach the main ridge viewpoint. This is the part of the hike I found most striking: sharp green ridgelines, steep drops, and the Alpstein folding away toward Säntis and the surrounding peaks.
I would not call it scary, but it is not ideal if you are afraid of heights. The viewpoint platform feels safe enough in good weather, but it still has that mountain-edge quality.
After taking photos, I walked back to Schäfler hut for lunch, which was the right decision. The viewpoint is close, so you can do the ridge first, take your pictures, then return to the hut.
Schäfler Hut to Lake Seealpsee
From Schäfler hut, it took me about 1.5 hours to descend to Lake Seealpsee. This was the trickiest section of the day.
The descent was not frightening, but it had unstable rocky parts where I had to watch my footing and use hiking poles. In dry weather, it was very manageable. In rain, I would be much more cautious, because loose slippery rock on a descent is never not terrifying.
Seealpsee is a beautiful change of mood after the ridge: lower, greener, quieter, and much softer-looking than the terrain above. It is also one of the classic Appenzell lake views, with steep grassy slopes rising around the water.
Lake Seealpsee to Wasserauen
From Lake Seealpsee, it took me about 30 minutes to walk back to the Wasserauen cable car parking area.
This final section is straightforward and mostly feels like the closing credits of the hike. At this point, the job is simply to get back to the parking lot with your legs still accepting instructions.
FAQ About Hiking The Schäfler Ridge Loop
How long does the Schäfler Ridge Hike take?
The full route from Ebenalp to Wildkirchli, Aescher, Schäfler, Lake Seealpsee and back to Wasserauen usually takes around 5 hours of hiking, depending on pace, weather, and how long you stop at the huts and viewpoints.
I took longer overall because I stopped for photos and spent an excessive proper amount of time having lunch at Berggasthaus Schäfler, which I highly recommend.
Is the Schäfler Ridge Hike suitable for beginners?
Not for complete beginners.
If you’re reasonably fit, have proper hiking shoes, and are comfortable on mountain trails, the route is doable. But I wouldn’t recommend it as someone’s first serious Swiss hike. The descent needs attention, and the ridge section is not ideal for people who are afraid of heights. If you’re a beginner, I would suggest hiking up to the Schäfler Hut and viewpoint, and then going back the same way you came. You can hike to Seealpsee from Wasserauen on a different day, using a different and direct short route.
Is the Schäfler Ridge scary or exposed?
I didn’t find it scary, but you do need to be comfortable with height and open mountain views.
The viewpoint near Schäfler hut is the dramatic part of the hike, with steep ridges and big drops around the Alpstein. It looks spectacular in photos because it really is spectacular. But this also means it may not be enjoyable if exposed terrain makes you freeze.
Do you need the Wasserauen Ebenalp cable car?
For this route, I’d strongly recommend taking the Wasserauen Ebenalp cable car up to Ebenalp. You could, however, also hike up from Wasserauen directly, if your legs are ready for it. But the full route already includes plenty of distance, ascent and descent, and that part of the trail isn’t as scenic. Taking the cable car makes the day much more balanced and lets you include Wildkirchli, Aescher, Schäfler, the ridge viewpoint and Lake Seealpsee without turning the hike into a punishment ritual.
Should you buy a one-way or a return cable car ticket?
Buy a one-way ticket to Ebenalp if you’re doing this exact route.
You take the cable car up at the start, then hike down via Schäfler and Lake Seealpsee to Wasserauen. A return ticket only makes sense if you plan to come back to the Ebenalp cable car station and descend by cable car, so basically what I would recommend to beginners.
When is the best time to do the Schäfler Ridge Hike?
The best time is generally June to September, depending on snow conditions, weather, cable car operations and hut openings.
I did it in August, with sunny weather, and the conditions were excellent. Even then, it was not overwhelmingly crowded. I’d still avoid wet weather for this route, especially because the descent to Seealpsee would be much less pleasant on slippery rock.
Is the Appenzell Holiday Card valid for this hike?
Yes, if you’re staying in the Appenzell region for at least 3 nights.
The Appenzell Holiday Card includes free use of the Wasserauen–Ebenalp cable car, which normally costs CHF 24 one-way for adults. Since this route only needs the uphill ride, the card covered exactly what I needed. If you’re planning multiple hikes or cable car trips in the region, it can save you real money very quickly.
