Hike in Short
| Metric | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 13 km |
| Altimeters | 410m |
| Time | 4h |
| Type | Return trip |
| Part of | - |
| Start Location | Staffelegg Passhöhe |
| End Location | Staffelegg Passhöhe |
| Physical difficulty | medium |
| Technical difficulty | easy |
Hiking Map
Hike Report
Although the most exciting hiking trips can be found in the southern Alps region, sometimes you do simply not feel like travelling 2 to 3 hours to get there, especially if you live in the northern part of Switzerland like Basel or Zurich. It’s those moments that you realise that beauty can be found nearby and travelling far is not always required to get some nice views on the Swiss Alps. Last weekend we took the opportunity to travel to Jurapark Aargau, which is situated in the Northern part of Switzerland in the canton of well… Aargau. We decided to do a snow hike (no snowshoes required though) walking to Gisliflue starting from Staffelegg Passhöhe. To get there, you will need about 1 hour from Basel and a bit more than 45 minutes from Zurich.
The hike starts at the busstation of Staffelegg Passhöhe, where you need to follow the paved road for about 800 meters. From there, you will start hiking up the first hill. It’s a perfect spot for sliding in the winter if you have any kids. Through the forest hiking up the hill, you will climb to a small ridge with forest at both sides. Close to the Homberbegg peak (778m), you will move east in direction Zurich.
From there, you will follow the path over the ridge in the direction of Gisliflue (772m), the highest point of this hike. More importantly, it is the perfect lunch spot with a view on the Swiss Alps. From Gisliflue, you can see the peaks of the mountains in the Engelberg and Luzern area.
After you have reached Gisliflue, you have done the hardest part of this hike and it’s time to decline again. For a while, you will see the Swiss alps on your right and the green hills of the Jurapark Aargau on your left. After 7 kilometer, we decided to follow yellow signs back to Staffelegg Passhöhe. At the northern part of the hill you will pass some houses and farms, with a view on fields where green grass fields appear below a layer of snow.
From Staffelegg Passhöhe you can take the bus back to either Frick or Aarau. Be aware that this bus is only departing once a hour in either direction on Saturdays and Sundays. Hence, it might be worthwhile to plan your return trip a bit in advance and if you did not, just run the last kilometer like we did.
Although the largest part of the hike can be done easily without snowshoes, it can be that due the weather conditions such as fresh snow, it might be worthwhile to bring a pair.
Video Journal
For more drone and hike videos, you can go Videos.