Klosterspitz - Leuenfall
I did this hike on the 13th of March, 2026. The weather in Appenzell looked very sunny, and since Zürich had been grey for days, I decided to go for a hike and chase some sun. While looking at the map for possible trails, I came across Leuenfall. It looked very nice on the pictures, so I decided to do a hike up over Klosterspitz for panoramic views, followed by a visit to the waterfall.
Full route: Swisstopo
It was a cold but very nice sunny morning as I started my hike from Weissbad train station. After a short walk out of town, the ascent to Klosterspitz starts. The first part is through forest, where you quickly get views to Alpstein in direction Säntis.
Once you are out of the forest and turning on to the ridge, you have great views in all directions. The hiking path was easy and almost snow free the entire way to Klosterspitz. Up by Klosterspitz, I took a long break to enjoy the views and the sun and relax my legs after the part up.
I had amazing views to Säntis and the Schäfler ridge from Klosterspitz. I did a hike up to Säntis in 2025, and it was interesting to see the route we had hiked form this direction.
The trail along the ridge continues for some time, and changes between open landscape and parts through forest. At a few places, I had clear views east, in direction Austria. There were snow patches along this part, but nowhere did they cover the trail, so I never used my spikes.
Before starting the descent, I decided to have lunch and enjoy the views once more, before getting into the forest below. The trail down was at a few places steep, but the trail itself was easy and wide.
The last part of the hike towards Leuenfall is through forest. It was a nice change of scenery, and I was crossing several smaller rivers on my way, and enjoying the sense of spring that was everywhere.
You reach Leuenfall after a short walk from the main gravel road. I was completely alone the entire time, and it was a really nice experience. It is a bit of a hidden gem, and very impressive standing in front of the waterfall.
I could see on the map that there also was a trail running up above the waterfall, so I decided to make a detour and walk up over the waterfall on the road back to Weissbad. It was really cool seeing the waterfall from above as well, and something I can surely recommend.
I made my way back to Weissbad along the river. Back in Weissbad, I took the train to Gossau, and from there changed to a train back home to Zürich.
