Urnäsch - Kronberg
I hiked this route on January 24, 2026. Initially, I had only planned to do a winter hike from Urnäsch to Blattendürren, but as the snow cover was less than various maps had shown, I spontaneously decided to hike all the way up to Kronberg where I was rewarded with amazing views.
Full route: Swisstopo
It was one of those typical winter days in Zürich, where the sky and city was covered with thick fog and I had therefore decided to escape to Appenzell and the promise of some sun.
I reached Urnäsch by train and started the hike right from the train station. All the way up to Blattendürren, the path was partly covered with snow and on a longer part also ice, so I was happy I had brought my spikes.
When I reached Blattendürren, I had great views directly towards Säntis and Kronberg. The way up had not been too difficult and snow covered, so I therefor decided to continue up to Kronberg, as much of the hiking path would be on the south facing side and therefor with less snow.
The conditions hiking up were good and mainly snow free as expected, and as the sun came more and more through, it made for a very nice ascent.
As I reached the first top, I had great views towards north and northwest, which were completely covered in low clouds and fog, while the views towards the south and southwest were completely clear.
As I continued, I got the first closer views of Säntis, the peak of Alpstein. Also the surrounding mountains, as far as Glarus, were clearly visible and made for a spectacular view.
As I approached the ridge leading up to Kronberg, I encountered the first deeper snow packs, covering the trail. Luckily, I was not the only one who had decided to hike this way, so it was relatively okay walking in the snow and as I came up on the ridge itself it got even easier.
Up on the ridge, I had views to the east, along Alpstein where several paragliders enjoyed the sunny weather and as far as mountain peaks in Austria. From up here, it was possible to see even farther in all directions as the clear weather made for perfect conditions.
On the top of Kronberg there are a couple of restaurants near the cable car so it is possible to enjoy drinks and food. I relaxed for quite some time in the sun, before I took the cable car down to Jakobsbad, from where it is possible to take a train in direction Gossau.
