Walk Distance: 4.2 km (There-&-back-again route), 4.4 km ( circular route)
Walk Duration: 1hr 20 (in snow & with sledges and time for snow-play)
Maps: Swiss topographic maps available in 1: 25 000 & 1:50 000 – see http://www.toposhop.admin.ch/ .
Suitable for: Off-road pushchairs, sledge walking, chlldren in carriers, good little walkers and all the family. Option to cross-country ski near the walking tracks.
Walk Features: Beautiful and dramatic mountain backdrop, walk passes lakeside of the Sihlsee, refreshments available in Studen, public toilets at school in Studen, cross-country ski hire possible next to main car park, many option to extend walk.
Kate says:
“Studen is a breathtakingly beautiful place to go for a walk, particularly in the winter when the craggy mountains plunge down into a perfect white canvas of snow. We have returned here several times and both walked and cross-country skied. The winter wanderweg routes at Studen are wide and flat and run alongside the equally lovely cross-country skiing tracks. Our last visit was on Baby Beth’s first birthday where we towed the birthday girl and her sister in a cosy toboggan.
This is a great spot to come for a pushchair walk (you’ll need good off-roading tyres for winter snow) or a sledge walk with kids and there are plenty of options to extend or retrace your steps depending on how long you want to be out for. Studen is also a great choice if some of your party would rather ski than walk. The cross-country tracks weave alongside the walking route pretty much the whole way and are equally flat which makes them perfect for beginners. You can hire kit from the shop by the main car park in Studen.
The route below is a there-and-back walk from Studen to the Sihlsee. There is a lovely 4.5km circular walk you can do by turning left just before the main road by the Sihlsee and then left again and following the tracks back towards Studen although this finishes with a short stretch of road walking – not ideal for toboggans. I’ve included the route map for the circular walk but not a full description.
Walk Description:
The Super-Scenic Studen Cross-Country Walk starts from the main car park and Nordic Ski Hire shop in the centre of Studen on Dorflistrasse.
With your back to the car park, turn left onto the main street and passing the Nordic Ski Hire shop on your left.
Cross over the road a few meters on, crossing the River Sihl. The walking routes (wanderweg) are clearly signposted on the opposite side (look for the pink signs and hiking symbols) and in winter there will be a steady stream of cross-country skiiers flocking to the start of the cross-country ski tracks just to the right of both a building and the walking signs. The dedicated walking route you want is Riedweg (the reed trail – it follows the river Sihl down to the lake) and actually follows down to the left of the lane between the buildings where you turn off the main road. Your likely to get some dirty looks if you try and short-cut this on the cross-country skiers’ more obvious track.
The track leads past a few houses and the onto a marked walking track. In the winter in particular it is very hard to go wrong from here, given the banks of snow lining the path!
For the there-&-back-again route, continue walking along the main track, crossing the cross-country ski tracks at one point, until you eventually get to the main road. Here you can take a detour down to the lake if you like. Turn right onto the main road and a short distance on a new footpath leads off to the left from the opposite side of the road and down to the side of the Sihlsee. Otherwise turn back as you approach the main road and head back to Studen then way you came walking back towards the giant, craggy mountains.
If you are taking the longer, circular route then don’t walk as far as the main road. Instead, take the large track to your left that leaves the main path a short distance before you get to the roadside. Turn left again at the next main intersection and then, for the shortest route back, turn left off this track which will take you back to the main road. If you miss this turn off then the main path still leads back to the road but the walk back along it to Studen is just a little longer.
Map of Route:
The there-&-back-again route we took:
The full circular route (if you don’t have toboggans)!:
Directions:
Studen is around a 50 minute drive from central Zurich and there is a large car park (paid) in Studen, though this can get very busy in winter with cross-country skiers. There are also regular buses from nearby town of Einsideln – you can find timetables on the Swiss Postbus website. For both public transport and sat nav directions, use Studen, Unteriberg . There are a few Studens in Switzerland and our sat nav was determined to take us to Bern!
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