Hike to Limmerensee & Muttsee Hut

The hike to Limmernsee (Limmerensee) and Muttsee Hut (Muttseehütte) made the social media round last year (2022).

The famous image of people standing at the Muttenchopf viewpoint and looking down on to Limmernsee was the reason for the viral videos all over.

Rightly so, as it is a unique place in Switzerland and deserves to be seen.

However to see this scenery requires some effort as you need to hike to the Muttenchopf viewpoint to have this amazing view over lake Limmern.

And although it is not a particularly long hike you have to overcome about 630 metres in altitude over 7 km via the Muttenchopf viewpoint to the Muttsee Hut. That is if you are planning on sleeping at the hut.

Otherwise, if you plan to do the loop in one day, then the hike to Limmernsee and Muttsee Hut becomes a 12.5 km long hike.

How to Hike to Limmerensee

Make your way to the valley station of the Tierfehd – Kalktrittli cable car station (Luftseilbahn) in Linthal.

You will be happy to know that the drive is stunning with the impressive large Glarner mountains towering on both sides high up in to the sky.

By public transport: This is not the easiest place to get to on public transport but it is possible. Take the train to Linthal in Canton Glarus. From there to the Tierfehd – Kalktrittli cable car station you have to walk the 7km (1h30min) or take a taxi.

Unfortunately, no busses are covering this stretch. This might change though in the future as this is very un-Swiss!

By car: This is definitely the easier access for the hike to Limmernsee. Put Tierfehd – Kalktrittli in your GPS or google map and follow the road. At the cable car station is a large car park.

The Tierfehd-Kalktrittli Cable Car (Luftseilbahn)

From Tierfehd, take the automated gondola which glides steeply up and overcomes the first 1000 metres in altitude. An amazing ride!

Fit hikers can also walk on the hiking trail to the mountain station. Good luck!

IMPORTANT NOTE! There is nobody at the cable car station, it is self-service. To prevent you from standing infront of a closed cabin check the operating hours.

• Monday-Friday 07.00 h – 12.00 h / 13.30 h – 18.00 h
• Saturday and Sunday 07.00 h – 18.00 h (non-stop)
• Closes normally mid to end October.

Ticket price

• Adults: One way CHF 10 / Return CHF 15
• Children (6-16 years): One way CHF 5 / return CHF 7
• Dogs: Free of charge

There is a ticket machine at the valley station which accepts cash, Maestro, Postcard, Mastercard or Visa.

Start of the Limmerensee Hike

Limmerensee Service Tunnel 3km

There are two possibilities to start the hike. Either through the dark and sometimes damp tunnel which brings you straight to the Limmerensee and its dam wall.

Or the second option is to head first to the Muttsee hut and Muttenchopf viewpoint.

With the latter option you would get to Limmerensee at the end of the hike or on day two depending if you sleep at the SAC Muttensee Hut or not.

We opted for option one. Also, because we heard that the ascent to the hut using option 2 is quite steep and in some places the path is somewhat in open terrain.

As we hiked to Limmerensee and Muttsee Hut with kids we felt the path through the tunnel is safer.

Put on the high-visibility jacket that you can find in a box before entering the Limmerensee tunnel. Now it is time to start your hike through the 3km long service tunnel of the Limmerensee dam. It was cold and dripping wet with puddles all over the floor.

Make sure you keep your jackets on.

You might see some work vehicles along the way. We tried to hitch hike, but they did not stop.

Not the most attractive or scenic start of a hike but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Actually, more than that, there’s the beautiful Limmerensee!

Hike from Limmerensee to Muttenchopf

2.7 km / 606 metres uphill

When we hiked, the dam wall was not accessible due to maintenance. But if it is open definitely go and check it out.

We had some snacks at the shore of Lake Limmern before attacking the 630 metres climb.

You will encounter some chains and steep sections bordering on a T3 hiking section. But nothing too difficult. The general hike is rated as a T2.

Our kids hiked it when they were just 7 years old.

Make sure you turn around every so often as the Limmerensee gets further and further away whilst the surrounding mountains seem to become larger by the step.

It was also on this stretch where we saw a Steinbock family.They climbed the mountain much easier than we did!

After a few hours we finally got to the junction where one path leads to the SAC Muttseehütte – Muttsee Hut and the other one climbs a bit more to the famous Muttenchopf viewpoint.

Probably another kilometre or so.

At the Muttenchopf Viewpoint

 At first, we saw the goat path leading up to the plateau of Muttenchopf, but then lost it so we just went straight up.

The terrain is loose stone so be careful not to slip.

All the pain is forgotten when you finally stand at the summit of the Muttenchopf viewpoint and look down over Limmerensee. Wow, even the kids were in awe.

Unfortunately during peak season you also find wild campers here. They pitch their tents and can spoil the photos or video.

As you are standing at the edge you can see another outcrop lower down and it is not that easy to get to that viewpoint.

You would have to go back down nearly to the junction where the two trails split and find the lower trail from there.

It is around the right-hand side of the Muttenchopf mountain.

Hike to SAC Muttensee Hütte (Hut)

1km / 30 metres up (from the footpath junction)

The last part of the wonderful Limmernsee to Muttsee hut hike, is to the hut.

Again, some great views open up when you approach the hut towards Limmernsee.

A great place to call home for the night and at the hut you see lake Muttsee behind the cabane.

The Muttsee Hütte belongs to the Swiss Alpine Club SAC.

Most of the time these huts are amazing to stay in and nearly all of them have been renovated in the last 2-3 years due to the 150 years of Swiss Alpine Club celebrations.

In total we were maybe 10 people at the hut which was great. For sure during peak summer time this place is super busy. We hiked it on a Wednesday before they closed on Sunday for the winter break.

How to book a night at the SAC Muttsee Hütte

Like with all SAC Huts you can go on the official website, and find the huts there.

Alternatively, here is the direct website for the Muttsee Hütte 

We wanted the stand alone hut, which is perfect for 4 persons, but as this was already the last week of the season, they offered us a 10-bed dorm for us.

We thought great we take it. Unfortunately, the dorm was above the kitchen and office. The staff decided to have a small party and it felt like they were in our room as it was so noisy.

After several complaints by knocking on the floor, they eventually realized that this was not cool.

Very unfortunate, especially as we would have booked the stand-alone little hut because we did not want something like this to happen.

Next time we just have to insist on a dorm NOT above the kitchen.

Overnight Price at the Muttsee Hut

The price of one night at Muttsee Hut with half-board is: Chf 80.-

Swiss Alpine Club members (SAC) pay: Chf 65.-

Limmerensee & Muttsee Hut Hiking Facts

To get access to the map click on it.

Location: Linthal, Tierfehd-Kalktrittli, Glarnerland

Length: 12.4 km ( roundtrip)

Level: medium (hiked with kids aged 7) a short section with chains T3 but ok.

Highest point: 2500m

Ascension 608m / Descent 608m

Good to know

• Make sure the cable car is running (weather, end of season)
• Remember they close for lunch, check the timings
• If you arrive on public transport, Linthal is 6km away from the cable car station. Maybe better to book a taxi in advance.
• Overnight at Muttsee Hut

Where to stay near Limmerensee

If you do not overnight at the SAC Muttsee Hut up the mountain, you next best spot would be to find a hotel in Linthal. this is not a very busy tourist area, in case of you not finding an accommodation in Linthal you may have to check out hotels in Braunwald area, which is  great family friendly tourism area.

Get inspired Ampächli Kids paradise and Downhill Scooter and hiking the Riesenwald in Elm

Conclusion about the Limmerensee to Muttsee Hut hike

Because we hiked it so late in October but with fantastic weather, we were nearly alone on the trail which made it even more special.

As we only did the hike from the service tunnel on, maybe next time we will do the full loop.

Absolutely loved it and want to do it again. Even the kids agreed to hike it one more time and next time maybe we get up for sunrise.

Note: You will see this hike written two ways – Limmerensee or Limmernsee hike. On any german written website you find it as the Limmerensee, even on the Swiss maps and google map it is spelt Limmernensee.

However in English, even on the Wikipedia the spelling is Limmernsee. This is just a side note, for you to understand, that it is the same Swiss lake.

Plan your Trip to Switzerland

The below articles will help you whilst planning the great tour of Switzerland.

• 10 different Itinerary for Switzerland Plan anythings from 2 day to 15 days even to one months travelling through Switzerland. In this article we cover pretty much every section of Switzerland, and the Itineraries are easy to combine amongst each other.
• Summer road trip through Switzerland  One of the beat way to discover the beauty of Switzerland is without a doubt to embark on a road trip.
• Travelling Switzerland by train whether you choose to rent a car or use the comfortable way of travelling in Switzerland by train with your Swiss Travel Pass, the choice is yours.

I hope that the information provided here will prove itself useful when planning to Hike Limmerensee and Muttsee Hut.

If I have left anything out or you have a question, please ask your questions in the comments below. So that other readers can join in the conversation and benefit from your queries also.

Thank you & Never Forget to Explore

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