4-DAY LOOP IN THE RÄTIKON IN AUSTRIA – WITH ASCENT OF SCHESAPLANA AND TRIP TO SWITZERLAND
Level: T2/T3
Period: late June – mid-September
This hike circles roughly high up around the Lünersee. This is not a beginners hike. You need to be pretty sure-footed for this one. It has some parts that are not suitable for people with vertigo. The hiking times listed below are adapted to hiking with children.
Day 1: Take the Lünerseebahn gondola, situated at the end of the Brandnertal in Vorarlberg. You’ll arrive at the Douglasshütte on the Lünersee (1979 m). Climb to the Totalphütte (2385 m) – 3,4 km, 2 hours, ↑ 500 m, ↓ 90 m, level T3. The stretch along Lünersee is flat, then you’s climb fairly steeply up to the Totalphütte. This is a relatively short route, you could do this for example a bit later in the afternoon.
Day 2: Climb the Schesaplana (2964 m) – 4:00 ↑ 620 m, ↓ 620 m, level T3 (with steep sections and some cables). You will stay another night in the Totalphütte. You need to check beforehand (for instance at the Totalphütte) if you can cross the snow at the glacier at the Schesaplana without gear. Even in the middle of summer the snow section can be too challenging. This section is for experienced hikers, you can also skip this day if you wish. We skipped this climb due to weather conditions and Stijn’s fear of heights.
Day 3: Hike from the Totalphütte to the Schesaplanahütte (1908 m) – 11 km, 5:00, ↑ 400 m, ↓ 800 m, level T3. The Schesaplanahütte is in Switzerland, so you’ll cross the border through the mountains here. For this route, you first descend to the Lünersee, you can do this via a slightly different route than the previous day which ends up a little closer to the Lünerseealm. At the Lünerseealm you can eat delicious cake. From there, you’ll hike fairly steeply up to Gafalljoch (beautiful views!) and then gradually descend to the Schesaplanahütte. Along this stretch, the paths are good, but you’ll walk along some steep vertigo-inducing precipices.
Day 4: Hike from the Schesaplanahütte (2679 m) to the Douglasshütte (1979 m): 11,5 km, 5:00, ↑ 500 m, ↓ 400 m level T2/T3. Return with the Lünerseebahn, or stay another night at the Douglasshütte and take the Lünerseebahn back down the next day.
Handy to know: the Totalphütte, Schesaplanahütte and Douglashütte are easy to book via Alpsonline. Drinking water is available for free in all huts. You can park your car at the Lünersee Parkplatz (4 days parking around €15).
