Alpine Panorama Trail, Stage 8/29

This varied pre-alpine tour leads from the famous monastery village of Einsiedeln along an old pilgrims' path over the Chatzenstrick to the almost equally famous high moor of Rothenthurm, continuing across the Raten to the lovely Aegeri lake in the canton of Zug.

From Einsiedeln railway station, the yellow-waymarked hiking trail leads out of the village and climbs across meadows to the Chatzenstrick. The 1,053 m pass connects Einsiedeln with Altmatt and also forms part of a pilgrimage route. Open pastures then alternate with stretches of woodland, with the Chapel of St. Jost standing close to the trail along the way.

The route continues in a steady succession of ascents and descents to the Raten at 1,077 m. Beyond the top of the pass, the forest becomes denser. Around three hours after the start, the trail reaches its highest point at approximately 1,210 m before continuing via Mangelhöhe to Bruhsthöchi.

The longer descent begins here. Passing the Weisses Kreuz, the trail emerges from the forest and reaches the first houses of Unterägeri. Towards the end, the route approaches the Ägerisee but remains a good 300 m from the shore. After around 19 km and approximately five and a half hours, it ends at the Unterägeri, Seefeld bus stop.