Explore Ufhusen along trails with different themes: the Chapel Trail combines architectural history with four stops, while the KrimiSpass follows a longer route through the municipality. A circular trail with carved wooden figures and other hiking connections round out the selection. When planning, consider both the trail length and whether you want to focus on puzzles, local history or the landscape.
Hiking with different themes
A route for the KrimiSpass Ufhusen leads through the municipality. On this 6.01-kilometre, moderately challenging themed trail, participants look for eleven clues, solve puzzles and gradually reconstruct the sequence of events in a fictional case. Participation is free. Online registration is required so you can receive all the clues. The puzzle story is just as central to the trail as its set length.
The Holzwunderweg Chilchwäldli puts its figures and story centre stage: the circular trail is 2.8 kilometres long and features a story as well as 17 finely carved wooden figures. The Chilchwäldli barbecue area along the Holzwunderweg is open for all visitors to use. To get to the Holzwunderweg, take the train to Zell and then the postbus towards Ufhusen.
Another circular trail in Ufhusen is 5.4 kilometres long, with 162 metres of ascent and descent, and takes about one hour and 25 minutes to walk. This approximate time helps put the trail in context alongside the shorter Holzwunderweg and the KrimiSpass; no difficulty rating is given for this circular trail. Panoramic information boards stand at the Hübelihöhe viewpoint in Ufhusen. In the surrounding area, panoramic views extend from the Jura across the Bernese Alps to the Napf region.
The area around Ufhusen is shaped by the Napf mountain landscape, with its valleys, streams, forests, hills and pastures. The municipality lies at an altitude of over 700 metres above sea level. This regional perspective on the landscape complements the specific trail information, though not every trail offers the same views or route.
Hiking connections around Ufhusen
On the Lucerne Trail, Ufhusen lies between Vorder Schache/Luthern and Huttwil. On the Zell–Ufhusen–Huttwil hike, you reach the official Way of St. James, Via Jacobi 4, after about 30 minutes; from there, the well-marked hiking trail continues towards Huttwil. This approximate time refers to the hike described here.
You can end the first stage of the Grenzpfad-Napfbergland in Ufhusen. The Ufhusen variant follows official hiking trails rather than Route 65. As route details may change, check the current route before setting off. Ufhusen is therefore also named as a possible end point for a stage, not just a stop on individual circular trails.
Church, chapels and local history
Ufhusen Church was first mentioned in a document in 1275; the present parish church of St. John was built between 1780 and 1784. It stands on a small rise in the middle of Ufhusen and is visible from afar. Instead of a tower, it has a roof turret with a Baroque onion dome. The parish church is listed in the cantonal inventory of monuments and has been under cantonal and federal protection since 1979/80, recognising its cultural value.
The Ufhusen Chapel Trail is two kilometres long and has four stops between the late Baroque parish church and the wayside chapel of Our Lady of Good Counsel. The chapel was ceremonially consecrated on 28 August 1988. It contains a devotional image created in the 18th century after an original painting by Lucas Cranach the Younger, created in the 16th century. The wayside chapel has been under cantonal monument protection since 1989 and is listed in the cantonal inventory of monuments.
The Johannesbrunnen fountain at Lindenplatz also connects a place in the village with a visible historic structure. The fountain was renovated in 2021; a glass panel reveals the well beneath it. The area around the Johannesbrunnen offers pilgrims and hikers a place to rest.
Discover more destinations: Willisau, Dagmersellen, Reiden, Menznau, Wikon, Pfaffnau, Gettnau, Menzberg.
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