In Alpthal, trails through the mountain landscape and seasonal winter activities offer different ways to spend your stay. The Central Swiss Way of St. James leads from Einsiedeln via Alpthal and Brunni to the Haggenegg and on to Schwyz. In winter, the panoramic toboggan run at the Brunni ski lift is another option. When planning your time, you can choose between a point-to-point route, a summit hike, a circular walk and shorter winter activities.
Hiking: point-to-point route, summit and circular walk
The Mythen Trail starts in Brunni at an altitude of 1,100 metres and leads via Holzegg at 1,405 metres. From there, a narrow zigzag path climbs to the 1,899-metre summit of the Grosser Mythen. From the isolated summit, views extend across the Glarus and Uri Alps, Lake Lucerne and the lowlands. The route combines a steady climb with a summit destination; no hiking time is specified for this route.
The Brunni–Rotenfluh–Brunni circular walk offers a different kind of tour: it leads via Holzegg and Rotenfluh and through the Zwäckentobel back to Brunni, and takes about three hours. This approximate duration helps you plan the time needed for the loop. The Way of St. James, by contrast, focuses on a longer connection between Einsiedeln and Schwyz that passes through Alpthal and Brunni.
The Holzegg climbing area is also on a route described as starting from Brunni: access is by cable car to Holzegg, followed by a short section of the hiking trail towards the Grosser Mythen. The cable car operates seasonally. If you plan to use this route, check the timetable in advance.
Winter routes and seasonal conditions
The panoramic toboggan run is located right by the Brunni ski lift. Depending on snow conditions, it is 300 to 600 metres long, groomed and separate from the ski area or ski slope. Its length therefore depends on the snow cover. Brunni-Alpthal also has a designated snowmobile park with a marked course: children can ride there, and the park is designed for children aged five to eleven.
For snowshoe tours, note the seasonal restriction in the Ibergeregg nature reserve. Some routes pass through wildlife sanctuaries, which must not be entered from 1 December to 31 March. Another nature route leads through the Mythen wildlife reserve, where wild animals are protected from hunters. These activities therefore differ not only in what you can do, but also in the conditions that apply.
Landscape and alpine cheese
The municipality of Alpthal lies at the upper end of the Alptal valley, which the Alp stream flows through. The recreational area is described as a mountain landscape for hikers and cyclists. The Alpchäs-Wäg offers a special link between the trail and local production: it passes alpine pastures with dry-stone walls and lets you taste alpine cheese where it is made. Availability at the farms may vary.
Chapels and the history of the Alptal valley
The Alpthal branch church was consecrated in 1797 in honour of Saint Apollonia and granted the right to baptise and bury. The Haggenegg Chapel was built nearby in 1870. During the French advance in 1798, the miraculous image of the “Black Madonna” had been kept at its site; the place was subsequently the focus of repeated acts of veneration.
East of the Grosser Mythen, the Bruder Klaus Chapel Holzegg stands on Holzegg at an altitude of about 1,400 metres. It was blessed on 17 July 1949. Together with the branch church and the Haggenegg Chapel, it offers a glimpse into different chapters of local religious history, from the church’s consecration in the 18th century to the chapel on Holzegg in the 20th century.
The valley’s earlier history specifically concerns the Albetal: in 1018, Emperor Henry II gave it to Einsiedeln Abbey. Schwyz’s territorial claim to the valley was confirmed by the Peace of 1350.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Rothenthurm, Lauerz, Sattel, Muotathal, Morschach, Goldau, Arth, Stoos
Back to the main travel overview: Schwyz.
