Arven forest, three Murg lakes and a moderately challenging route: the Murgsee Genuss tour offers a specific hiking highlight in the Quarten tourist area.
The tourist area also offers a broader view of the region: mountain, water and land landscapes, activities on Lake Walen and church history sit side by side. You can choose your focus by distinguishing between hiking, play and boat trips, and culture.
Quarten between Lake Walen and Flumserberg
Quarten is a political municipality in the canton of St. Gallen and the Sarganserland electoral district. These details place the municipality administratively; from a tourism perspective, Quarten describes a broader area between Flumserberg and Lake Walen that also includes the Murgsee area. Mountain, water and land landscapes shape this setting. The tourist area comprises five local municipalities, six villages and the Molseralp on Tannenboden in the Flumserberg mountains. Quarten’s tourist area is part of Heidiland.
Hiking in the Murgsee area
The Murgsee Genuss tour is a moderately challenging hike covering 9.8 kilometres and taking 3 hours and 30 minutes. The starting point is the Mornen car park. It can be reached from Murg on Lake Walen by car or by on-call taxi. Check the access information before travelling; route details can change, so you should also check conditions before setting off.
The route leads via Alp Guflen to a forest reserve with ancient Swiss stone pines, where no timber is harvested. It also passes through a romantically rugged mountain basin with the three Murg lakes. The forest reserve and mountain lakes therefore offer distinct natural highlights along the hike.
Play experiences and SUP yoga on Lake Walen
The Walensee play experience in Unterterzen combines five themed playgrounds and a themed trail around Lake Walen with boat trips. Play features include a small wooden boat with balancing ropes, a slide and a wobbly bridge. The themed trail adds a connection to the lake and boat trips.
SUP yoga on Lake Walen is a seasonal bookable activity: yoga takes place on a stand-up paddleboard in the middle of the lake. Check the latest dates and availability before planning.
Church history in Quarten
The parish church of St Gallus in Quarten was built between 1860 and 1862 under Placidus Huber, a former conventual of Pfäfers Abbey. The decorative wall paintings are said to be based on Irish ornamentation.
The connection to Pfäfers also appears in the town’s earlier history: Pfäfers Benedictine Abbey already owned a chapel in Quarten in the 9th century. Its furnishings included a hide of land and rich fishing grounds in Lake Walen. The Pfäfers connection thus appears in two historical contexts: through Placidus Huber and the 19th-century church construction, and through the Benedictine abbey and the 9th-century chapel.
Discover more destinations: Mols, Murg, Flums, Pfäfers, Tannenheim, Sargans, Vättis, Quinten
See the broader travel overview: Sarganserland.
