Summer Hiking Fun with Kids

You are not the modern athlete racing up mountains to collect peaks, but you like to spend your time outdoors. You travel with children and you are just looking for a pleasant afternoon in the mountains, then Hoch Ybrig is a destination you should take a closer look at.

Family friendly trails

Some of you who like skiing in Switzerland may have heard about Hoch Ybrig as one of the fun but less flamboyant ski resorts in the Kanton Schwyz. Indeed, it is a very good area for winter sports but it also offers a lot of outdoor activities in summer. Over the past few years, the traditional Swiss winter sport areas invested quite heavily in order to attract tourists and outdoor enthusiasts in summer, too.

At Hoch Ybrig there are trails that cater to all sorts of hiking ambitions but today I will recommend a short family-friendly program that can be done in half a day.

hiking-trail-1 — Family friendly trails offer splendid views

How to find your way up

You arrive by car to Hoch-Ybrig Weglosen (about 1 hour drive from Zurich). There is a huge parking garage, so no worries where to leave the car. Adjacent to the parking you will see the cable car station.

Purchase a one-way-ticket to the top. In the middle of the ride up you change from the cable car to a chair lift, which will take you to the top. If the weather is good for paragliding, you should stop by their starting spot and watch them taking off.

This map is available free of charge at the cable car station. The suggested route is on the left side of the map

Follow the signs to Druesberghuette

Look for the hiking trail left of the lift leading to “Druesberghütte”. It will take about an hour to get there. The trails are narrow and sometimes a bit bumpy but not difficult or dangerous. You will walk along the slopes of the mountains with fantastic views into the valley.

Along the way, you will – almost for certain – cross paths with some cows. They are not aggressive animals, however, a bit of respect is never wrong. Especially, when their calves are with them keep your distance and just enjoy the sound of the cow bells. Cows are curious animals and they may stare at you as you walk past them but no worries, as long as you keep your distance they will enjoy you being there as much as you will enjoy seeing them.

The hike is easy, no tough climbs, no steep descents. Once you arrive at restaurant Druesberghütte take a seat on the terrace and have a piece of their delicious home-made cakes and tarts. They are to die for.

Since you don’t want to walk the same way back, you should take the fat-tire scooters (called “Trotti” in Swiss German) to drive all the way down to the parking. It is a lot of fun. You can rent the scooters directly at the restaurant Druesberghütte. They also provide you with a helmet and gloves. The equipment is in good shape and especially the scooter’s brakes are always checked and serviced. The scooters are good for children as of 10 years and cost 22 CHF incl. helmet and gloves.

The downhill scooter ride begins right outside the restaurant. In about 20 to 30 minutes you will arrive back to the parking where you return the scooter upon arrival. The scooter rack is located at the lowest level of the parking garage. The return station is unattended, so just park and leave everything there.