Finding a panoramic hike in the Swiss Alps that makes you feel on top of the world

The truth about how mountains are made is unveiled in the amazing Pizol alpine region. Found in the UNESCO World Heritage Sardona Tectonic Arena, this region is full of panoramic wonders – you just need to know where to look.

The Pizol High Plateau is like a viewing platform of geological events going back millennia. You can see mountain chains once part of the African plate, the Rhine Valley, once a huge glacier, snaking off into the distance and mountain peaks, once hundreds of metres below the ocean in deep-sea trenches, now over 2,500 metres above sea level covered in snow. But the region is mostly famous for the discovery that geologists and scientists made here – how mountains are formed. The collision of plates can be seen in the clearly defined layers of rock over 300 million years old, now known as the “Glarus thrust”.

Why would anyone want to miss a show like that?

How to view mighty mountains and the Rhine Valley – Pizol’s Panorama Trail

Sign meanings: Yellow indicates Ski Tours 34 & 35 down to Gaffia middle chairlift station, Brown/red is the red ski slope to Gaffia and Green indicates the paragliding site – available in both summer and winter. Pink is for winter trail 172 – Panorama circular trail – more detail below.

Doing the Panorama Trail

Length: 3.6 km | Duration: 1 hour 10 mins | Height Difference: 30 m | Start: Either Wangs or Bad Ragaz gondola stations

Location

When travelling by car, the Pizol Region is reached via the main A3 motorway in a southeast direction from Zürich. Around 30 minutes after travelling across the southern tip of Lake Zürich the motorway runs through the Rhine Valley where dramatic views of the Alps rise up in front of you – of course, this depends on the weather. The Glarus Valley to the west, is notorious for fog but once this clears the mighty peaks are visible all around. Once travelling through tunnels and alongside Walensee (Lake Walen), the Rhine Valley widens and this is when signposts for Wangs and Bad Ragaz come into view. From here it is easy to exit the motorway and find a park at the valley stations of both gondolas.

When taking public transport the views from the train start in the valley and include the wonderful Walensee. From Wangs or Bad Ragaz buses connect the train station to the gondolas.

The Trail

The Pizol high plateau stretches out between the top chairlift stations Laufböden and the Pizolhütte, with the magnificent Panorama Höhenweg circular hiking trail meandering between these two points. The crowning glory is the summit panorama and the Grand Tour of Switzerland photo spot at the Tagweidlichopf viewpoint. The circular trail is dedicated to the UNESCO World Heritage Tectonic Arena Sardona.

Highlights:

• Large info panel at the panoramic viewing platform with astounding insights into the formation of the Alps.
• Grand Tour of Switzerland Photo Spot.
• 360-degree views.
• Clear views of the ridging and folding of rock strata known as the Glarus Thrust.
• Well-groomed paths in a stunning winter landscape.
• Friendly staff
• Cosy mountain restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating.
• Panorama Benches

My Experience

I was lucky enough to have an invitation from the lovely staff at Pizol Tourism and Marketing after asking for information about winter walking in the area.

I planned to explore the area with a friend. The idea was that we would get familiar with the area by taking the gondola and chair lifts to the top, have a coffee at the Pizolhütte Restaurant, do the trail, take plenty of photos and learn more about the Tectonic Arena, then finish for another drink before going down to the valley.

View from chairlift – ski trails and the Glarus mountains hidden under thick snow.

Getting to the Pizol Plateau

Great theory but unfortunately my friend couldn’t make it so I was on my own. It was not a problem except when I arrived I was surrounded by skiers, a gondola trip then 2 chair lift rides to the top. I imagined sharing a chair lift with a seasoned skier – they would gracefully alight at the top station, swishing off into the snowy distance, I, however, would be forced to run along the hard snowy floor of the station, probably slip, ending up under the chairlift with the possibility of my backpack strap hooked around some part of the lift. The staff would be forced to stop the lifts while unhooking me and pulling me to my feet. I would then limp off, spending the rest of my time on the mountain worrying about the trip down.

Attentive Staff

Of course, it didn’t happen like that. The lift staff were very attentive and made sure I was not travelling with skiers, also the exit from the lifts was very straightforward – I just took a step to the side and was on firm ground. There were also plenty of other people doing the winter walks so, most importantly, I was not alone.

So I started the Panorama trail completely relaxed, breathing in the crisp alpine air, bathed in sunlight, buzzing at the thought of walking on the well-groomed paths. It was very early in the day and the snow was pretty hard on the trail. This meant a bit of slipping and sliding to start with, which was viewed by others in the chair lift but at that point, I didn’t care. The wonderful thing about the Pizol plateau is that you feel like you are on top of the world, with views of mountains going on forever into the distance. A few slips and slides didn’t matter. I just waved at my audience and continued to slip and slide down the path.

After the initial challenge, the path softened and was easier to negotiate. I would recommend sturdy winter boots for the walk and I noticed some other hikers have poles, but these are not required.

Near the start of the trail looking towards the Tagweidlichopf viewpoint.

The Hike

The high plateau at 2222 meters, that the trail crosses, is positioned in front of the Sardona Tectonic Arena like a naturally shaped viewing platform. The views are in all directions – towards the World Heritage Glarus mountains, across the Rhine Valley and as far as Lake Constance in clear weather, then layers of Alps disappearing into the distance.

On the trail, looking towards Pizolhütte Restaurant and chairlift.

Beautiful shapes are made from shadows created by the morning sun. Lake Wangser (Wangsersee) is hidden under snow and ice.

Tagweidlichopf vantage point

The high-altitude trail is lined with information about the view, the origin of the Alps and the UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the highlights is the Tagweidlichopf vantage point (2275 m above sea level) with a 360-degree panoramic view and a large panoramic viewing guide explaining the geological changes and events that created the landscape.

A Grand Tour of Switzerland photo spot with a view of the Pizol summit and its glacier was installed here in July 2018. The Pizol was chosen as one of the 40 most beautiful photo spots in Switzerland.

How to get there and a map of walking routes with lifts

A gondola and chairlift complete the journey up to the Pizol Plateau from Bad Ragaz – Laufböden (2,224 m). Another option is with a gondola and 2 chairlifts from the town of Wangs -Pizolhütte station (2,222 m). All lifts connect seamlessly. The map below displays the lifts.

Winter hiking trail – Pizol Panorama Höhenweg (high altitude walk). Can also be done in summer.

Other Activities and Impressions

Other activities in Pizol ski resort and the region include:

• Great skiing, snowshoeing and tobogganing
• Ride on a snow groomer
• Tandem Paragliding
• Goat Trekking
• Further winter hikes
• Tamina Thermal Baths
• Bündner Herrschaft wine region
• All things Heidi