Muttseehütte SAC

October 23, 2022 by Pat and Bruno ‐ 6 min read

The Limmerensee as seen from the Muttenchopf.

Summer 2021

Difficulty	T3
⇄ Distance	11.2 km
↑ Up	730 m
↓ Down	730 m
Notable Locations	Tierfed, Kalktrittli, Muttseehütte SAC, Muttenchopf, Limmerensee
Public Transit Access?	No

Quick Summary

Took a (completely over-engineered) cable car from Tierfed to Kalktrittli.
From Kalktrittli we took the newly constructed path which had been blown out of the side of the mountain.
- While the path is quite wide and very well maintained, it is extremely exposed (near-vertical drop of around 800 m).
Hiked up towards the Muttenwändli via the Nüschentäli.
- We had a few small snowfields to cross despite it being mid-summer.
Coffee and Wähe at the Muttseehütte SAC.
Quick pit-stop on the Muttenchopf.
Descent to the Limmerensee.
Return via the access tunnel used for constructing the dams at the Limmerensee and the Muttsee.

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Kalktrittli

There are only two official paths that lead to the Muttseehütte. The first one (left arrow; this is the one we'll be taking here) goes up along a newly constructed path to the Nüschentäli while the second goes through an access tunnel that leads directly though the mountain. We'll be taking the access tunnel on the way back.

Inside the very industrial looking ''Bergstation'' for the cable car. Literally looks like we're hanging out in the secret hideout for a James Bond villain. You can tell this place wasn't initially built with tourism in mind.

The slightly ominous looking door leading to the cable car.

Nüschentäli to the Muttseehütte

The Kalktrittli cable car station. This newly constructed path is pretty wide but has a very steep drop off; this photo doesn't do the exposure justice.

The view forwards towards the Limmerentobel (valley where the sunlight is coming in from). According to the topography map, it would be around an 800 m drop if we were to fall here. We definitely had to watch our step.

There were a few very short passages like this which were secured by chains. They definitely wouldn't have been necessary, but it helped to make the ascent a little more relaxed.

Looking from the Vorder Nüschenegg towards the Selbsanft. By this point, most of the exposed sections are behind us.

A view from the Nüschentäli looking west towards the Clariden (one of the peaks near the expansive glacier).

A few snowfields still hanging around despite it being mid-summer. Nothing too problematic though.

It always seems like magic to me that moss campion is able to thrive in these extremely rocky areas where seemingly nothing else wants to grow. Truly beautiful.

Our first view of the Limmerensee. The grassy plateau on the left is the Muttenchopf. We're going to make a stop there after we stop for a coffee at the Muttseehütte.

The Muttsee. Most of the tunnel infrastructure we'll be seeing later was built for an expansion project for this hydroelectric dam. The Muttseehütte (not visible here) is just out of frame on the right-hand-side.

Refueling with some delicious Wähe and coffee.

Muttenchopf and the Limmerensee

After we'd finished our coffee, we continued on towards the Muttenchopf. Here we're looking back towards the Muttseehütte.

This glacial valley is absolutely incredible. It's uncommon to find these sorts of fjord-like valleys in Switzerland. The Muttenchopf is the plateau on the right side.

The view down to the Limmerensee from the Muttenchopf.

This is the kind of place I imagine Swiss geology students go to for fieldwork. Apart from all of the well defined folds, the offset layer to the left of the snow covered gully might be the most spectacular textbook example of a reverse fault I have ever seen.

Making our way down towards the Limmerensee. We were really impressed with how well the hiking path is maintained here (even for Swiss standards).

Another view down towards the Limmerensee.

Plenty of alproses to add some colour to the somewhat rocky terrain.

This place is so peaceful. We had the trail almost entirely to ourselves.

A short scrambling passage secured by chains. It's not at all exposed though.

Finally down at the Limmerensee. This is the first part of the hike where we saw quite a number of people. There was a school class here for a field trip, but they had only taken the cable car up and walked through the access tunnel to get here (hence, not taking the hiking trail). That approach would likely make for a good family outing on a weekend.

Return Through the Access Tunnel

NOTE: We were REQUIRED to wear a safety vest through the tunnel. There was a box with a bunch of them at the door leading into the tunnel; we took one from this bin and then deposited it back in the box at the other end of the tunnel.

Pretty neat that they make this accessible to the public. It is also quite a nice shortcut without which this hike would likely not have been doable in a day.

There are some pretty neat little side tunnels we explored here as well. This particular one lets you go onto the dam at the end of the Limmerensee.

It really is pretty incredible what's possible to build using the state of the art in engineering.

The relatively long return back to the cable car. This tunnel leads directly back to the ''James Bond villain lair'' where we got the cable car back down to Tierfed.

Autumn 2022

Difficulty	T3
⇄ Distance	16.8 km
↑ Up	730 m
↓ Down	1820 m
Notable Locations	Tierfed, Kalktrittli, Muttseehütte SAC, Muttenchopf, Limmerensee, Tierfed
Public Transit Access?	No

Quick Summary

Beautiful autumn hike to the Muttseehütte SAC.
- Planned to take the same path as in 2021.
Upon returning to the cable car at Kalktrittli, we were informed that the cable car was closed for the rest of the day due to high winds.
- Had to hike down from Kalktrittli to Tierfed.
Much of the decent from Kalktrittli was through the forest which was quite scenic given the autumn leaves.