Four Lakes Trail: Obwalden, Central Switzerland
Four deep blue mountain lakes, charming villages and incredible views of the Central Alps.
There’s not too much difficulty with this hike, and with gorgeous views every step of the way, it makes for a truly great day out in the mountains. I opted to start the trail at Melchsee-Frutt and end at Trübsee (with the cable car connection down to Engelberg), but you can go in either direction. The whole hike is really beautiful, but the stretch between Tannensee and Engstlensee was my very favorite: green hills, snow-capped mountains, hundreds of cows (and cowbells), tiny villages with little wooden farms and bright white chapels. It’s seriously SO picturesque. Normally, I choose hikes that are big sweaty challenges…but sometimes, it’s nice to just amble along and enjoy the views. The only semi-tough part of this hike is the climb up to Jochpass. With pretty wide paths and cable car connections, I’d say this one is pretty family-friendly, too.
I also did this hike solo. I think that if you want to hike alone, but are nervous - try it out with this one. There are no technical difficulties, and with plenty of villages and mountain stations along the way, you are never really alone.
Start: Melchsee-Frutt talstation
End: Trübsee talstation
Basic Route: Melchsee Frutt - Tannensee - Engstlensee - Jochpass - Trübsee
Length and Rating: Moderately easy. The only moderate section is the trails up and down Jochpass. 15km, 4-5 hours.
