Day 17 – Oeschinen Lake Hiking and Swimming

We got up very early today to take three trains and a cable car to Oeschinen Lake, which, according to all the Instagram stories I have watched, is the most beautiful lake in Switzerland.  I will say, the views did not disappoint. It was, however, a hike to get to, even after getting off the train. We walked 15 minutes to the cable car, and then from the top, it’s another 30 minutes to get to the lake. We didn’t head there first, though – we had other plans.

Our first stop was the mountain toboggan – a 750m track at the top of the cable car. Addie and I got tickets, hopped in line, and waited about 15 minutes for our turn. We don’t have many good pictures, so just imagine each of us on our own little silver sled with a hand brake, hurtling down a tiny metal track not much wider than the sled. It was more fun than I expected – though I am not sure how some kids don’t fly right off the track.

Once we were finished, we started our hike to the lake and then veered left at the first major trail intersection to take the Panaorama trail. It’s a 4.5-mile loop, but we opted to hike just the first mile up to the scenic viewpoint. The trail was precarious at points, dropping steeply on one side as we carved our way along the mountain. The views were absolutely spectacular with the gorgeous turquoise waters of the lake at the foot of stunning snow-capped peaks.

Heading back down was much easier, and then from the base of the trail, we had another 30-minute trek down to the lake itself. It was beautiful, but we were all thrilled to get to the restaurant at the end. We filled up on Swiss dishes of rosti topped with eggs and bacon, local cheeses and meats, and Swiss meatballs. It was a perfect pre-swim meal.

The lake itself wasn’t too crowded, but it was cold. Of course, my kids loved it because they are impervious to cold like all good New England kids. I am a big baby, so after I dipped my toes in, I walked right back out and took a nap in the sun while Kendra and the kids swam.

The walk back to the cable car was much easier than the hike, but still 30 minutes uphill. By the time we got back on the train, we were all toast. Less than two hours later, we were back at the Airbnb, eating an early dinner and packing everything up for our next stop.