Goldauer Bergsturzspur
Overview
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Distance 8 km
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Duration 3 h 15 min
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Ascent 620 m
Intro
A varied tour through the landslide area in Goldau, featuring Lake Lauerz, the Sägel nature reserve, the village of Goldau situated on the scree, as well as the Goldau Animal Park and the actual landslide zone, which is also famous for its wealth of rare orchids.
Description
The traces of the landslide stem from the fateful day on September 2, 1806, when a gigantic mass of rock broke from the slopes of the western ridge of the Rossberg and slid on a layer of clay and marl into the valley. Due to persistent heavy rainfalls this slide buried 102 homes of the Röthen and Goldau hamlets under about 400 million m3 of debris. It even reached the western shore of Lake Lauerz where it caused a flood wave. Overall, 457 people and over 320 animals lost their lives in the disastrous event.
The hiking trail through Goldau’s landslide area starts at the Arth-Goldau train station. Near the last buildings of the village it enters the Härzigwald forest and immediately climbs relatively steeply uphill. This first section – from the train station up to Spitzibüel – follows the route of the Schwyzer Höhenweg (high-altitude trail). Then it crosses over to Oberspitzibüel. On the mound of scree in the landslide area, through which the trail loops back to Goldau, the hikers come across numerous silent witnesses of long ago: gigantic prehistoric boulders are part of the landscape.
Today the Goldau landslide area is a cantonal plant reserve. Plants that would normally not have a chance of developing in the wooded landscape were able to thrive in this extensive area. Botany buffs come here primarily to find rare orchid plants, such as Lady’s Slippers, Twayblades or Helleborines. Some of these grow right beside the trail. The best opportunity to see them in full bloom is in early summer.
An enjoyable tour includes the careful planning of the same. Please inform yourself in advance at the local information center about the route and weather conditions. Depending on the season and weather conditions, this route may be blocked or interrupted
| Start location |
Goldau
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|---|---|
| Destination |
Goldau
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| Direction |
One way
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| Ascent |
620 m
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| Descent |
620 m
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| Distance |
8 km
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| Duration |
3 h 15 min
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| Duration back |
3 h 15 min
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| Technical requirements |
Easy
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| Physical requirements |
Medium
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| Season |
May - October
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| Theme |
To a mountain peak
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| Signalization |
Signalisation in both directions
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| More information | https://schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/r... |
Quick Facts
Route number
