Lucerne Day 2 - Journey to Mt. Pilatus

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Mt. Pilatus, 6,982 feet (2,128 m) overlooks Lucerne. Our objective today was to travel to the peak. Yvette mapped out the route for us, a combination of boat, cog railway, aerial tramway and bus! What an adventure!

Boats plying Lake Lucerne depart from the quay across from the railway station at 0:38 past every hour. We arrived in time for the 9:38 boat, the first of the day. The Lake Lucerne boats are both sightseeing craft as well as providing transportation from Lucerne to nearby communities, including Hergiswil and Stansstad. In between is a breathtaking scenic panorama. The rain of the previous day had abated and the morning was sunny, providing a clear view of the Swiss landscape and numerous villas with boathouses. Mt. Pilatus itself continuously unfolds in differing aspects as the boat rounds the base of the peak. The last stop of the trip is Alpnachstad, where the traveler meets the Pilatusbahn.

The Pilatusbahn is an electric cog (rack) railway leading from Alpnachstad 2.9 miles (4.6 km) up the side of Mt. Pilatus to its summit at 6,081 feet (2073 m). The ride takes about 30 minutes. Along the way, one sees hikers walking up the mountain and close-up views of the rock formations. At its greatest incline, the railway operates on a 48 per cent gradient, making it the world's steepest.

At the top station, Pilatus Kulm, are a hotel, restaurant, gift shop and observation platforms. There are also trails up and throughout the peak. Our first stop was, of course, the observation platforms. Amazing views are offered down to Lucerne itself, over the expanse of Lake Lucerne and neighboring lakes, out across the relatively flat landscape to the north, and the ridge of the Berner Alps to the east. An added treat was an alpenhorn player performing on the mountaintop!

The Restaurant Bellevue offered cafeteria-style service. We both selected the schnitzel, accompanied by frites (French fries) and mixed vegetables, for lunch on the peak. After lunch, the

Drachensweg (Dragon's trail) was inviting. (It was believed that dragons lived on the mountain.) This trail led inside the mountain, with viewing ports at intervals. One new sight from this angle was the Klimsenkapelle, an 1861 mountain chapel that was once associated with a hotel. (The hotel is now gone.)

Time to return, but our descent was on the other side of the mountain by aerial tramway. A system of two different aerial tramways takes one down from the mountain. The first one, known as the Dragon Ride, had a large cabin and operates every 15 minutes. Passengers disembark at Frakmuntegg. Connection is made with a second aerial tramway, the Panorama, that operates continuously. Passengers step on the six-place cars as they slow down. An intermediate station allows passengers to stop at restaurants or use a zip line and ropes course. (There is a lot for locals to do on the mountain besides hike and enjoy the views.) At the bottom, we had reached Kriens. A series of directional signs led us, at a bit of a distance, into the center of town and the bus back to Lucerne. A fine days' outing!

This trip, popularly known as the "golden round trip", will require the better part of a day to complete and thoroughly enjoy. I definitely recommend it to all visitors to Lucerne.

That evening we ventured to Fondue house DuPont for a Swiss fondue dinner.

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Photos

Mt. Pilatus
Dawn breaks over Mt. Pilatus and Lake Lucerne.
The goal today was the "Golden Round trip." The journey to and up Mt. Pilatus by boat and cog railway and return by aerial tramway. DSC_0336

Wilhelm Tell
Wilhelm Tell, a 1908 Lake Lucerne sightseeing steamer repurposed as a floating restaurant on Lake Lucerne. Schiffrestaurant Wilhelm Tell. Schweizerhofquai. DSC_0355

Lakeside Mansion
Mansion on Lake Lucerne housing the Schweizer Schiesssportverband - Swiss Shooting Sport Federation. Lidostrasse 6. DSC_0367p1

Lake Lucerne Panorama
Lake Lucerne panorama. Lakeside Swiss villas and boathouses dot the landscape.
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Mount Pilatus
Mount Pilatus from Lake Lucerne. Mt, Pilatus is 6,982 ft (2,128 m) at its highest peak, the Tomlishorn. DSC_0369

Schloss Meggenhorn
Schloss Meggenhorn - Meggenhorn Castle. built in 1868- 1870 by Édouard Hofer in the manner of a Loire castle. It is an event venue today. Meggenhornstrasse 29.
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Horwer Peninsula
Swiss landscape on the Horwer Peninsula along Lake Lucerne. DSC_0373

Villa on Lake Lucerne
Villa and boathouse overlooking Lake Lucerne.
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Hergiswill
Glasi Hergiswill glass manufactory. Founded in 1817, the industrial complex includes a glass museum. DSC_0398

Mount Pilatus
Mount Pilatus from Hergiswill on Lake Lucerne. Mt, Pilatus is 6,982 ft (2,128 m) at its highest peak, the Tomlishorn. DSC_0399

Schnitz-Thurm
Schnitzturm at Stansstad overlooking Lake Lucerne. Built ca. 1315 as part of a defensive fortification that included wooden palisades. It is preserved as an observation point today.
"The square pinnacled Schnitz-Thurm was erected by the Swiss in 1308 to vindicate their newly-won independence".--Baedeker 1903
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Steamboat Uri
Paddlewheel steamboat Uri on Lake Lucerne. Built in 1901, the vessel is now a charter dining and event craft. Steamboats such as Uri have served as sightseeing vessels and ferries on Lake Lucerne for decades. DSC_0566

Pilatusbahn Station
Pilatusbahn lower station in Alpnachstad. The Pilatusbahn cog (rack) railway opened in 1889 with steam railcars. The present electric railcars were introduced in 1937.
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Pilatusbahn
A Pilatusbahn railcar descends from Pilatus Kulm to Alpnachstad. The Pilatubahn is the worlds steepest cog (rack) railway with a maximum 48 percent gradient.
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Pilatusbahn
Pilatusbahn Railcar at the Alnachstad (lower) station. There is a cab at each end. The Pilatubahn is the worlds steepest cog (rack) railway with a maximum 48 percent gradient. Car 22 built in 1937. IMG_0920

Pilatusbahn
Pilatusbahn Railcar 22 on the passing siding at the Alpnachstad (Lower) Station. The Pilatusbahn uses a transfer table mechanism to switch cars from one track to the other.
"The Pilatus Railway, constructed in 1886-88, is nearly 3 M. long, with an average gradient of 43:100 and a maximum gradient of 48:100. The toothed rail has vertical teeth on both sides, into which two pairs of toothed wheels attached to the train work horizontally",--Baedeker 1903 .
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Passing Siding
Pilatusbahn Railcar 26 approaches the passing siding at Ämsigen. The Pilatusbahn uses a transfer table mechanism to switch cars from one track to the other.
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Ascending Mt. Pilatus
Ascent of Mount Pilatus.
"The train now ascends through a wood on the brink of a gorge, crosses the Mattalp, in front of the Esel, to the left the precipitous Matthorn), turns to the N. towards the Steigli-Egg, and mounts the steep rocky slope of the Esel through four tunnels)".--Baedeker 1903.
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Ascending Mount Pilatus
Ascent of Mount Pilatus.
"The train now ascends through a wood on the brink of a gorge, crosses the Mattalp, in front of the Esel, to the left the precipitous Matthorn), turns to the N. towards the Steigli-Egg, and mounts the steep rocky slope of the Esel through four tunnels)".--Baedeker 1903.
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Hotel Pilatus Kulm
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Paraglider
Paraglider atop Mount Pilatus. DSC_0502p1

Comments

[Home and Away]

Thanks for the memories...
My first time up Mt. Pilatus was in 1964 and again in 1968. I guess it is time to go again! I did it in reverse order. I was surprised to learn that the peak is only 6982 ft in elevation. I've been living at 8400 ft for the last 17 years under Pikes Peak which is 14,115, but nothing as spectacular as Mt. Pilatus or the Bernese Alps!

[AndrewHL]

Mount Pilatus / Pike's Peak
Thank you for your comment! We really enjoyed our day-long round trip to Mount Pilatus. The scenery all along the way was spectacular. We plan to be in Colorado in July and are planning to ride the Pike's Peak Cog Railway. We did not have any difficulty at the top of Mount Pilatus. Do you have any cautions for being at over twice the altitude at Pike's Peak?

[D MJ Binkley]

Switzerland
Switzerland offers so much beauty.