Stoos Route: From Klingenstock to Fronalpstock (Switzerland)
In this post, we want to bring you more details about one of the most special routes we did on our trip to Switzerland, the Stoos route, from Klingenstock to Fronalpstock.
What are these names, you ask? Well, this route is a route that goes over the crest of the mountains and runs between two famous peaks in the area where there are two ski lift stations, Klingenstock and Fronalpstock. The idea is to go up one station and down the other, hiking between the peaks. It is an easy level hike, there are no big complicated areas except for the final part which has a steep slope.
In our opinion, it is a different and very special route because of the views you have and the place where you do it. In addition, you have the opportunity to go up the Stoos funicular, unique in the world (find out why below).
If you have reached this post and want to know more about our route through Switzerland, we leave you other posts that will surely interest you:
- 10-day campervan itinerary through Switzerland
- Complete guide of the 5 Lakes Route
- Detailed guide to visit Gornergrat
That said, let’s go with our Stoos Route!
How to get to Stoos?
The first point to start this Stoos route is how to get to the village. This place is situated in the mountains, so it is not possible to reach it directly by private transport. To get to Stoos you have to take the famous Stoos funicular, one of the attractions of the trip.
Stoos Funicular
The Stoos Funicular is famous for being the steepest funicular in the world, which makes it an attraction in itself. On this ascent, you climb 1,300 metres almost vertically (it reaches a gradient of 110%) with virtually no noticeable effect on the people inside the vehicle. It is a true marvel of engineering that is well worth seeing.
To get there, you have to get to the Stoosbahnen stop. From there, a funicular leaves every 20-40 minutes to the town of Stoos. This station has a car park where you can leave your vehicle and comfortably start the excursion, so you don’t have to worry if you’re travelling by private transport. The price of each trip is 42CHF with unlimited day passes and access to the chairlifts that take you to the peaks.
It is also interesting that at the station you have information about which lift stations are open, which is essential for starting the Stoos route, as you have to go up one of the peaks and down another, so be there in plenty of time before they close. If there is a storm and one of the two peaks is closed, you will not be able to do the hike comfortably, so it is not worth it. TIP: We leave you the official website of the Stoosbahnen where you can see what is open and what is not due to the storm and the timetables. Count 2-3 hours for the route, so you should allow enough time.
If you want to know more about this funicular and its peculiarities, you can consult this article.
How to get to the start of the route?
Once at the top, we have to go to the start of our Stoos route. Here there are several options of different difficulty and levels:
- Walking up and down to one peak and walking down the other: Advanced level and all-day hike. For an experienced mountaineer it shouldn’t be crazy, but for people who are not used to it, even if they are sporty, it is hard and long, so it is not a recommended option.
- Take the chairlift up to Klingenstock and walk down from Fronalpstock or vice versa: This is a slightly more relaxed option, because you save the climb up to the peak and only walk down, but you will have to add 1-2 hours to the route time to walk down.
- Take the chairlifts to the peaks: The price of the funicular includes access to the chairlifts that take you to the peaks. In our opinion, the best option is to go up via Klingenstock and down via Fronalpstock, as the former closes around 4 and the latter around 6, so it is always better to leave the later option for the latter. Also, from Fronalpstock, if the weather is good, you can see an incredible sunset.
The funicular to Klingenstock is located at this exact spot and takes about 5-10 minutes to get up. The funicular to Fronalpstock is located here and has the same ascent/descent time.
Where to stay for the Stoos route?
For the Stoos route, we can recommend several options.
The first is for those travelling in a caravan / camper / tent and that would be to stay at a campsite in the area. As mentioned above, there is a parking option at the entrance to Stoos station, so it will be easy to get in and out and move to your accommodation. We stayed at two campsites in the area as we tried to do the Stoos route twice, the first time we couldn’t due to a storm:
- The first campsite was located on a farm near the village of Meierskappel, about 45 minutes from the station and was called Camping Gerbe. Very cool especially for children and families.
- The second campsite was also 45 minutes away and was called Camping Gäsi. It was very cool as it was on a lake and you could do a lot of activities, but we couldn’t enjoy it because of the rain.
The prices for both were around 10-15€ pp per night.
Other than that, if you want to stay in hotels/hostels, there are also several options:
Accommodation in Stoos
The first way is to stay directly in the village, the perfect place to start the Stoos route. It’s a bit more expensive, but here are the best options we’ve seen (we’ve taken a weekend in October to see the prices):
- Stoos Lodge (€): Typical mountain cottage, super cool and cosy. It has a restaurant and bar so you can have all the amenities in one place. The price is not too high for Switzerland, we have seen much more expensive places, so it is a good option for the Stoos route.
- Wellness Hotel Stoos (€€€): A slightly more expensive but very top hotel for those who want all the comforts. It has a huge spa with several pools, saunas and massage rooms, a restaurant and a choice of activities in the mountain area, making it an incredible option.
Staying around the station
There are not many villages near the Stoos train station, so you would need private transport to get to the excursion or the hotel would have a shuttle service. Here are the best options in terms of location / quality and price that we have analysed:
- Bnbetschart (€): This is a well-kept and very good-looking house run by locals on the same road as the Stoos station (approx. 1 km). It is cheap, close and of good quality, which makes it an unbeatable option if you want to do the Stoos route.
- Panorama Jurte Über Dem-Uri (Sisikon): Behind this curious name, we leave you a very interesting accommodation, as it is a small cabin located behind the Klingenstock and Fronalpstock peaks, on the shores of the beautiful lake Vierwaldstattërsee. We think that for price, quaint, rustic and location, it’s a great option that we would definitely choose.
In general we see that around the lake there is quite a lot of accommodation, in the area of our second recommendation. You can see the options here.
What to bring to the Stoos Route?
- Comfortable hiking boots (Goretex if possible).
- A waterproof jacket in case it rains
- Water (basic)
- Food (basic)
- Comfortable sports/mountain clothes
- Small backpack to carry everything
Stoos Route: Details
We are going to give you the details of the different options of the Stoos route so that you can choose your favourite one, although the later detail will be of the option to go up and down by chairlift, which is what we did.
Walk up to Klingenstock and walk down from Fronalpstock
- Difficulty: Medium
- Distance: Approximately 12 km
- Time: 5-6 hours
- Detail: Start the route in the village of Stoos and head to the first peak at Klingenstock on an uphill route of approximately 2 hours. On this stretch, you will climb almost 600 metres in elevation gain, the most difficult part of the route. Next, you will enjoy the best part of the trail, a 2-hour route along the ridge between Klingenstock and Fronalpstock, where you will cover about 4 km with some loss of elevation gain, but fairly flat. Once in Fronalpstock, you can descend again in 1-2 hours to the village of Stoos.
- Example on Wikiloc: We leave you an example on Wikiloc where it takes a little more distance because it does not end exactly in the village of Stoos, but it is the idea that we have explained to you.
Take the funicular up and walk back down
- Difficulty: Low-Medium
- Distance: 9 km approximately
- Time: 3-4 hours
- Detail: Take the funicular up to Klingenstock. Take the route between the peaks to Fronalpstock, which is a real wonder and the great beauty of the Stoos route. Once at Fronalpstock, head towards the signs marking the descent to Stoos on a 1-2 hour walk down to the village.
Going up and down by funicular
- Difficulty: Low-Medium
- Distance: 9 km approximately
- Time: 3-4 hours
- Detail: Take the funicular up to Klingenstock. Take the route between the peaks to Fronalpstock, which is a real wonder and the great beauty of the Stoos route. Once at Fronalpstock, head towards the signs marking the descent to Stoos on a 1-2 hour walk down to the village.
- Wikiloc example
Our podcast of the trip to Switzerland
We leave you here the chapter we made about our camper route through Switzerland so you can have all the details of what we did and the organisation. We hope you like it 🙂
If after our explanation you have not yet been convinced to do this Stoos route, we would not understand why, as it is a simple route, suitable for everyone and with one of the best views of our stay in Switzerland. We encourage you to do it and let us know what you think.
If you have any questions about the information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
