The Äscher Berghaus Hike – A Mountain Hotel on Cliffs, Switzerland

The hike to Eunique Äscher Berghaus is one of the most popular short hikes in the Appenzell region.

The view of the Äscher Guesthouse lodged into the side of the mountain is unique—not only for the Appenzell region but for the whole of Switzerland.

Äscher Berghaus

The hut is also one of the oldest in Switzerland, dating back to 1,860. It serves both as a guesthouse, where you can spend the night, and as a Restaurant, to have a bit, or a coffee break when hiking on the beautiful trails of the Alpstein mountain range in the Canto of Appenzell.

You can get there with a cable car ride but also hike in less than an hour through some beautiful landscape.

Table of Contents

Overview of the Äscher Berghaus Hike & Map

You can hike to the Äscher Berggasthaus in Ebenalps in an out-and-back hike, a loop, or only do part of the loop and take the cable car up from Wasserauen. I’ll describe the entire loop below, as that’s the one I did. I mentioned that just so you are aware of possible variations.

The hike isn’t particularly difficult, but there are some steep sections. In places on the side of the trail toward Seealpsee, the trail is narrow and steep. So if you want to do it as an out-and-back hike, the easiest option is to follow the trail counterclockwise till you get to the hut.

If you are planning to do this hike as a loop, I’d highly recommend adding a visit to Seealpsee. It adds only 10-15 minutes to the hike, and that lake is worth the hike in itself. It is a very beautiful mountain lake.

Here is the map of the Hike. You can download the GPX file for free from the activity linked below, should you wish to do so.

How to get to the Äscher Berghaus Hike trailhead and Parking

Whether you are planning to take the Ebenal cable car or hike, you have to get to the Wasserauen parking area. you can either take the cable car or start your hike from there.

• Driving Directions: The two main entry points to the Appenzell region to get to Seealpsee are via the A1 highway (from the Western side) or A13 (from the Eastern side) highways. Keep following directions to Weissbad and Wasserauen until you reach the end of the road, which is where the large parking area is.
• Parking: paid parking is available by the trailhead. There is a large parking area, but it does fill up quite easily, so it pays off to get there in the early morning. You can pay cash at the machines or with the EasyPark app.
• Public Transport: very conveniently, there is a train station right next to the parking area. if you are visiting and don’t have a car, do consider the train. Especially if you have the Swiss Travel Pass, this is one of the best options to get to the trailhead in Wasserauen.

The Ebenalp Cable Car station.

The The Äscher Berghaus Hiking Trail

You can do this loop hike both ways. if you do it clockwise, you’ll pass by Seealpsee first, and then you can reach the Aescher guesthouse via a connecting trail from there.

The trail between Seealpsee and the Äscher is steeper than the trail between Wasseraue and the hut, so doing it counterclockwise means hiking on a gentler gradient too.

You can Hike to the Hut from different directions, the quickest way being from Wassrauen via Ebenalp

From Wasseraunen to the Äscher Hut

The trail from Wasserauen to Ebenalp is the most scenic part of the hike compared to the other trail between Ebenalp and Seealpsee.

You’ll initially walk up the mountain through a forest, leaving room for alpine meadows after about 20-30 minutes. The forest part of the trail is particularly nice, especially in autumn with all the fall colors around.

From there, the views will gradually open up on the green Appenzell pastures first and on the surrounding mountains later. Here you’ll have great views of several other mountains in the Alpstein range, like Hoher Kasten.

Hoher Kasten above a sea of fog.

Then, the trail crosses another wooded area, passing next to a rock face first and then below the Wildkirchli caves. At that point, you’re just a short walk away from the Äscher Berggasthaus, which will appear right above your head.

The sight of the rock face towering above the hut will likely leave you wondering how the hell did they even think to build a hut there. Not sure, but it’s awesome.

View of the hut from the Trail

Anyway, the hut it’s now just a short walk away. There are a few places to sit around the hut, and you can also stop there for a warm drink, a meal or to snack on something from the hut.

From Äscher Hut to Seealpsee

Once you’ve reached the hut, you have several options to continue your hike further. One of the best options is to hike from Ebenalp and the Aesche Guesthouse to Seealpsee.

Compared to the out-and-back hike from Wasserauen to the Hut, you would only add about 3km to the total distance, with all of the elevation gain behind you already.

View from the trail toward Seealpsee.

the trail is a proper mountain trail with some steep sections

Seealpsee

The trail from the Aescher Mountain Inn to Seealpssee is a proper mountain hiking trail, a bit steep and narrow in places but not exposed. It also offers good views of the surrounding landscape.

The trail then connects to the service road from Wasseraune to Seealpsee and once you’ve reached the road, it’s just a 10-minute hike to the beautiful Seealpsee lake.

Äscher Hut Photos and Photography Tips

Viewpoints of the guesthouse are limited on the side of the cliff. There is pretty much just a narrow paved passage from where you can take the classic frontal-view photo of the Gasthaus Äscher.

The passage that also serves as the main viewpoint on the hut can get crowded.

The front of the hut does not get much direct sunlight, but the cliff it’s built on faces south. The best sidelight is usually in the late morning. Late afternoons are good to catch some backlight instead.

Essentially, I think it’s best suited to visit during the golden hour. I would not consider this a particularly good location for either sunrise or sunset – again, due to its position and how little of the sky is visible.

Äscher Berghaus

Tip: time your photo shoot in between cable car rides. When a cable car arrives at Ebenalp, typically, everyone will walk toward the hut and stop to take photos at the main viewpoint. That typically results in people queuing up to take photos, and then it clears up until the next ride arrives.

Where to stay

As mentioned earlier, you can spend the Night at this amazing mountain hut built on cliffs. Looks like only direct booking is possible – here is their website.

Alternatively, the area around Seealpsee, Wasserauen, or Weissbad offers plenty of other Guesthouse or Hotels to spend the night at. This is a great option to explore more of the Appenzell region and its beautiful mountains.

Camper/Vans: a few years ago, an overnight at the Wasserauen parking area was tolerated. Now, it is no longer allowed. Still, there seem to be 3/4 dedicated paid camper parking spots near the Alpenrose Hotel.

However, there is a parking spot where an overnight stay is tolerated as long as your setup is not in full camping mode (i.e., open awning, chairs, tables in the parking area, and so on – you get the idea).

Additional Resources

• For a comprehensive overview of Hikes in Switzerland, check out my main Switzerland page.
• if you are planning more hikes or want to discover more of the Appenzell region, consider visiting Fälensee, Saxerlücke, Hoher Kasten, or Santis. And, as already mentioned, Seealpsee.
• Here is the official Appenzell website for the region.