Seealpsee Hike – Hiking to an Idyllic lake in Appenzell, Switzerland

The hike to Seealpsee is a short and easy, but scenic hike in the Swiss Canton of Appenzell, in Eastern Switzerland.

Seealpsee is also one of the most beautiful and idyllic lakes in Switzerland and is more than worth a trip to the Appenzell region on its own.

Seealpsee

Located in the Alpstein mountain range, the lake sits at an elevation of 1,142m, and can only be reached by foot.

Not only is the lake beautiful, but some parts of the trail to the lake are quite nice and rather picturesque in themselves. For instance, a small waterfall in the forest and several huts in the meadows above the forest – but we’ll get into that later.

Table of Contents

Overview of the Seealpsee Hike & Map

The hike to Seealpssee is short and quite easy, apart from a few relatively steep sections at the beginning of the trail. Nothing that would require scrambling or anything close to it.

Overall it is an easy hike, highly recommended to everyone wanting to spend the day in a fairy tale-looking spot like Seealpsee and the many beautiful, idyllic huts around it.

Huts on the trail to Seealpsee.

You can also extend this hike to Ebenalp and the Aescher Hut from there. You can actually do this as a loop and hike back from the hut directly to the parking area.

Here is the map of the hike, you can download the GPX file from it should you wish to do so.

How to get to the Seealpsee Trailhead and Parking

There are a few different ways you ca get to Seealpsee, as the Appenzell region has a vast network of trails. The most common way to get to Seealpsee is from Wasserauan, which is also one of the main entry points to the Appenzell hiking areas.

• 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 direction 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 Seealpsee Hiking Trail – Waterfalls, Huts and the Lake

The hiking trail to Seealpsee is essentially a loop, partly in the forest, through meadows, and partly on the service road that serves the various huts and private homes around the lake. Needless to say, the forest/meadows trail is the most scenic option.

The service road is mainly a narrow tarmac road, with nothing special about it. It’s still a nice walk, but it makes sense to take it on your way back if you want to get there quicker. Or, if you want to get to the lake quicker too on your hike up.

Anyway for that reason I’d recommend doing the loop clockwise. You can just head toward the side of the mountain to your left, where you’ll find a trail that will soon lead you to a relatively steep uphill section. This is the part of the forest, where also a few water streams flow, forming a few waterfalls.

Shortly after you’ll reach the meadows, where the trail turns mostly flat. You’ll pass by several beautiful mountain huts in this area – all with the scenic backdrop of the Appenzell mountains.

The trail will then head back downhill toward the lake again. the lake is now just about 10-15 minutes away. The main viewpoints by the hotel and where the boat is will be to your right, just a short walk away.

The boat is located right next to the Hotel.

Viewpoint in front of the Guesthouse.

Once you arrive at Seealpsee, you also have several options to continue hiking further, like a loop around the lake, to Meglisalp, or Ebenalp and the Aescher Hut (which I’d recommend).

Seealpsee Hike Photos and Photography Tips

There are two main photo spots around Seealpsee, both on the easter side of the lake, which is the one from which you’d be arriving. The first one is right by the service road. It’s where the boat is. the other one is right in front of the hotel

On a still, windless day, you can catch amazing reflections, especially in the morning when the light hits the mountain in the background.

I’d recommend avoiding going ultrawide at the lake. Everything far, like Rossmad, the pointy mountain in the background, will look ridiculously small. A focal range of 24mm or full frame equivalent should be enough

Apart from the lake, I’d highly recommend taking the trail through the forest for additional photo opportunities. There are plenty of beautiful huts in that area, which make for great subjects. I was lucky enough to have the bonus of some fog, which is not unusual in this area in early autumn. So, it’s definitely worth visiting at that time of the year.

Lastly, you can shoot the Milky Way by the lake, lining up with the mountain in the background. The best time to do that is around the end of June when the Milky Way lines up. This is certainly something I am going to try too on my next visit.

Where to stay

There are a few guesthouses right by the lake and around it.

Bergassthaus Seealpsee and Berggasthaus Forelle are right by the lake, plus a few more around it. Also, the Hotel Alpenrose next to the Wasserauen parking area. There are several more further down the road around Weissbad,. I once stayed at Hotel Weissbad and the Weissbad Lodge (which I stayed at once and can recommend).

Booking.com

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 gist).

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. Consider adding the Aescher Guesthouse to this hike too.
• Here is the official Appenzell website for the region.