Reading on the Trail

As the mother of a reluctant reader, I am always looking for opportunities to read apart from the extra reading assignments I enforce at home. Happily, Switzerland has many trails designed around storybooks, combining my two great loves: hiking and reading. Most of these trails tell the story in signboards along the trail and usually have play stations that relate to the action in the story. Little hikers are often more motivated to keep walking so they can find out the rest of the story. Most stories are set in the Alps, which allows children to associate the story with a real landscape and stimulates their creative juices in the great outdoors. Below are a few of my family’s favorites. Note: we arrived at these trails by automobile, but they are all accessible by public transportation as well. Check the official websites, my blog entries, or www.sbb.ch for route information.

Meiringen Muggestutz Trail

The Muggestutz trail has activity stations along the trail that match up with the Muggestutz der Haslizwerg storybook by Susanna Schmid-Germann, which relates adventures of some dwarves that, according to tradition, live in the Meiringen Hasliberg area (about 30 minutes east of Interlaken). The book is available in English on books.ch (titled Muggestutz the Hasli Dwarf) and from local bookstores in Meiringen. There are other Muggestutz books, but this specific title is the one that matches the trail described here. The story is not displayed along the trail, so I recommend reading it before doing the trail and then referencing it as you hike. You don’t need to know the story to enjoy the trail, but it certainly makes it more fun.

There are over a dozen stations, some requiring more imagination than others to enjoy. One station has swings to simulate an eagle’s flight; another station has a labyrinth, and yet another has little caves where the dwarves live. There are a few adorable dwarf houses, all set up with furniture and knickknacks.

The trail is not stroller friendly, as it is often narrow and lumpy. But it is mostly downhill and not difficult for little hikers. At 4.4 kilometers, it could take as little as 90 minutes or up to a few hours if you stop to play at all the stations. There are two nice picnic areas with tables and fire pits with wood.

To reach the trail, go to the town of Meiringen and follow signs to the Alpbach Luftseilbahn, the cable car that goes up to the trail. Buy the “Muggestutz” ticket, which includes transport to the top of the trail at Mägisalp and return from the Bidmi station at the end of the trail. There is a second Muggestutz trail reached by another cable car in the area, as shown on the trail maps. For more information, see my detailed write-up at Moms:Tots:Zurich or the Muggestutz website (German only).

Schellenursli Trail in Guarda

I’ve been told that Schellenursli is the most well-known children’s picture book in Switzerland. It’s set in Guarda, a tiny adorable town in the Engadin region of Switzerland. It tells the story of a little boy who lives in Guarda, a town with a yearly festival to say goodbye to winter and welcome spring. The neighborhood boys parade around town with cowbells, collecting treats in their bells. Poor Ursli only has a tiny bell, and everyone makes fun of him. So he hikes day and night through the snow to his family’s summer alpine hut to fetch their gigantic cowbell, so he can walk with the big boys.

The Schellenursli trail starts in Guarda and winds through the lovely surrounding hills, telling the story on picture boards at 16 or so stations. The text appears in both German and English. It’s not necessary to read the book beforehand, as the entire book, with pictures, is reproduced on the trail. But if you want the book in English, it is sold under the title A Bell for Ursli by Selina Chönz, available on Amazon.de and books.ch.

Most stations have an activity, like ringing a cowbell, trying to find the key that opens a lock, guessing games, etc. The first part of the trail is uphill and a little tough for the youngest hikers. But the second half is really beautiful, often following a rushing river and winding through lush fields bursting with wildflowers.

To reach the trail, go to Guarda and park in the lot just outside town. Follow trail signs to the Schellenursli trail. The stations are numbered to help keep you on track. The trail is not suitable for strollers, as much of the trail is narrow and lumpy. The trail is long and will probably take you about 4 hours, including time spent at each station.

See the official website for a trail map and more details (German only).

Nearby in Scuol, there is another storybook trail, telling the Flurina story, written by the same author as the Schellenursli book. The story is nice, about a little girl who adopts a wild bird that has been orphaned. They become best friends, but eventually she has to decide whether to set it free and learns an important lesson. We liked the story, but the trail itself was not our favorite: a little too busy, all uphill, not as remote. But if you’re in the area and you want to continue the storybook theme, you can find the details on the Engadin Scuol website.

Bannalp

Bannalp is a small, low-key mountain resort between Luzern and Engelberg. It has a Zwärgliweg, a.k.a. “dwarf trail,” with a story told on boards along the way. The story tells about children searching for a magic crystal that only children can see and the dwarves who protect it, or something like that. The story is only in German, so be prepared to translate if necessary (hooray for smart phones and Google Translate). Or if your children are learning to read in German (like mine), this is a good opportunity for them to show off a bit and help the family.

Each storyboard is accompanied by something the kids can play with, like searching for pictures in the surrounding mountains, dwarf houses, wind chimes, etc. The trail is also scattered with little wooden dwarfs hidden in tree stumps and the like. Searching for these can keep little ones motivated to keep walking. There is a very nice picnic area next to the lake with tables, several grill pits with firewood, and a few amusements for the kids.

The first half of the trail is not suitable for strollers, though you could manage it if you really wanted to. The trail is mostly downhill and relatively short (about one hour), so it’s a good choice for little hikers who don’t last too long.

To reach the trail, drive to the tiny town of Fell, about 30 minutes south of Luzern. Follow signs to the Bannalp Luftseilbahn and park in the lot next to the first cable car you see. Your return ticket should cover going up the Fell-Chrüzhütte cable car and returning by the Fellboden-Bannalpsee cable car at the end of the trail (instead of hiking back up to the first cable car). It’s just a short walk on the road back to your car.

For more details, see my detailed write-up on Moms:Tots:Zurich or the Bannalp website (German only).

Pizol Heidipfad

The Heidipfad (“Heidi Trail”) was one of the first trails I hiked upon moving to Switzerland eight years ago and it’s still a favorite. Back in the old days, it simply had lovely panoramic views with the Heidi story told on picture story boards along the trail with a few goat statues peeking out from behind the trees. We loved it then, but now it’s even better.

Last year, the Pizol Heidipfad trail was renovated to include a series of entertaining play stations, including a barefoot trail, hammock forest, bells to ring, a play cow to milk, and a big playground. When you buy your lift ticket, the kids get a trail pass that they can stamp in a goat’s mouth at each station. Then you return the completed pass for a chance to win a prize. The original Heidi storyboards are still there (German only), but gathered in one area, not scattered along the trail. It would be nice to read Heidi first (perhaps a picture book version), then visit the area to see the landscape from the story.

The trail is suitable for strollers and is not difficult. It will take children about 90 minutes to walk the trail, but plan on spending a few hours there, playing at each station and enjoying a picnic or lunch at one of the restaurants.

To reach the trail, drive to Bad Ragaz and follow signs to the Pizol cable car. Buy tickets to the middle station where the trail starts. For more details, visit the Pizol website (German only) as well as my detailed write-up on Moms:Tots:Zurich.

Make your own

The first time my family stayed overnight in a Swiss mountain hut, we brought along a couple of bedtime books, including a chapter book I had just started reading to my boys. The hike to the hut was long and challenging, so my kids needed a lot of breaks. My son was so anxious to finish the book that he suggested that I read them a few pages each time we stopped. Genius! We suddenly had our own storybook trail and motivation to keep walking. We were all curious to see how the story developed and found ourselves walking faster to make it to the next resting spot we had picked out in the distance.

I have also found collaborative storytelling to be a good distraction for little unmotivated hikers. My five-year-old is a very slow walker, and one day we were particularly frustrated with him and had exhausted all our regular tricks to get him moving (singing, I-Spy games, snacks, lollipops, threats of punishment, promises of future rewards, etc.). We had a tight time frame, as the last train left in a few hours and at the current speed, we wouldn’t be able to make it to our destination and back in time. We were ready to quit and turn back when I got a bit of inspiration to have him help me make up a story. We made up a version of the Gingerbread Man, with “Paprika Chip Man” having his own adventures and running away from various things. It was like magic. My son perked up immediately and was so distracted coming up with all the little story details that we finished that hike with time to spare and smiles on our faces. I’ve used this little trick several times since and it has saved many a hike.

By Tanya Deans

Tanya is a mother of two boys and writes the blog Moms:Tots:Zurich, which focuses on hiking with kids in Switzerland and other family-friendly activities in and around Zurich. She is originally from California and has lived in Switzerland since 2006.