ViaUrschweiz

The walk along the Via Urschweiz starts at Isleten, which can be reached from Flüelen by ship or car. Today Lake Uri’s hotspot for surfing and kiting, it was once home to an explosives factory run by Al-fred Nobel. For centuries, the old road to Isenthal was the only route along the left bank. The trail leads from the village and into the Grosstal and to the chapel of St. Jacob. If you feel so inclined, you can try your hand at some of the old crafts at various stations along the way. The old cattle track leads up to Gitschenen and to the Betruf Chapel, an unconventional and emblematic building linked to the giving of traditional Alpine blessings and to the Golden Ring over Uri. This is a wild valley with a signif-icant amount of forest. In 2016, the Isenthal’s wild hay expanses were named «Landscape of the Year» by the Swiss Foundation for Landscape Conservation (SL).

The Alpine mountain trail from Uri to Nidwalden and from Gitschenen to Klewenalp affords a sublime experience of nature. Its highlights include the highest point on the Via Urschweiz, the Hinterjochli, and the view far into the Swiss Mittelland. The silence here is impressive, and the natural environ-ment with its mountain flowers and wild animals is quite intoxicating. The trail also passes through Alpine meadows. 16 ponds and pools are home to many wetland plant species and the highest occur-rence of common toad and mountain newt.

The Klewenalp is a popular leisure area in both summer and winter and is accessible by using the longest cableway in Central Switzerland. Beckenried, at the foot of the Klewenalp, marks the end of the Via Urschweiz route from the Swiss Path to the Waldstätter Trail.