Rigi Kulm
Description
From Goldau, you first ride to Bernerhöchi, then climb the mountain road, which is very steep in the upper part, via Fruttli and Klösterli up to Rigi Staffel. Here it is worth making a detour to the Kulm summit with its phenomenal view. However, the summit is usually very busy. The descent first leads via Kaltbad to Chänzeli because the direct route is forbidden for mountain bikers. The trail descent begins at Chänzeli, a varied, sometimes somewhat technical trail leads down to the Seebodenalp plateau. Beware, there are often many hikers on this section. The section from Seebodenalp through the Schattenberg to Oberarth is much less frequented. This fantastic single trail forms the final bouquet of the tour; after all, it is only a stone's throw from Oberarth to Goldau.
Shuttles: The Rigi mountain railroads do not transport mountain bikes (as of 2020)
Map & GPX-Track
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Details of the tour
33 km
1460 m
1460 m
419 above sea level
1775 above sea level
1 day
Goldau
Goldau
1203
well suited
More tours nearby
User comments (7)
About the author: Thomas Giger
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
The Polenweg from Seebodenalp to Oberarth is currently (March 23) closed until further notice. Rockfall, landslide and slippery path...
Polenweg is open and passable again
The variant from Rigi Kaltbad to Felsentor station is unfortunately not maintained for either pedestrians or bikers. The gravel gets deeper and deeper, making the path wider and wider due to the passing lanes. If there were no hikers on the way and with the right bike, this could also be fun, but certainly not on a weekend.
The not too difficult but fun single trail from Seebodenalp to Arth-Goldau was flattened and lost its fun side as a result. But you can now ride it in the opposite direction without any problems. Unfortunately.
Two days ago I did a Rigi tour for the fourth time. (different each time) The usual ascent to Rigi Staffel, then instead of the concreted tourist path I rode a natural road to the east and then up to the Rigi Kulm train station and then the tourist path up to the antenna and west of it on a gentle trail down to the concrete path and this to Staffel. Then along the tracks to Rigi Kaltbad and on to the Felsentor station. Then through the Felsentor and further down to the asphalt road and then up towards Seebodenalp and then from Chrüzboden some interesting singletrails down to Greppen. I recorded the tour on video and it is available on YouTube. It shows some of the beauty that makes the Rigi so popular. The link to the video is: https://youtu.be/PLXP0BKERxs
The tour is shown on the following map: https://map.schweizmobil.ch/?lang=de&bgLayer=pk&logo=yes&season=summer&…
We took the variant via the rock gate. The view is magnificent, but the trail is disappointing. In general, this tour has a very high proportion of road and a low proportion of singletrail.
I've been riding up the Rigi (Kulm) for years and have never had any problems, as I don't take the direct hiking route to Seebodenalp but instead head towards Weggis via Kaltbad and then take the descent on the right through the rock gate. There are a few more meters in altitude, but the view of Lake Lucerne is all the more spectacular.
The Rigi is certainly one of the most popular mountains in Switzerland with tourists, so you have to take that into account when planning the tour. On the other hand, the admiration of the Chinese etc. is great and correspondingly motivating when you laboriously fight your way up the last few metres to the summit.
The last quarter up to the Kulm is steep (15-20%), but thanks to the concrete road it is easy to negotiate. Incidentally, I always start from the large parking lot on Chräbelstrasse. Tip: Take the family to the zoo while you ride the tour yourself;-)
Hoi, I rode the tour on 17.6.2017.
A short update:
1) There are now 3-4 driving bans along the route. This already starts at the start through the park/forest in Goldau in the plain. There are signs prohibiting riding, and there are many walkers and runners on the way. There is also a prohibition sign along the asphalt route uphill. At the top at Riggi Scheidegg, before the descent begins: a sign that biking is prohibited here. Further down at an alpine pasture, there is another no biking sign - but here only for a few meters.
2) The ascent - a single asphalt ramp. No problem until Rigi Klösterli, where the gradient is sometimes pleasant, sometimes moderate. From Klösterli and a little further on, however, the last 300 meters in altitude are abnormal. I pushed it. Not much fun.
3) The descent: The first few hundred meters in altitude are down a hiking trail. You can forget it at the weekend when the cable car is still riding. There are so many hikers on the way. And the hiking trail is so littered with gullies in places that it's simply no fun to ride the trail. Further down, after the Seebodenalp: a mega ingenious, long trail to Oberarth. Attention: The GPX data for this trail is no longer correct. Some trees have fallen and the whole trail has been relocated. But you will eventually get back to the end of the trail.
Bottom line: You realize that the Rigi is not exactly bike-friendly. Bikes are not transported on the mountain railroad, there are lots of bans on riding.... no wonder, the Rigi is an incredibly popular mountain with tourists. As a biker, you feel out of place. Even I understand that as a mountain biker. Riding the tour once is ok. I wouldn't ride it a second time...