Mountainhut tour: Visiting the Claridenhütte – a stunning two day round-walk.

I’ve been going to Switzerland for about three years at this point, but never went to do a mountainhut tour, time to change that! In this blogpost I’ll share my experience of this two day, round walk which started in Urnerboden and took us to the SAC Claridenhütte where we could spend a night, followed by a second day of hiking back down into the valley. If you have time, you could extend your hike by visiting 230 million year old dinosaur tracks which were discovered in 2000, more on that later.

Details of the hike

Getting there

You have multiple ways of getting to the start of this two-day hike; if you don’t want deal with the hassle of parking your car – or simply want a carefree way of getting there, you can use the excellent Swiss public transport services. A combination of train and bus will get you to the Dorfstrasse in Urnerboden where you’ll start your little expedition. Something to be aware though, as well organized as the Swiss public transport system is, it is not free of it’s own flaws. Every little place in Switzerland is reachable by public transport, but the wait-times can be horrendously long or the routes might be suboptimal. The bus (B408) that serves the bus stop and will help you on your final stretch of the travel, takes multiple routes, and depending on the route it takes, a single trip to Zurich HB might take you anything from 2 hours 15 minutes to 4 hours 13 minutes; so plan ahead if you want to use public transport.

So if you have access to a car – and especially if you love scenic drives – I can’t recommend enough that you bring it along and leave it at the free parking in Urnerboden. The parking spot is conveniently located just a stone’s throw from the legendary Klausenpass, one of Switzerland’s most breathtaking mountain roads.

Driving the Klausenpass is an experience in itself. This historic alpine route connects the cantons of Uri and Glarus, winding its way up to over 1.900 meters above sea level. The road is a dream for anyone who enjoys mountain drives with endless hairpin turns, sweeping panoramic views, and lush alpine meadows.

What makes it even more exciting is the variety along the way. One moment you’re gliding past green pastures dotted with grazing cows, the next you’re hugging cliffside roads carved out of sheer rock. And if you’re into history, it’s pretty amazing to think that this pass has been used for centuries – it was officially opened as a road back in 1899, and used for the klausenrennen hill climb from 1922 to 1934. (At the end of September ’26 there’ll be a tribute race!)

Just one important tip: always check if the pass is open before heading out. Like many high mountain passes in Switzerland, the Klausenpass is closed in winter due to snow, usually reopening around May or June and closing again by late autumn.

The hike part 1: Fisetengrat to Claridenhütte

Okay, enough about cars, back to hiking! Where were we? … Right Urnerboden dorf. There are multiple routes that’ll take you up to the Claridenhütte where you’ll get a great meal and comfy rest. For going from Urnerboden to the mountain hut we followed a part of the eighth section of the Via Glaralpina. We started by taking the cable car up which will cost you 12CHF (pay in cash) to reach the Fisetenpass. The exit of the cable car is a little bit over 2000 meters above sea level and it’s the start of  many different hiking trails. If you’re feeling adventurous then you’ll want to take the blue and white marked alpine trail to get to the Claridenhütte. This route will take you across the Gämsfairen and reward you with some great views. You’ll pass the Rund Loch, quite literally translated as round hole, which accurately describes what it is. If you do the roundtour, you’ll see the hole from the other side too. It’s not a particular photogenic spot, but it’s impressive to see.

As you make your way up, you’ll encounter patches of snow, temperatures can be quite cold, when you are on an exposed section, so make sure to dress accordingly. These exposed sections give way to some stunning views and they allow you to see a section of the road leading to the Klausenpass. If the sun cooperates a bit with you, the clear waters of the Griesseeli will light up nicely, if you can, take your time to enjoy the view.

Once you reach it to this point it’s not that much further until you reach the highest point. The only real obstacle you need to overcome to reach the top is a narrow, steep section where you’ll have to hold on to a metal chain. This section spans about five meters and if you’ve never come across anything like this, then it looks worse than it really is. Just take it slow and make sure your backpack is nicely secured on your back and you’re good to carry on. From here on, there’ll be more frequent patches of snow and the trail is not always clear to see. But in the end you’ll reach the Gämsfairenjoch (2846 M.u.M), a saddle with an impressive view between the Speichstock (2966 M.u.M) and the Gämsfairenstock (2972 M.u.M).

On a map, the Claridenfiren is marked as a permanently icy patch, but given the warm summers as of late there was no snow or ice to traverse, in stead you’ll walk in front of the glacier on a steep downhill incline covered in Gröll – loose and wet stones that like to move on the wrong moment, a good set of walking sticks will come in handy. From here on it’s all downhill until you reach the Claridenhütte. Just as before it might be difficult to find the exact path, but the general direction you should be walking now is down. Once you cleared the Gröll it’s an easy walk to the hut.

The Claridenhütte

The Claridenhütte is located at 2453 metres above sea level, a short descent after crossing the Gämsfairenjoch saddle. It stands on the Altenoren plateau and was originally founded in the late 19th century by the SAC Section Bachtel. Over the course of its history, the hut has been modernised several times, most recently in 2014. The current building combines two styles: the original stone structure, dating from the mid-20th century, and a modern wooden extension added during the latest renovation. This careful combination preserves the historic character of the hut while providing modern comfort and improved functionality.

Today, the hut operates with solar-powered electricity and a sustainable water supply and wastewater system. Accommodation includes double, triple, and six-bed rooms, as well as three larger bunk rooms designed for groups. The hut is staffed during the season and offers meals and refreshments (though inform the hut owners if you want half pension beforehand). Prices vary depending on your SAC membership status and room category; the full price overview is on the hut’s website. If you’re curious about the ins and outs of mountainhuts in Switzerland, you can check out Huettengeschichten on the SRF.

Hut etiquette

There are a few dos and don’ts when it comes to visiting mountain huts; by no means this an exhaustive list, but from what I’ve gathered, these seem to be the most important, so try to keep these in mind:

1. Book in advance by mail or phone, and do let them know if you won’t make it to prevent unnecessary emergency calls.
2. No shoes inside, Claridenhütte, just like many others have a shoe-room – leave your dirty shoes there and use the crocs to walk inside.
3. Listen to the hut keeper – they’ll give you a quick rundown of the sleeping quarters and explain when dinner/breakfast is served.
4. Make sure you have cash with you – not all have reception or the possibility to pay by card.
5. Bring a sleeping bag liner to keep bed linen hygienic.
6. Try to keep quiet after sleeping hours – some people get up really early to do glacier crossings, so let them have a good night’s rest.

Optional visit to the Dino tracks.

Since I wanted to stay for the sunset, I didn’t have time to go look at the dinosaur tracks. In case you have time, and you’re interested, you might want to have a look at the dinosaur tracks which were discovered in 2000, south of Ober Sand, below the Sandfirn glacier. These tracks are located at an altitude of approximately 2300 metres and are among the oldest known in Switzerland. Over an area of about 500 square meters, you’ll find roughly 200 different footprints varying in size from 10 to 20 centimetres. The dinosaur tracks can be easily reached from the Claridenhütte via the Beggilücke pass and Ober Sand. The Claridenhütte has a detailed route description to get you there.

The hike part 2: Claridenhütte back to Fisetengrat

You could of course go the same way back, but there’s another path you could take back down to Fisetengrat, or even the Urnerboden Talstation. This part of the route is a lot easier, all you need to do is follow the yellow arrows. On the way back you might encounter some wildlife like mountain goats or marmots. Or even some inspirational words. The view is less dramatic than the way up, but definitely worth it, and like I said, you can see the backside of the Rund Loch.