Klingenstock to Fronalpstock: Switzerland's Best Ridge Hike

By Oriana Pauli ∘ Posted 16th March, 2025 ∘

The views walking from Klingenstock to Fronalpstock (Stoos ridge hike) are breathtaking. The most recommended hike in Switzerland never fails to impress!

Table of Contents

Essential Information

Where: Central Switzerland, canton Schwyz. Perfect day trip from Luzern or Zürich
When: early June-early November
How long: 2 hours to hike only the ridge. 5.5 hours to hike the full circuit from Stoos.
Distance: 4.4 km for the ridge, 13.7km for the circuit
Difficulty: mostly Moderate with a bit of Challenging
Cost (for cable cars, no fee to hike) : Between 12chf – 56 chf, depending on the option you choose
Why do it? Incredible panorama views of Alps and lakes.

Where are the Klingenstock and Fronalpstock?

Klingenstock and Fronalpstock are the names of two mountains in the canton of Schwyz, central Switzerland. The Stoos Ridge connects these two mountains. The reason it’s called the Stoos ridge hike, is because Stoos is the name of the mountain village below the ridge.

How to get to there

Stoos is not accessible by car. You can only get there with the funicular from Schwyz or the cable car from Morschach (As you can see in the drawing above!).

Both Schwyz & Morschach are about an 1hr 20min by train from Zürich and Luzern.

Price & Tickets

Hiking from Klingenstock to Fronalpstock doesn’t have to be expensive! (There’s no cost for the actual trail, but you will have to pay for transport up the mountain).

The cheapest way to do the Stoos Ridge Hike is to catch the cable car from Morschach to Stoos. Then hike Stoos-Klingenstock-Fronalpstock-Stoos.

The typical way to do the Stoos Ridge hike is to take the chairlift from Stoos-Klingenstock, hike the ridge, then take the chairlift from Fronapstock-Stoos.

The table below will help you decide what the best option is for you (the summer prices for 2025 aren’t out yet- I’ll add them when they’re published)

	Option 1: From Morshach	Option 2: From Schwyz
Best for	Saving money	You get to ride the steepest funicular in the world!
How to get there by car	45 min from Lucerne or Zürich. Drive to Grundstrasse 232, 6430 Schwyz	50 min from Zürich, 41 min from Lucerne. Drive to Rüti 10, 6443 Morschach
How to get there by train/bus	Around 1 hour 20 min from Lucerne or Zürich. Bus stop: Morshach, Luftseilbahn.	Around 1 hour 15 min from Zürich or Lucerne. Bus stop: Schwyz, Stoosbahn.
Cable Car/Funicular Price (2025)	Check the current prices here	Check the current prices here
Cable car opening times	Check the timetable here	Check the timetable here

Good to know: Info & Tips for Klingenstock to Fronalpstock hike

The trail is open from early June to early November, although may be earlier or later depending on conditions. You can check if it’s open here.
Check the weather– there may be different weather conditions in the valley (Schwyz or Morshach), at Stoos and on the mountains. Check the weather for all these locations here.
The Stoos Ridge hike is popular. We went on a sunny Saturday in August and the trail was busy. There are parts where you can only walk single file, so you might get stuck behind people or have to go slow for a while (plenty of time to enjoy the views!)

To avoid the crowds visit on a weekday if you can. You could also stay in Stoos and hike up to Klingenstock before the first cable car gets there if you’re really keen!
There isn’t any cover on the ridge, obviously, so definitely wear a hat/sunscreen on a hot day.
Why hike from Klingenstock to Fronalpstock and not the other way around? The reason is, the views get progressively better, and you end the hike with the best bit last.
Use the loo on the Klingenstock even if you don’t have to- there are no bathrooms on the ridge. You’re fully exposed. The only option is to wait till you get to Fronalpstock.
In German, the trail is called ‘Gratwanderweg Stoos’. Stoos is pronounced “Shtos” (the o is long like law).
The Stoos funicular is the steepest in the world and an engineering marvel, so make sure you take it, if those kind of mechanics interest you! It is, admittedly pretty impressive.

How difficult is the Stoos ridge hike?

I have an average level of fitness and I managed! No sport, no gym just sudden, intense desires to walk up a mountain. From Klingenstock to Fronalpstock the difficulty rating is T3: Challenging, 220m up and 240m down.

Cruelly, the hardest and steepest part is at the end, in the last couple kilometers, but there’s also plenty of space there to take a rest if you need it.

Our experience: Hiking Stoos-Klingenstock-Fronalpstock-Stoos

We decided to make a day trip out of the ridge hike and do it as part of a circuit, starting and ending in Stoos. It takes about five and a half hours for the whole thing but we took a few breaks, including a lunch break so it took us a bit longer.

The climb from Stoos-Klingenstock.

I found it really hard. ‘Nuff said!

Have to say though, there’s something about the victorious feeling you get climbing to the top of a mountain. The views are better after you worked for it.

It’s just not the same when you take the cable car to the top!

2. The ridge, Klingenstock to Fronalpstock

As soon as you get to the top of the Klingenstock, you catch your first glimpse of the ridge. It’s incredible. The path made me think of the Great Wall of China (not that I’ve ever seen it!)

There are safety rails on parts of the trail. As long as you’re reasonably careful, there shouldn’t be any risk of falling off the edge. There were families on the trail, with carriers and young kids.

3. Arriving at Fronalpstock

It feels amazing arriving to the from the Fronalpstock.

When we were there, there were also a couple of young Swiss guys playing accordians, singing and yodelling. We ate a picnic lunch there with the view and the music…pretty much perfect!

4. Descending Fronalpstock to Stoos

You’ll probably have this part of the trail all to yourself which is nice after the crowds on Fronalpstock.

Well, almost to yourself- these ladies were hanging out by the trail as well, taking in the view.

Is the Stoos ridge hike worth it?

YES!

Hope this guide to hiking the Stoos ridge was useful! If you’re looking for a shorter hike, check out this post I wrote:

Grosser Mythen Hike: Switzerland’s Best Short Hike

Oriana

Oriana was born in Zürich and is currently living in Basel, in northern Switzerland.

This travel blog is is her newest project with her twin sister. Their mission is to give everyone the confidence to travel Switzerland with ease.