The Bildstein Winter Circuit

Bildstein village square (665m) – Kapf (815m) – Geisbirn (822m) – Farnach Moos (880m) – Oberbildstein (940m) – Schneider (900m) – Grub (750m) – Bildstein

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Bildstein village square

The trail starts at the bus stop or the car park in the village square and soon leads to a shady mountain forest. From there, the road climbs up to the sun-exposed slopes of the settlements of Knobel and Kapf, and then continues on almost level ground along the Geisbirn terrace. Sweeping views into the Rhine valley, to Lake Constance in the north and the Alvier group in the south unfold as you mount, with the more than 3000m high Ringelspitzen peaks still discernible on the far horizon. At Farnach Moos, a protected hill moor, you mount uphill to Ferienheim Oberbildstein. From here you can see as far as the Vorderer Bregenzerwald and may even be able to spot some peaks of the Allgäu Alps between Hochhäderich and the Hohe Ifen. Near the centre of the ridge, you will catch sight of the towering Kanisfluh and Hochkünzelspitze peaks behind the Lorena. From here, descend on the north side of the ridge. Between Schniederloch at Buggenegg and Schneider the trail follows what is probably the oldest connection between Wolfurt und Alberschwende. In the hamlet of Schneider, the route turns left in the direction of Kreuzmoos. Continue hiking downhill through an idyllic high-lying hollow, with far-reaching views across the Rhine valley and the Appenzell mountains with the Säntis peak. Crossing the old clearings of Kreuzmoos and Grub, you pass remote mountain farms between ravine forests. After the forking below Grub, continue some 15min through cool and shady winter woods to pick up the trail you started out on when first hiking uphill. From here, it is only a short way to go back to the village of Bildstein to complete the circuit.