Exploring the Zugerberg with Zugiblubbi

47 minutes and 42 seconds. That’s how long I needed to run up the Zugerberg from Zug during the Zugerberg Classic. That was four years ago. Today, with a toddler, baby and plenty of bags in tow, I was more than happy to take the bus (the number 11 from Zug railway station to Schönegg) and the Zugerberg Bahn mountain railway. It’s both quicker and much more relaxed.

I grew up in the canton of Zug, but apart from the mountain run, I hadn’t been up the Zugerberg in many years. The happy memories came flooding back instantly: field trips and Sunday visits with my family as a child, afternoon sledding and full moon winter hikes as a teenager.

Hitting the trail with Zugiblubbi

But this time, we were there for Zugiblubbi. Zugiblubbi – full name Zugiblubbi of the swamps – is the friendly spirit of the Zugerberg. Exactly one year before our visit, an adventure trail was created in his honor, so there was cause for celebration. Zugiblubbi himself welcomed us at the summit station. Our daughter unfortunately didn’t enjoy this as much as the other children there. She was very scared of Zugiblubbi, so we kept a safe distance during the story hour with Jolanda Steiner – you can listen to her Zugiblubbi story here.

After the little party, our bellies full of cake and juice, we made our way to the adventure trail. There are eight play stations and nine diamond stations to discover along the four-and-a-half-kilometer trail. Our daughter is two and a half, so she was most interested in the play stations, which feature hidden mazes, barefoot areas, jungle gyms, an enormous mushroom garden, obstacle courses and much more. She did also like it, though, whenever she discovered a diamond with its corresponding letter at the other stations. The letters are entered on a treasure hunt scorecard that can be picked up at the Zugerberg Bahn summit station. At the end, if all the letters have been found, you can toss the scorecard into the mailbox to enter a draw for some great prizes.

Stunning natural surroundings on the Zugerberg

Getting to the Zugiblubbi Adventure Trail and completing the trail itself are totally manageable with a stroller. Even on a sunny Sunday, the visitors well spread out along the trail – before long you’ll find yourself alone again, which allows you to take in your natural surroundings without distraction. The breathtaking moorlands and views of Rigi, Pilatus and Lake Zug are particular highlights.

If you’re interested in something a little more hectic, look no further than the Schattwäldli adventure playground, about 20 minutes from the summit station. I loved this place in 1990 and, 28 years later, still do. There are also bathrooms, drinking water and fire pits at the edge of the forest by the playground.

The official completion time for the trail is one and a half to two hours, but it took us almost four hours, given the many surprises to discover and enjoy along the way. It’s best to simply plan to spend the whole day on the Zugerberg – it’s worth it.

We made our final stop for ice cream and apple juice at the Hintergeissboden restaurant. The name says it all: to the children’s delight, there really are goats (“Geissli”) here as well as a small playground. We then had a nice relaxed train ride back to Zug.

Although our daughter is still a little wary of Zugiblubbi, she’s still talking about him weeks later and would be very happy to return to the Zugerberg.