Elm: Snowsports, mountains and the Sardona World Heritage Trail

Elm is considered the highest-altitude valley municipality in the canton and lies 982 metres above sea level. From Elm, there are panoramic views of the Hausstock, Vorab and Sardona mountain ranges. If you are looking for a hotel in Elm, you can plan your trip around a range of interests: winter sports, multi-day hikes, alpine crossings or cultural history.

Hiking and mountain scenery

The 84-kilometre Sardona World Heritage Trail is SwitzerlandMobility Route No. 73. It leads through the area around the Tschingelhörner between Elm and Flims. The route comprises six stages and can be adapted for two- or three-day hikes. This allows for both a multi-day itinerary and different ways of dividing up the stages. Hiking conditions can vary; check them before setting out.

The Obererbs–Ämpächli high-altitude trail also has a distinctive connection to the landscape: most of the route runs through Freiberg Kärpf, Europe’s oldest wildlife sanctuary. Elm is also the starting point for various shorter alpine crossings and the Panix Pass. These routes showcase different aspects of the mountain region: a designated long-distance hiking trail, a high-altitude trail connected to a protected area and crossings that start in Elm.

A recurring natural event connects the mountain landscape with the village: twice a year, the sun shines directly onto Elm’s church tower through a rock window in the Gross Tschingelhorn. Together with the panoramic views of Hausstock, Vorab and Sardona, this gives the landscape experience a specific connection to Elm, rather than simply listing the names of the surrounding mountain ranges.

Snowsports and activities at Ämpächli

The Elm snowsports area offers more than 40 kilometres of groomed pistes for skiing, carving and snowboarding. In the sunny Ämpächli children’s arena, the youngest visitors learn to make their first turns. Winter operations are seasonal; conditions and facilities may change.

The children’s paradise is located right by the Ämpächli mountain restaurant and features giant trampolines, a zipline, a petting zoo, a gold mine and a treehouse. Children can pan for gold using a free gold sieve and a pan. Gold can be found in two large wooden basins; nuggets are buried in the sand. Individual facilities and activities may change.

Another activity is the four-kilometre mountain cart and scooter route operated by Sportbahnen Elm, from Ämpächli to the valley station. Its length and endpoints make it a different kind of experience from the 84-kilometre Sardona World Heritage Trail. Operating times may change; check them before planning your visit.

Museum and local history

The Sernftal Railway Museum presents the exhibition “A Mountain Valley in Motion” in the former station building. The Sernftal Railway operated from 1905 to 1969. In dry weather, a SeTB garden railway runs on the grounds for visitors of all ages. The railway’s history and the garden railway as a visitor attraction are presented side by side, but they are not the same thing.

Another glimpse into Elm’s history can be found at the House of the Chamois Hunter on the road into the Elmer Hinterland. The house was built in 1557; part of its masonry dates from the 13th or early 14th century. Not far away, at Sandgasse, there may have been a residential tower belonging to officials of the Säckingen and Habsburg administrations. This possible attribution remains part of the story, as does the tower’s precise location: on Sandgasse, near the house.

Discover more destinations: Obstalden, Braunwald, Nidfurn, Mühlehorn, Näfels, Glarus, Niederurnen, Filzbach

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