The town of Erstfeld is located on one of Europe’s most important transit axes – the pass over the Gotthard massif. All corners of Switzerland can be reached in a relatively short time from here.

It used to be a small and insignificant agricultural village. However, with the construction and opening of the Gotthard railway in 1882, Erstfeld developed into an important railway point for the whole of Europe on the route crossing the Alps.

For me personally, the Erstfeld railway station, as well as the entire surroundings, are linked to a memory from June 2020. It was here that I boarded the train after the Gotthard march, happy and terribly tired.

The march has been organised continuously since 2003. It has its fans and regular participants. The route is truly beautiful. It runs through the middle of the Uri canton, from north to south. However, it requires good physical fitness as it covers some 70 kilometres, with an altitude difference of more than 2,000 metres above sea level.

Here, however, I suggest a much shorter, about 11 kilometres long, beautiful trail, which leads upwards from the Erstfeld train station to magnificent viewpoints.

Admittedly, the start of the route is not the easiest, as the gradient is quite steep and there are more than 700 metres to climb. But the views make up for all the effort.

Most of the route runs through forest and alpine meadows, and you pass numerous mountain streams along the way. There is a small game park with donkeys and goats at the small Wilerli ski lift.