Switzerland is probably one of the best countries in the world for hiking. From simple easy hikes to intense trails, the Swiss Alps have them all. But what we really loved were the numerous themed trails and countless of alpine playgrounds that keep kids motivated to hike and instil the love for mountains.

Hiking in the Rigi area, around lake Lucerne, can be a little expensive. No doubt, the views are impressive. But what if you could experience similar views with less to no money? During our latest trips to Switzerland we tried one of the kid-friendly hikes in Lucerne, with Rigi Kulm looming above the trail and lake Lucerne and lake Zug proudly unfolding themselves in front of us.

Hiking in Seebodenalp. The hike we took was about 9km in total, but there are several other smaller trails available. The trail combines great views over Rigi Kulm, Lake Lucerne and Lake Zug, along with 11 fun stations. These are all designed to work with a large wooden ball that is placed in a starting point and makes its way down through numerous tunnels and tracks, wither pulled down by gravitational force or by several mechanisms. It’s super fun for kids and we found it to be better and more interactive compared to the one we did in the Hasliberg region, with a zipline for the ball, pinball machine, mechanical constructions, etc.

Why is it great for kids? There are various trail options that include only parts of the ball tracks. The easiest one is around Hotel Rigi Seebodenalp, which also includes 3 play stations (green, pink and light blue – the latter was out of order when we visited). The trail up to Ruodisegg is also pretty flat and a small detour would include the additional orange station (see the map below). The trail from Ruodisegg ot Rabalp is pretty demanding on a steep trail, with an ascent of 80m over 600m trail, but the purple station at the restaurant on top of Rabalp was one of Eric’s favourites. The track that goes to Holderen is also ascending and the turquoise station is in the woods. If you do the entire trail, this includes a total of 10 stations spread along a path of about 9km. One play station is probably located in the Kussnacht gondola station, but as we did not ride the gondola to Seebodenalp, I can’t really tell for sure (light orange station, as pictured on the map). There’s also a fun playground at Ruodisegg and Rabalp and numerous picnic and barbecue spots on the way.

Additionally, the path we took includes educational boards on the effects that the ice age had upon the surrounding landscape. So, the Seebodenalp trail is perfect for combining fun and education.

How to get here? There are actually two ways. Either ride the gondola from Kussnacht to Seebodenalp or drive your car up all the way to Seebodenalp on a narrow winding spectacular road that ocasionally gives you the impression of driving on the edge of the cliff. For gondola rides, best to check prices and operating hours here. Prices are one of the best in Switzerland, starting at 20CHF for 1 adult and 1 child, including one wooden ball. We chose to drive up to Seebodenalp. There’s a paid parking available on top (market with P on the map above), with limited parking spaces. It’s best to arrive early to secure a spot. In Kussnacht, there were numerous signs directing the drivers towards the Seebodenalp parking and also mentioning if there are free spots or not. At the barrier, when entering the parking, we received a ticket which we payed before exiting at the parking machine. Parking costs 5 CHF/3 hours + 1 CHF/extra hour and it is possible to pay by card. Next to the parking machine, there’s a vending machine where we bought our wooden ball for 10CHF (also possible to pay by card).

The trail. This is a new one that has recently been opened (spring 2024). The suggestion is to do the trail in a clockwise direction, but we actually did the exact opposite way (see the arrows on the map). I felt this was a better option since we wanted to do the slightly more demanding ascension from Ruodisegg to Rabalp.

Afterwards, we went from Ruodisegg to Holderen and this is another path that goes uphill, but it’s through the woods. At the turquoise station Eric had to climb up a little to start the ball on the track since it is on a steep path that would naturally follow the trail if done in the reversed direction. But, other that that is was great to hike and benefit from the comfortable shade of the trees, especially since we did this hike on a sunny and warm August day. Another reason why I think it’s better to hike the way we did is because the path from Holderen to the Seebodenalp gondola station is on a winding path with natural and made made stairs, which I feel is more difficult to climb for kids. The way we hiked, this was the last section and it was a descending path.

The full trail was approximately 9km long (all sections indicated in the map with arrows) and it took us roughly 3h to complete. Eric’s favourite ball tracks were the ones at Rabalp (the ball goes on a zipline) and the light green and pink ones, which are easily accessible with strollers from the Seebodenalp gondola station.