Pizol Family Guide: Heidi trail (Heidipfad)
- Family Fun Factor
- May 1
- 4 min read
Easy, themed, circular hike (4 km), mostly flat with small uphill areas (121 m ascent / descent), stunning alpine views and 12 play stations along the way. Suitable for off-road strollers.
Pardiel | Pizol | Canton of St. Gallen | Switzerland
2026 Season Opening: Already Open
🏆 Part of our Family Adventure Map featuring top themed hikes in Switzerland. 🏆
What makes Heidi Trail (Heidipfad) special: The "it" factor
The goat search: It`s a hike with a quest to find and "feed" 12 goats - great way to motivate kids.
The 12 play stations along the way: barefoot path, swinging bench, birds nest and more.
The delicious sausages.
What needs to be considered:
Hike is mostly in the sun.
Don't feel like reading? Watch a video instead!
Pizol Heidi Trail Walk-Through Video
Plan your visit:Â Quick overview
Pizol Heidi Trail at a glance
đź“Ť Location:Â Pardiel | Pizol | Canton SGÂ
🥾 Hike type: Circular, accessible by one gondola
🎉 Fun Factor: Goat themed treasure hunt with Heidi-inspired back story
🍽️ Food factor:
Panoramarestaurant Edelweiss: table served
SchwarzbĂĽelhĂĽttli: light meals only
⚡ Fitness Factor: 4km, mostly flat with one small uphill climb
đź’°Â Value factor:Â (2026 updated)
Adults: 43 CHFÂ full price | 21.50 CHFÂ with Half-Fare SBB
Kids (from 6 years old): 21.50 CHF
More options are available, prices indicative, check official website
Plan your visit: Practical info
Parking: Loisstrasse 50, 7310 Bad RagazÂ
Take the gondola to PardielÂ
Start & End: Pardiel 1,633 m
Ascend / descend: 121 m
Length: ca. 4 km
Duration: 2 hr walk plus many more hours spent at the play stations
Map of the hike
Plan your visit:Â Detailed guide
Pizol Heidi Trail -Â Everything else parents will want to know
The fun factor
If you’ve ever heard your kids talk about Heidi, you’ll know she’s one of Switzerland’s most loved storybook characters — a little girl who lives in the mountains with her grandfather, surrounded by goats, alpine meadows, and simple adventures. It’s a story that perfectly captures the magic of the Swiss Alps — and on Pizol, that world comes to life. There’s a Heidi-inspired trail where kids can step into her story, meet the characters, and turn a day in the mountains into something much more than just a hike.
Feed the goats
Peter lost his 12 goats. Now it is up to you and your kids to find them!
When buying a ticket, each child receives a card with 12 herbs to "feed" the lost goats with. What it really means is that at each goat you have to punch a letter in the card to reveal a secret word. You can then mail your card with the secret word to heidi (mail box at the start gondola) to hopefully win a reward. The goats are spread along the hike and the search quest is a great motivator to keep kids engaged and excited. When we asked the young hikers what they liked the most, they said with no hesitation that it was the goats hunt.
The first six play stations are quite densely placed. Every few minutes there is a goat to feed accompanied by other activities such as bell ringing, picture taking or big horn blowing to call the goats.
During the other half of the hike, the stations are more spread and the road is uphill. They are still 5 goats to "feed" with fun activities! You discover a birds house, a lookout point with augmented reality telescope, giant swinging bench, xylophones and a jumping field.Â
The very last 600 meters is a relatively steep downhill with no activities.
Hit the playground
Heidi Trail starts at the top gondola, next to a small but fun playground. There is also a restaurant adjacent and nice comfy couches to have your pre-hike drink.
Just a short-walk in there is also another small playground with a barbeque spot. The little hikers happily sat down on the swing to recover from the excitements of the previous stations.
Around mid way you reach a restaurant with a big slide and ... more goats! It's a nice break for the whole family before the second part of the hike. Just note the food is delicious but quite limited (no kids options).
Conquer the barefoot path
One of our favourite play station along the way was the barefoot path, where you can experience the sensations of going over stones, hay, wood, muddy water and more!
Have fun with pedal cars
At the bottom of the gondola, just next to the parking lot, there is also a very nice track with pedal cars. Great way to start or finish the hike (or, in our case, both!)
The views factor
The hike goes mostly through the fields and alpine paths, with a very short part through the forest. There is not much shade but the views along the hike are absolutely stunning - you see alps, valleys and beautiful nature.
The fitness factor
To get to the beginning of the hike you can take a gondola so no climbing here. The hike is relatively easy (4 km), mostly flat - but there is one intense uphill (c. 121 m elevation change).
The food factor
There are two restaurants along the trail.
Panoramarestaurant Edelweiss, it has a good selection of food for adults (including fitness-teller) and kids as well as ice cream.
SchwarzbĂĽelhĂĽtte restaurant is midway through the hike. It is a small hut with cold platters only (sausages or cheese) and cakes, no kids menu. The quality of the food was great! We enjoyed our cheese, sausages and cakes very much whilst the kids had snacks that we brought with.
There is also a nice picnic and barbecue area before this restaurant next to a playground.
The value factor
In 2026 Bad Ragaz - Pardiel gondola prices were as follows:
Adults: 43 CHFÂ full price | 21.50 CHFÂ with Half-Fare SBB
Kids (from 6 years old): 21.50 CHF
Family ticket: 2 adults and all children: 107 CHF
More options are available, prices indicative, check official website for latest info
Top Family Hike in Switzerland!
This hike is featured on our Adventure Map: Top themed hikes for families — part of our curated collection of the best family hikes in Switzerland.
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More info: Official Website | Webcams
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