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. Pizol (Switzerland).
Heidi trail impression video
The "it" factor
What makes it special:
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.
There is a steep uphill mid way.
First half of the hike has more fun activities than the second.
Bring your own picnic.
The fun factor
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.
Heidi Circular 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 beverage of choice.
The first six play stations are quite densely placed. Every 5 - 10 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.
Our favourite was the barefoot path, where you can experience the sensations of going over stones, hay, wood, muddy water and more! The water was extremely cold though which could be great on a hot sunny day.
Just a short-while after, there is a hammock forest (which we missed - watch out for the Hängemattenwald sign if you want to check it out) and a 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).
During the other half of the hike, the stations are more spread and the road is uphill, which makes it more difficult to motivate kids to walk. 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.
The very last 600 meters is a relatively steep downhill (good shoes are recommended as it can be slippery) with no activities. This was our least favourite part but the goal of an ice cream was a good motivator as always.
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 for around 15 - 20 minutes, which can be difficult for some. Our 3.5 year old walked the first half but during the climb, demanded to be carried. The last downhill part can also be slippery on the gravel - good shoes are recommended.
The food factor
There are two restaurants at the top gondola. We chose Panoramarestaurant Edelweiss, it has a good selection of food for adults (including fitness-teller) and kids as well as ice cream. The other restaurant seems to be closed until winter.
Schwarzbüelhütte 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.
Heidi circular hike - practical info
1. Goat gates
2. Bell sounds
3. Alp call & "photobooth"
4. Barefoot path
5. Picnic/bbq area and playground
6. Hammock forest
7. Restaurant with a slide
8. Lookout point
9. Goat milk
10. Xylophone
11. Giant swing
12. Goat jump
Hike map
