Your first Mountain Hut Overnighter (with our without Family)
The Swiss mountains are spectacular and every outdoor experience is wonderful. You bring so much back from these outings and the memories will last for a very long time. Even more so if you can spend one (or several) nights out. For a starter I’d recommend staying at one of the many Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) huts. There are more than 150 alpine huts in Switzerland maintained by the SAC. At first it might sound difficult or overwhelming to stay at one of those huts - but believe me, the experience is worth the journey. Let me take you along and ease the burden of your first overnighter - but be careful, it might not be the last one.
What is offered
The SAC huts are originally been erected as emergency shelters and forward base for mountaineers to climb more remote mountain peaks. Over the years the huts have become more and more “a mountain hotel” and the trend is moving fast in that favour. Never the less, SAC huts are not hotels, there are limitations and differences.
Sleeping: In most huts you still share your sleeping quarters with other guests. Everybody is getting assigned their bed but you are very close to other guests. In some huts you simply have a 60cm wide bed and your are almost touching your neighbour. More and more often huts are renovated and the larger quarters of 10-20 people in one room are changed to smaller rooms of 4-6 beds.
Almost all huts offer duvets and pillow but you are required to bring a “Hüttenschlafsack” which is a very thin type of sleeping bag for hygienic purpose. Also bring ear plugs as somebody might snore very close by.Food: You get good to very good food at most huts. For lunch there are normally multiple menus you can order and they are being served. For dinner (and breakfast) there is no immediate choice. There is a multi-course meal cooked and served for everybody. Large bowls are distributed per table and you get one plate you use for all courses. Cleaning dishes is simply not that easy even nowadays in the mountains, so enjoy “the basic lifestyle”. All day long you can order your favourite drink - from soft drinks to beer and wine.
Washing: In 95% of all huts there is no warm water for public use and as such almost never a proper shower. Most huts do offer the comfort of running water in the hut you can use to “cat wash” and brush teeth.
Restrooms: Huge difference in this area depending on hut. Some offer almost “normal flushing toilets” others are a very simple outhouse. As there are not too many toilets and sometimes there is a bit of a rush don’t bring your daily newspaper to read on the toilet.
Shoes: In the sleeping area (and sometimes restaurant space) you are not allowed to bring your hiking boots. 99% of guts offer some type of house shoes you can use and leave your hiking boots in the dedicated shoe room.
Privacy: Usually less privacy then you might be used to. Everybody is living a bit closer than usually. Due to that fact, keep your stuff organized and close together.
What do you need to bring
Is there anything specific you need to bring to an SAC hut? Next to some curiosity, respect for the environment and other guests not a lot. The following items are recommended:
Hygiene sleeping bag: As mentioned above, bring an ultra thin sleeping bag for hygiene purpose. They are mandatory in almost all huts.
Ear plugs: They often help you sleep and suppress the “unusual noise” of the other guests around you.
Headlamp: Always helpful, especially if you should need to see the restroom at night. You do not want to switch on the light and wake up everybody. Head lamps with a red light are to be encouraged as they are less annoying to everybody else and provide enough light to find your way.
Washcloth: Something small might support your cat wash before your well earned dinner or sleep.
Cash: Not all huts accept credit cards. Inquiry beforehand and bring enough cash - calculate generous tips as they really support the staff and their though work.
Small trash bag: Gather all your trash and carry it back home (or to the parking lot trash). Leave no personal trash in the hut as disposal is not around the corner.
Recommendations for your first experience
There are so many great SAC huts in Switzerland. I personally have been to a few dozens and would like to recommend some huts for starters. They are based on my personal experience and are not a complete list by all means.
Leglerhütte
Beautiful modern hut near Elm. A bit of a hike to get there, but worth the effort and sweat.
The Leglerhütte is simply amazing. It is a bit of a hike, about 6.5km from Mettmen (gondola ride first) and approximately 700m of altitude gain. The hut itself is great and well managed by the team - if you are lucky you even get Zopf for breakfast. Find all details on their website and don’t forget to book your bed well beforehand.
Rugghubelhütte
Modernized hut near Engelberg in the middle of Switzerland. Easy to reach within a 2 hour hike.
You start at Engelberg with a gondola ride up to Ristis. From there you continue with a chairlift to the top of Brunni. You walk for a bit more than 5 kilometres and have to gain 500m of altitude before getting your hands on a cold beer on the sunny terrace of the Rugghubelhütte. Get all the details on the hut on their website. Don’t forget to check out their webcam for the view towards Titlis and other mountains in the region and get a glimpse at the current weather.
Spitzmeilenhütte
Enjoying a good dinner with a spectacular view is almost guaranteed at this lovely hut.
The Spitzmeilenhütte is in the region of Flumserberg, a well known ski area in Switzerland and close to Zurich. The Spitzmeilenhütte does get its name form a closeby peak called “Spitzmeilen” (not that easy to hike up top). You’ll reach the Spitzermeilenhütte easiest from Flumserberg: Take the gondola from Tannenbodenalp to Maschgenkamm top. From there it does take you a bit more than 2 hours (7km, 400m of altitude) to get to the modern hut. They offer a big terrace and a lovely lake close by for discovery. An ideal family stay: Book your bed online on their website.
Lidernenhütte
A small little gem very close to an adventurous gondola ride. For a first overnight stay at an SAC hut close to perfect, especially with little children.
The Lidernenhütte is the easiest of the four to get to - after an adventurous ride with a small “box” as a gondola you get as close as 500m to the hut. A 15 minutes walk and your at your overnight cabin. The area offers lots of possibilities for excursions and smaller hikes. You will find a lot of information on the SAC website.
Closing
I hope you did get some inspiration and are going to try this unique experience in a wonderful surroundings. Just give it a try, don’t forget to book in advance - and if you can, try the overnight experience on a weekday as the huts are usually a lot less crowded.