Schäfler, the sunset ridge above Appenzell

Q: How long is the hike from Ebenalp to the Schäfler?

50 to 60 minutes at a moderate pace, on an obvious signposted trail. Plan roughly the same for the way back down to the cable car, so about two hours of walking in total plus photo stops.

Q: Can you sleep on the Schäfler?

Yes. The Berggasthaus Schäfler sits right on the summit and takes overnight guests, book ahead. Wild camping is not an option: canton Appenzell Innerrhoden forbids it and the Schäfler ridge is explicitly named in current enforcement.

Q: When is sunset best on the Schäfler?

Any clear evening between late May and mid October works. The strongest evenings are the ones when mist fills the valleys to the north and goes pink while the Alpstein ridges light up. Stay until the colour is gone, the guesthouse is right there.

Cable car to Ebenalp, 50 to 60 minutes on an obvious trail, and a guesthouse right on the summit so you can stay for the light. One of the classic hikes of Eastern Switzerland, and my favourite sunset in the Alpstein.

Leon Helg · Published 11 June 2026

A hiker on the grassy crest of the Schäfler ridge in evening light, with the jagged rock towers of the Alpstein behind. — Schäfler ridge above Ebenalp, Alpstein, 1,910 metres. Photo · Leon Helg.

Getting there

Train to Wasserauen, the end of the line behind Appenzell, then the cable car up to Ebenalp at 1,644 metres, the northernmost summit of the Alpstein². From the top station the trail to the Schäfler is signposted and obvious. At a moderate pace you are on the ridge in 50 to 60 minutes. Call it two hours out and back, more if the light is good, and it usually is.

The classic photo is the path running along the crest with the Säntis stacked up behind it¹. You get that view on the last stretch below the summit, so do not put the camera away too early.

It is a normal marked mountain trail, moderate, no scrambling. Bring a warm layer for after sunset, at 1,910 metres the evening gets cold fast.

The light

Sunset is why you come here. The Alpstein ridges light up one after the other, and on good evenings the valleys to the north fill with mist that goes pink. You stand on the crest and it happens on both sides of you.

If you sleep up there, sunrise is equally strong. You step out of the guesthouse and you are already standing on the spot, before the first cable car brings anyone up.

Staying the night

Now the part people get wrong. Wild camping is forbidden in canton Appenzell Innerrhoden. Bivouacking is only possible with the landowner's permission⁴, and the Schäfler ridge is explicitly named in current enforcement. The whole area also sits in the Säntisgebiet, a listed landscape in the federal BLN inventory⁵. So no tent on the crest, not even for one night.

The legal way is better anyway.

Berggasthaus Schäfler

Right on the summit, takes overnight guests³. You watch sunset from the door, sleep, and you are first on the ridge for sunrise. Book ahead, do not just walk up and hope.

The Äscher and Ebenalp

The famous neighbour. A short walk below the Ebenalp top station, through the Wildkirchli caves, sits the Äscher cliff guesthouse, with the view dropping down to Seealpsee. Worth the detour on the way.

Sources for the rules. SAC information sheet "Camping and bivouacking" on sac-cas.ch, protected areas and the BLN object Säntisgebiet on map.geo.admin.ch. The Schäfler verdict itself comes from my own spot research, current as of June 2026.

This pattern, allowed or forbidden plus the legal alternative, is what I keep up to date in the Swiss Gems Guide for all 141 spots.

When to go

Late May to mid October is the window that works. And the spot is popular, I rate it 4 out of 5 for busyness. The Ebenalp corner is the famous side of the Alpstein⁶. Go on a weekday if you can. The nice part: most visitors ride down well before evening. Stay for sunset and the crowd problem mostly solves itself.

If the Alpstein grabs you, the Saxer Lücke is the other ridge view I keep going back to, deeper in the massif.

Swiss Gems · 141 spots in Switzerland

Access, best light and a wild camping status per spot. One-off CHF 27, free updates.

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Frequently asked questions

How long is the hike from Ebenalp to the Schäfler?

50 to 60 minutes at a moderate pace, on an obvious signposted trail. Plan roughly the same for the way back down to the cable car, so about two hours of walking in total plus photo stops.

Can you sleep on the Schäfler?

Yes. The Berggasthaus Schäfler sits right on the summit and takes overnight guests, book ahead. Wild camping is not an option: canton Appenzell Innerrhoden forbids it and the Schäfler ridge is explicitly named in current enforcement.

When is sunset best on the Schäfler?

Any clear evening between late May and mid October works. The strongest evenings are the ones when mist fills the valleys to the north and goes pink while the Alpstein ridges light up. Stay until the colour is gone, the guesthouse is right there.

Is the Schäfler good for sunrise?

Yes, if you stay the night. Sunrise is as strong as sunset, and you have the ridge to yourself before the first cable car brings the day visitors up.

Leon Helg

Swiss filmmaker and software engineer. 26 years in Switzerland, spends his free time exploring the Swiss Alps and maps his favorite spots for Hikebeast. Posts as @leon.helg on Instagram and TikTok.

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Sources

Schäfler, summit in the Alpstein above Ebenalp, canton Appenzell Innerrhoden. Wikipedia. ↩
Ebenalp, 1,644 m, the northernmost summit of the Alpstein, cable car from Wasserauen. Wikipedia. ↩
Wasserauen-Ebenalp cable car, official site, directory of the mountain guesthouses around Ebenalp including the Schäfler. ebenalp.ch. ↩
Swiss Alpine Club, information sheet "Camping and bivouacking in the Alps". sac-cas.ch. ↩
Federal geoportal with the layers "wildlife rest zones", "federal hunting ban districts" and the BLN landscape inventory (object Säntisgebiet). map.geo.admin.ch. ↩
Appenzellerland Tourismus AI, official Alpstein portal. appenzell.ch. ↩