Uetliberg, Switzerland

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2014 September: Climb Uetliberg in Zurich, Switzerland

Uetliberg - Zurich's own little mountain

- Elevation: 869 m (2851 ft)
- Parent peak: Bürglen
- Range: Albis

Uetliberg is a mountain in the Swiss plateau, marking the end of Albis mountain chain on the western side of Lake Zurich. It offers a panoramic view of the entire Zurich city and the Lake. At the top is a hotel/restaurant named Uto Kulm and an observation tower (rebuilt in 1990). Nearby is a TV-tower.

There are many ways and paths to reach the summit. The easiest is by train from Zurich - which is what I do today. The Uetliberg Station is the terminus of the Uetliberg railway line, and is linked to Zürich Hauptbahnhof (Zurich Main Station) by S-Bahn Zürich service S10. Trains usually run every half-hour, taking 20 minutes ... but when I time it, it is 25 minutes.

By the way, Uetliberg is more than just its summit. There are many walking trails; for example you can walk from the summit towards the Felsenegg and beyond. It is a great place for hikers !

By the way, if you don't like to walk on snow, avoid visiting Uetliberg during winter.

Trailhead

If you are at the Uetliberg railway station, the trailhead to climb Uetliberg is on the east side of the station.

The trailhead is at an elevation of 814 m, hence the elevation gain to Uetliberg summit is merely 55 meters ... easy!

Time & Distance

Google Earth gives 550 meters from the railway station to the summit. But entries on the web say it is 650 meters.

Time-wise, for me, it is 8 minutes one way - leisurely walk.

Pictures

1) Uetliberg railway station, 814 meters above sea level ~~~ It is the terminus of the Uetliberg line.

2) The path from Uetliberg railway station to the summit of Uetliberg ~~~ This view is towards the railway station.

3) Cute lamp posts along the path from Uetliberg railway station to the summit of Uetliberg.

4) Uto Kulm hotel/restaurant at the Uetliberg summit

5) Uto Kulm hotel/restaurant at the summit

6) Uto Kulm hotel/restaurant at the summit

7) A cute bench at the Uetliberg summit

8) Observation tower at Uetliberg summit ~~~ It is free to climb it.

9) I'll be climbing the tower to the observation deck which is 31 meters above ground. As the Uetliberg is at 869 meters above sea level, hence the observation deck is at exactly 900 m.

10) Climbing the observation tower and looking down at the picnic area.

11) A nearby TV tower

12) There is a 360 panoramic view from the observation deck. I took the following picture of Zurich and Lake Zurich (Zürichsee). To get a panoramic view, click on this link:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Pano-Zurich-City-From-Uetliberg-View.jpg

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