Palfries mountain station - Gonzen - Ladder - Heiligkreuz

We start the hike at the mountain station Palfries. With the Palfriesbahn we have previously overcome about 1,250 meters of altitude in just 8 minutes. The train passes an imposing waterfall (Ragnaterbach) and takes us up to the Palfries plateau. From the Palfriesbahn we hike to the Berggasthaus Gonzen. Here we can expect an impressive panoramic view of the Rhine Valley, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the various Graubünden mountains and Lake Walen. Afterwards the descent takes place via a ladder down to Sargans.

Visit the Erzbildkappelle on your descent. In the chapel, the miners from the Gonzen mine used to speak to their Saint Barbara.

The hike starts from the Palfries mountain station in a southeasterly direction over the Chamm. There we leave the asphalted alpine road and take the path towards Alp Riet (to the Rieterhütten). The slightly sloping hiking trail leads at the beginning through wetlands, some of which are spanned by "wooden bridges", and then over alpine pastures to the aforementioned Rieter huts.  There we walk on the road 700 meters downhill, where we turn right into the mountain path. Soon we reach the mountain inn Gonzen and continue downhill on a steep road, then over meadows and pastures. We branch off to the right and follow the white-blue-white marked alpine path leading over a ravine and through the forest in a southerly direction. After about 700 meters we are in a large forest clearing (Älpli), where possibly young cattle or cows graze with their calves. Shortly after this clearing we meet the iron Gonzenleiter, on which we descend about 10 meters into the depth. Once at the bottom, the 100-meter-long path secured with a rope leads over a rock band. We continue in the shadow of the state forest, where the path joins a Walser access road.

Here we take the road to the left and follow this 400 meters, where we then meet the dirt road to the Lanaberg. Continue downhill, where the road joins the asphalted access road to Oberprod shortly afterwards. This is to follow briefly downhill, to then use the shortcut over an alley. It crosses us twice. Shortly before or above Sargans Castle we have to take the path to the left and then it goes more or less straight ahead to the center / traffic junction of Sargans. Hiking time from here to the train station: 10 minutes.

On this hike there is also the possibility to walk from the Walserschliessunsstrasse in a westerly direction to Heiligkreuz.