Schwendisee & Gräppelensee: Mountain-Lake Swimming in Toggenburg Without the Crowds

Some places you have to earn; others simply give themselves to you. The two mountain lakes above Alt St. Johann belong firmly to the second kind. Schwendisee lies so close to the village that you almost stumble into it by accident. Gräppelensee, by contrast, hides itself away a little more, tucked among alpine pastures at the foot of the Lütispitz, whose ridge is mirrored in the still water. Both are everything we love most about Toggenburg: unhurried, honest, and beautiful without ever trying too hard.

Anyone who has stood on the shore of an Appenzell lake on a hot July day, hunting for a spare patch of grass between the tour coaches and the selfie queues, will quickly understand why we talk about Hidden Switzerland here. Schwendisee and Gräppelensee offer the same picture-postcard setting, only without the crowds.

And the lovely part is this: with us, that summer’s day begins in the most relaxed way. Louisa’s Loft and the Gallery sit in the middle of Alt St. Johann, in the historic SutterSport building at Hauptstrasse 36, and from here both mountain lakes are only a short drive away. A morning coffee, hiking boots and swim things packed, and off you go. No long journey, no hours on the train. You simply close the door behind you and you’re soon at the water.

Schwendisee: Swimming with a View of the Churfirsten

Schwendisee is really a pair: the Vordere and the Hintere Schwendisee lie just a stone’s throw apart, above Unterwasser and Wildhaus in the Schwendi area (around 1159 m). What makes this mountain lake such a Toggenburg summer favourite is how easy it is to reach. From Alt St. Johann it’s just a few minutes by car up to Schwendi, and there you are at the water’s edge, no hours-long hike required. Swimming is allowed in the Vordere Schwendisee: there’s a wooden jetty and a raft, barbecue spots along the shore and a restaurant right by the lake. Exactly the kind of outing that doesn’t feel like an expedition when you have little ones in tow.

The water is that of a moorland lake, so it’s rather dark and, in high summer, pleasantly warm, warmer than you would ever expect of a mountain lake. If you’re after the plunge into the cool, you’ll find it. And if you’d rather dangle your feet in the water and let your gaze drift across it towards the Churfirsten, this is just as much the place for you. All around there are meadows to spread out a picnic blanket, and the whole scene has something wonderfully slowing-down about it. You arrive, take one deep breath, and everyday life is suddenly very far away.

For anyone trying mountain-lake swimming in Toggenburg for the first time: it’s worth packing one extra towel, and sturdy shoes for the shore path are more comfortable than flip-flops. One small note: you swim at your own risk, the bottom is soft and boggy, and there’s no supervised bathing area. Beyond that, you don’t need much. Schwendisee rewards precisely those who come with little.

Gräppelensee: the Quiet Sibling

Gräppelensee asks for a little more effort, a flat moorland lake at around 1307 m at the foot of the Lütispitz. It’s the calmer, more enchanted of the two. You drive towards the Parkplatz Laui (there’s a parking fee), and from there it’s about an hour on foot up to the lake. Ringed by alpine pastures, it looks as though it has stepped out of an old picture book, especially in the early morning, when the mist still hangs over the water and the cowbells ring out in the distance.

Gräppelensee rewards the short climb with a great deal of quiet. Swimming is possible, there’s a jetty on the north shore, and barbecue spots on the east shore invite you to linger. Here, too, it’s Slow Travel in the best sense. Nothing is required; everything is allowed. You can hang your legs in the water, watch the dragonflies, and wonder why you don’t do this far more often.

Photo: Toggenburg Tourismus

Taken together, the two lakes make for a perfect summer’s day in Toggenburg, the stillness of Gräppelensee in the morning, a swim in Schwendisee in the afternoon. Or the other way round. There’s no wrong itinerary here, only different ways of slowing down.

And the loveliest part: after a day by the water, it’s only a few minutes back to the historic SutterSport building in Alt St. Johann. Once you’ve settled into Louisa’s Loft or the Gallery, you can round off the sun-warmed day with a glass of wine on the sofa, mountains at the window, quiet in the house, and tomorrow the next still summer’s day in Toggenburg already waiting.