Autumn in Toggenburg: golden forests, clear air and quiet hiking days

Some seasons make a great deal of noise about themselves. And then there is autumn in Toggenburg. It arrives quietly, turns the forests gold and copper overnight, makes the air clear and the trails still. The great summer bustle is over, the tour coaches have moved on, and what remains is exactly why we love this valley: calm, wide views and time that suddenly moves more slowly. If we were allowed to recommend one season to experience Alt St. Johann for the first time, it would be this one.

People often talk about Hidden Switzerland when they describe Toggenburg: as beautiful as Appenzell, only quieter. In autumn that sentence rings even truer. Anyone who has walked across an empty meadow at the foot of the Churfirsten in golden October light, while the cowbells ring somewhere in the distance, quickly understands what we mean.

The mood: gold, clear air and the Alpabzug

Autumn in Toggenburg begins with the colours. The broadleaf woods along the young river Thur turn warm and glowing, and the larches on the mountain slopes take on that unmistakable old-gold before their needles fall. Add to that the crisp, cool air you so rarely find elsewhere in autumn, a little mist may lie in the valley in the morning, and then the sun breaks through and the whole landscape shines.

What makes autumn here special is an old tradition: the Alpabzug (or Alpabfahrt). When summer on the high alps comes to an end, the cattle come back down into the valley, festively decorated with flowers and their big bells, led by the farming families. It isn’t a spectacle put on for tourists, but living custom. The exact days depend on the weather and the herds, so it’s hard to give a date. But if you’re here in autumn and you’re lucky, you’ll catch a piece of eastern Switzerland in one of the villages that is real and unadorned.

And the lovely thing is: you don’t have to plan for any of it. The mood is simply there, on the way to the bakery, over coffee on the balcony, on an early-morning walk.

Photo: Toggenburg Tourismus

Out and about gently: riverside paths, mountain lakes and one last summit

Autumn isn’t the season of great exertion, but of quiet paths. From Alt St. Johann, much of it can be walked straight from the front door. A stroll along the young river Thur is the easiest way in, up here the river is still narrow and lively, and the forest and meadow paths along its banks are almost deserted in autumn. Just the right pace for clearing your head.

If you want to venture further, you’ll find the area’s mountain lakes especially still in autumn. To be honest: for the loveliest of them you’ll need a car. They lie a little higher and off to one side. But the small effort is worth it, the autumn light on the dark water, the mirrored peaks, barely a soul on the shore. Against the backdrop of the Churfirsten and the Schafberg, every autumn walk takes on something ceremonial.

And for anyone drawn to the heights once more: as long as the mountain lifts are still running, usually roughly into late October, a bigger hike is easily possible too. One last clear day on a summit before winter comes, with far-reaching views across the whole valley. After that the valley slowly closes down, and for us the quiet season really begins.

Coming home: fondue, hot tub and the calm of the shoulder season

Perhaps the loveliest thing about autumn is the coming home. When the air outside turns cool and your cheeks are red from the walk, a warm home is suddenly the greatest luxury of all. In Louisa’s Loft and the Gallery, the fully equipped kitchen comes with a fondue and raclette set, and there’s hardly anything more fitting for an autumn evening than the smell of melting cheese while the first stars come out.

And then there’s the private outdoor hot tub under the open sky. In autumn it works its full magic: the warm water, the cool, clear night air on your skin, and above you a starry sky you’d never see like this in the city. From around 8pm it goes completely quiet here, and in autumn that quiet is no accident, but the very nature of the season.

That is exactly what a trip in the shoulder season is about: more space, more stillness, more time for yourself. Alt St. Johann lies only about an hour from Zurich, with the bus and a shop two minutes away on foot, and yet it feels as though everyday life is far behind you.

Whether you come as a couple or with the whole family and the dog (our Lou always loves visitors): Louisa’s Loft for up to five guests and the Gallery for up to six make a warm base for golden, quiet autumn days. The colours outside, the fondue inside, and over it all that wonderful calm. Autumn in Toggenburg doesn’t wait for you, it’s simply there, the moment you close the door behind you.