Winter circular hike Lenk - Simmefälle

The multifaceted nature of water is especially impressive in winter. Snow appears in all possible forms – from cloud-light powder to mushy slush. Extremely hard and compact is the ice layer that lies after prolonged cold over still and sometimes also along flowing waters; beneath the glassy plates the liquid water still gurgles and flows merrily on. And then even in the greatest cold there is water vapor, crystallizing into enchanting hoar frost structures on trees and bushes.
The winter hiking trail starts in the village center at the tourist office. Via Krone/Coop you leave the settlement area. Across snowy meadows, the groomed path leads towards Krummbach and later via the alpine culture playground to Lenksee. The lake is a good photo motif at any time of year. It also shows its best side in winter.
In the Ey the Iffigbach is crossed. Afterwards, keep left and reach the Simme through the Klöpfli hill nature reserve. It is delightful to hike through bright floodplain forests on the riverside path, always with the mighty Wildstrubel in sight. The path barely noticeably rises slightly over Zälg. The groomed route ends at the Simmenfälle hotel. What appears here harmless as a small brook in winter can discharge enormous amounts of water during summer cloudbursts: The Simme drains an area of no less than 37.5 km2; near the debris collector close to the hotel, over 30 m3 of water per second flow during snowmelt time. If this amount were to be drained for a whole day, every person on Earth could be given a half-liter bottle of it.

The return to the village runs directly along the shore of the Simme or, if there is enough snow, via the new winter hiking trail via Sumpfbach, Rothenbach and KUSPO back to Lenk.