It is popular to watch the sun rise from the top of Kanisfluh massif in Bregenzerwald. The massif is one of the best-known mountains in Bregenzerwald and 2044 meters high. From the North side the mountain looks rough and like you cannot crest it. However, the South side is not as rocky and flatter. The main summit of the Kanisfluh is Holenke, which you can reach easily on a hiking trail.
Originally, we wanted to watch the sun rise, like others recommended us many times. Our alarm went off at 1.30 AM – luckily, we checked the weather forecast before leaving to Bregenzerwald. The weather seemed too cloudy and even a little rainy. So we went back to sleep and hoped for better weather the next day to summit Kanisfluh.
How to get there
The next day we decided not to watch the sun rise, but instead the sun set. Such a great decision! We drove by car up to Alpengasthof Edelweiß, close to Mellau and Au, where you can park your car for free. From the parking lot the summit looks far and also near at the same time.’
Hiking up Kanisfluh
The sun was shining and the first part of the trail was relatively flat and led beautifully through a little forest and through meadows. Then, we left the trees behind and the hike got steeper. We had to stop several times to take pictures, because the views were so beautiful! Just a few other hikers were hiking up and after reaching the first elevation, we saw two Capricorns just a few meters away. That was a very special view!
Afterwards, we continued to hike up to the summit cross. After overall around 1 ½ hours we reached the top. The view was really worth the hike! You can see the mountains of Bregenzerwald, Lechquell mountains and on the other side you can see lake of Constance – really breathtaking! We were early enough to enjoy a cup of hot tea and our snack before the sunset. It was pretty cloudy, but nonetheless the view from top of Kanisfluh was incredibly beautiful, as the sun peeked through several times. The wind up there was surprisingly cold, but we had our warm jackets. We talked to some of the other hikers and three of them stayed up there for the night to watch the sun rise next morning. Just a little below the summit is a sheltered spot, where some people easily can sleep. That is on our list as well – staying the night up there.
After the sun disappeared, we started to decent. We could hike the steepest part without using our head lights, but at some point it got too dark. However, with the headlights it was no problem to find the way back to the car.
We can recommend the hike to Kanisfluh, as it is very easy accessible. This makes it so easy to watch the sunset (and sun rise), as you do not have to hike a long way after it gets dark. We also heard that the breakfast at “Alpengasthof Edlweiß” is really recommendable after a sun rise hike – we’ll try it next time!
Other great hike in the Bregenzerwald are the hike to the Winterstaude or the circular trail from the Panoramarestaurant in Bezau.
