Hochflue twice – checking out all blue/white marked paths

In order to hike up all the blue/white marked paths to Rigi Hochflue, you need to go up there twice (because there are 3 paths). In order to get a work-out of more than 2000m of altitude difference on Hochflue in one day, you need to go up there twice in one day (because the altitude difference between Hochflue and the lake is “only” 1260 meters).
So guess what, I went up to Hochflue twice on the same day. Here’s how it happened:

I started in Gersau and came back to Gersau in a big “8”, where the Hochflue summit is the center of the 8: Gersau – Oberdof – Mettlen – Ochsenalp – Zilistock – Hochflue – Egg – Bärfallen – Zilistock – P 1565 – Hochflue – Gätterli – Rotziegel – Gersau.

Rigi Hochflue has been described many times here on hikr.org. For my preparation I looked at them all. Some of them are really good and they can be used for planning a hike to Hochflue without using any further literature.

HBT for example nicely describes the approach from Gersau via south flank, down to Gätterli via ladder and then to Goldau here. It also includes a well prepared map of the area (I actually used a printout of it for my hike, thanks!)

For the rest of my hike I mostly studied ironknee’s two reports he published of his access via East Ridge here and here. He not only gives a detailed description of the eastern access, but gave me some good ideas how to make this a little more than “just a T4” tour. 1. Don’t hold on to the steel ropes and the other iron (which makes the East Ridge a T5; and 2. for a little T6 excitement visit P. 1565 just south of Hochflue. (Thanks as well!)

In short Hochflue is a very nice hike, whatever approach you decide to take. The northern approach via the ladder is the easiest (in case you’re not afraid of climbing a 20m ladder), and the east ridge probably the hardest. P. 1565 makes a nice T6 detour on the southern approach. There are also some climbing routes on the south walls of Hochflue, Delta actually described one here. The tour offers impressive views down to Vierwaldstätter-, Zuger- and Lauerzersee.