Göschenen Valley

To the west of Göschenen an attractive road ascends the beautiful Göschenen valley to a reservoir on the Göschener Alp (9.5km/6mi). 7km/4mi from Göschenen, on the right is the Göschener Alp inn (1,715 m/5,627ft), and 2.5km/ 2mi beyond this, in a magnificent mountain setting, the Dammagletscher inn (1,795 m/5,889ft) with a large parking place. Above the inn, from a reservoir (75million cu. m/2,648million cu. ft), there is a superb view of the Dammastock and its glacier. The Göschenen Alp is the starting point of a variety of rewarding climbs: to the Lochberg (3,088 m/10,132ft: 4.5 hours, with guide), the Dammastock (3,633 m/11,920ft: 6.5 hours, with guide), the Susterhorn (3,503 m/11,497ft: 6.5 hours, with guide). The road continues down the bare mountainside and once again crosses to the right bank on the Schöni Bridge (981 m/3,219ft). Below, on the right, lies the Teufelstein ("Devil's Stone"), a massive boulder which was moved 127 m/417ft upstream in 1973, during the construction of the St Gotthard road tunnel. The road passes the village of Wattingen (920 m/3,019ft) and crosses to the left bank of the Reuss, with the Rienzenstock (2,964 m/9,725ft) on the right and the magnificent Dammafirn (névé) on the left.