Lake Sarnen, Lake in the canton of Obwalden, Switzerland
Lake Sarnen is a natural lake in the canton of Obwalden, in central Switzerland, sitting at around 1,540 feet (470 meters) above sea level. It stretches about 4 miles (6 kilometers) in length and reaches a depth of around 167 feet (51 meters), with forested hills rising on both sides.
At the end of the last Ice Age, Lake Sarnen was still connected to Lake Lucerne. Over time, sediment carried by melting glaciers filled the gap between them, eventually forming two separate lakes.
The lake sits between three villages, Sarnen, Sachseln, and Giswil, each with its own feel. Sachseln draws pilgrims who come to visit the church connected to Nicolas of Flüe, a 15th-century hermit revered as a Swiss saint.
The eastern shore is easy to reach by train or road, while the northwestern side is only accessible via a narrow track. Visitors who want to walk around the lake can combine hiking on one side with the boat or train on the other to save time.
The small motor boat that crosses the lake from April to October is named Seestern, which means "starfish" in German. This lets visitors cross the water instead of walking the full loop around the shore, which takes about 5 hours on foot.
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