My son, Simon, is no stranger to hiking. He was born in the Rockies and spends his summers traipsing through alpine meadows with his hiking poles, looking for marmots, and learning about wildflowers. He’s an eager adventurer and has already racked up some serious miles in his short life.
But he’s also four. His legs get tired. He asks for six snack breaks in 20 minutes. He wants to know if we’re there yet, when we’ll be back at the car, and if there’s a bouncy house nearby.
He’s at that tricky in-between age that every outdoorsy parent dreads — too big to carry, too little for the kind of long, challenging hikes we dream about. So when I scheduled my first UnTour as the company’s new Managing Director – a trip to Switzerland’s Heartland with family in tow — I wasn’t sure what kind of hiking we’d actually manage to do.
And then we met Muggestutz.
With roots in local folklore, Muggestutz is a forest dwarf who has been delighting kids here for generations. In the 90s, author/illustrator Susanna Schmid-Germann and the Meiringen-Hasliberg Regional Tourism Board teamed up to create a four-book series featuring Muggestutz and his friends. Today, there’s an entire network of trails built around Muggestutz’s adventures — little dwarf worlds hidden in the woods, brought to life through miniature cabins, tree houses, and interactive story stations tucked along the path.
We started with a gondola ride, which began just a few hundred yards from our apartment in the village of Reuti. We glided above meadows dotted with cows. From the top, we set out on the Zwergenweg, or Dwarf Trail, unsure whether this would be a short novelty hike or something that actually held our attention.
It didn’t take long to find out.
Every few hundred meters, the story unfolded: Dwarf houses with the doors intentionally left unlocked, tiny laundry hung out to dry, miniature beds neatly made. Simon was completely enthralled — crouching down to peek into tunnels in search of Muggestutz’s friends, squealing as he rolled pinecones down a chute or hoisted them with the help of a pulley, racing ahead to see what came next.
Three miles later, when we reached the end of Muggestutz’s tale, we were greeted by something just as delightful: the Kugelweg, or Marble Run Trail, which swaps storytelling for physics. In a stroke of parental genius – and some insightful marketing on the part of the gondola station – we’d purchased not one but two oversized wooden marbles at the beginning of the day. We then spent the next several hours sending them clacking down elaborate wooden and metal tracks, calling out who was in the lead: Green Marble or Yellow Marble. Along the way, Simon made friends with a young Swiss girl whose family was visiting from Geneva. They ran along the trail and cheered for each other’s marbles. At one point, we spotted a farmer’s fridge – one of dozens of conveniently located mini fridges that dot the mountainsides, stocked with local cheese, ice cream, and drinks. We dropped some Swiss Francs in the money box and enjoyed our first tastes of “Muggestutz” flavored ice cream (spoiler: it’s basically Nutella).
We covered over five miles that day. Not the fastest five miles we’ve ever hiked, but definitely some of the most joyful – and not a single “I’m tired” was uttered. What surprised me most was how much my partner and I loved it too. The Dwarf Trail and the Kugelweg weren’t just for kids — they were an invitation to play, to slow down, to rediscover what it feels like to be delighted by the world.
That’s something I appreciate about Switzerland: how effortlessly it makes the outdoors accessible without losing the sense of adventure. The trails are beautifully maintained, clearly marked, and filled with creative touches that make them feel alive. Kids fall in love with nature here not because they’re told to, but because they’re allowed to experience it fully — to touch, build, explore, and imagine.
And that’s exactly what UnTours made possible for us. Our UnGuide tipped us off to these kid-friendly trails and made them easy to find. Staying in one location for a full week gave us the flexibility to trade off – my partner or I went out for a solo hike while the other explored at Simon’s pace. It was freedom and connection all at once — the kind of balance that’s hard to find when you travel with little kids.
Back home in Chicago, Simon wasted no time sharing his discoveries. At every opportunity, he’d turn to any grown-up in range and ask, “Do you know Muggestutz? Have you heard of the Kugelweg?”
That’s one of the hallmarks of a good trip – it gives you stories you can’t wait to share. For us, Muggestutz will always be one of those stories.
If you’re looking for a family trip that blends play, adventure, and genuine connection, the Swiss Heartland UnTour is a pretty magical place to start.