I had been wanting to hike this section of the St. Jack’s trail between Schwarzenburg and Fribourg for a long time. The main reason is that the trail passes through the famous narrow path cut into the sandstone and leading down to the Sense. Steps are carved into the sides of this section of the trail to allow driving horses without being disturbed by them. This section of the trail is listed in the inventory of Switzerland’s historic routes. The entire route passes through mostly rural areas. There is no mountain terrain, and the trail can sometimes be a bit monotonous. However, the approach to the city of Fribourg is magnificent.
On the day I hiked this trail, it had snowed in the plains a few days earlier. As there had not been much snow in the Neuchâtel mountains, I thought that it would be better at lower altitudes. I was wrong: there was more snow in Bern than in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Nevertheless, as I had decided to hike this trail, I set off.
From Schwarzenburg, the trail first crosses a small plateau before descending to the Singine. At the end of the plateau, the trail descends along a steep paved road to the bottom of a valley from which the trail descends steeply towards the Sense. At the beginning of the descent, the trail is equipped with steps. Lower down, the trail passes through the historic path between the sandstone walls. Once you reach the Singine, you walk a short distance along the riverbank before reaching a road. This road crosses the Singine and leads to the territory of Fribourg at Sodbach.
The rest of the trail takes you through Heitenried, Sankt Antoni, Tafers and finally Fribourg. Some sections are very monotonous and noisy, especially between Sankt Antoni and Tavel. However, a large part of the trail avoids very busy roads. The monotony of some sections is more than compensated for by some of the views, particularly the approach to the city of Fribourg.
Route: Schwarzenburg – Heitenried – St. Antoni – Tavel – Schönberg – Fribourg
Distance: 21km
Elevation gain: 400m
Duration: 5h30
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