The Grotto Trail that leads to the «End of the World» – the place where the Horbis valley suddenly comes to an end – offers winter hikers spectacular views of the Titlis, the Hahnen, the Gross Spannort, and the Chli Spannort.

The trail starts at Engelberg railway station and leads down to the end of Dorfstrasse. There, by the Abbey chapel, you follow the steps up to the road, from where the Grotto Trail branches off. At Klostermatte you can see the next generation of top skiers playfully practising their first moves on the slopes in the family skiing area «Globi’s Kinderland». The signposted high-altitude path leads past the «seven springs», where crystal clear water bubbles from the earth in summer but which are covered in snow and ice in winter. Once the edge of the forest is reached, you come across the next interesting feature of this walk: the Lourdes chapel. The statue of the Virgin Mary is clearly visible on its rocky ledge. This is a good place to pause for thought, and you can light a candle if you wish. After that, you stride on over the bridge and walk along the Bärenbach stream on to Horbis, the so called «End of the World».

It turns out the end of the world is neither gloomy nor chilly, nor dark nor dangerous – instead there’s a snug restaurant where you can warm your cold hands with a steaming cup of coffee, with or without a drop of something. Once the cosy room has worked its magic, you can return to Engelberg with new energy running through your veins – but it’s good to know there is a free bus service available from Neuschwändi should you need it.