Pilatus weather and best season

How cold is it at the top of Mount Pilatus?

In July and August the summit averages about 10 °C, with typical daytime highs near 13 °C; from November to March the monthly averages are below zero.

These are the MeteoSwiss climate normals for 1991 to 2020 at the Pilatus weather station (2,105 m), close to the summit terraces. The mean is the average over day and night; the daytime maximum is what a typical afternoon reaches. The annual mean is just 2.3 °C.

How much colder is Pilatus than Lucerne?

About 10 °C colder on average: Lucerne's July mean is 19.5 °C, the summit's is 9.5 °C.

Lucerne lies at 454 m and the summit weather station at 2,105 m, and the difference shows every month of the year. A shirt-sleeve morning by the lake can mean a fleece and jacket on the Esel. Wind on the exposed ridge makes it feel cooler still, and so does cloud drifting over the summit.

The practical rule: whatever you wear in Lucerne, add one warm layer and a windproof shell for the top, even in high summer.

What is the sea of fog, and can it be warmer at the top?

Yes: on inversion days a layer of fog sits over Lucerne while the summit is sunny, and the top can then be warmer than the city.

The Lucerne region is one of the foggiest parts of Switzerland, above all in autumn and winter. Cold, damp air settles in the valleys under a lid of warmer air, and the fog stays below it. Break through on the way up and you step out into sunshine, looking down on a white sea with the Alps rising out of it. On one day reported by SRF Meteo, Lucerne had about 3 °C while Pilatus had about 7.5 °C.

If Lucerne is grey on an autumn morning, do not give up: check the live page and webcams on pilatus.ch, which show at a glance whether the summit is above the fog.

When do thunderstorms happen on Pilatus?

In summer, storms tend to build in the afternoon across the Alps, so the safe plan is an early start and being on the way down by early afternoon.

This is a general Alpine pattern rather than a Pilatus-specific statistic, but it shapes a good hiking day. What makes the day safe:

• Start early, so the steep upper sections are behind you before clouds grow.
• Check the forecast the evening before and in the morning, for example in the MeteoSwiss app.
• Set a turnaround time and keep to it.
• Use the lifts as your built-in exit: if cloud or storms build, ride down by cableway or cogwheel railway instead of walking.

What should you wear to the top of Pilatus?

Layers: a warm fleece or light down jacket and a rain shell in every season, plus boots with grippy soles if you are hiking.

• Footwear: the ascents are white-red-white mountain trails, which assume sturdy shoes with grippy soles; hiking boots and poles help on the steep sections. For the summit walks, trainers with good grip are enough in dry weather.
• Warm layer: a fleece or light insulated jacket, even in July.
• Rain and wind shell: weather changes quickly on the ridge.
• Sun protection: hat, sunglasses and sunscreen; the sun is strong at altitude, above the fog too.
• Water and a snack: more than you think on a long ascent.

Routes and grades are in hiking up Pilatus.

When is the hiking season on Pilatus?

The summit trails are usually open from mid-June to October; lower forest trails can be walked for much longer.

Snow lingers on the upper slopes into early summer, so the marked ascents to the summit and the Flower Trail to the Tomlishorn open around mid-June and are best from July to early October. September is often the sweet spot: stable weather, clear air and fewer people. Lower down, the forest walk from Krienseregg to Fräkmüntegg and the Drachenmoor moorland path are easy walks with a far longer season. Short walks at the top are described in the summit trails guide.

When do the Pilatus lifts run in 2026?

The cogwheel railway runs 11 May to 29 November 2026; the Kriens gondola and Dragon Ride cableway run most of the year but close for maintenance from 19 October to 27 November 2026.

• Cogwheel railway from Alpnachstad: 11 May to 29 November 2026. It does not run in winter.
• Gondola from Kriens and Dragon Ride cableway: 1 April to 18 October and 28 November to 31 December 2026, with maintenance closures on 30 to 31 March and 19 October to 27 November.
• Boat Lucerne to Alpnachstad: 11 May to 18 October 2026.
• Golden Round Trip: effectively 11 May to 18 October 2026, set by the boat and the cableway maintenance.

Between 19 October and 27 November the cogwheel railway is the only lift to the top, so the Golden Round Trip pauses. Before any trip, check the live status and webcams on pilatus.ch. The full loop is explained in the Golden Round Trip guide.

The most reviewed Pilatus tour: up by gondola and Dragon Ride, time at the top, down by cogwheel railway and back by boat. From 19 October to 27 November the tour goes up and down by cogwheel railway instead.

★ 4.7 (2,820) · 5.5 hours · GetYourGuide

Explore the guided half day →

What is Pilatus like in winter?

Quiet and snowy: from late November you reach the summit only from Kriens, by gondola and Dragon Ride cableway, and return the same way.

With the cogwheel railway closed for winter, Kriens is the only way up. Fräkmüntegg becomes a winter base, with snowshoe walks and sledging. At the top, the views over a snowy Central Switzerland are spectacular on a clear day, and inversions are frequent, but parts of the Dragon path are not continuously open and the summit trails are winter terrain rather than hiking paths. Dress for temperatures below zero and check the operator's live page for what is open. For comparing winter options with snowier mountains, see Pilatus or Titlis.

Frequently asked questions