Klöntalersee BBQ with Dog: a Day Out of Zürich

It's Saturday, 29 degrees in Zürich, and the asphalt smells. We pack the small grill, a cool bag, the long leash, the ground anchor and the dog into the car and head out. An hour later we're standing at a glowing turquoise alpine lake so clear you can count the stones on the bottom. Klöntalersee, Canton Glarus.

This isn't an alpine hero story. It's a BBQ day with a dog by the water, a few hours out of the city, grilling by the lake, then home tired and happy. What you need to know if you want to do the same, that's what this is.

What is Klöntalersee?

Klöntalersee sits at 848 metres in Canton Glarus, not Canton Zürich. That matters, because other cantons have other rules (more on that under fire and dog law below). The lake is about five kilometres long, framed by the steep cliffs of the Glärnisch in the south and gentler slopes in the north. It's Switzerland's oldest large storage lake, dammed since 1908, and the water has that classic alpine turquoise colour because it carries glacier silt.

In high summer the lake warms to 18 to 22 degrees. There's no classic paid Strandbad with an entrance fee, just long stretches of freely accessible pebble shore and grass. You park, walk a few metres to the water and find a spot. It really is that simple.

The steep cliff face of the Glärnisch dropping straight into Klöntalersee

Getting there (with or without a car)

By car it's about one hour to one hour ten from Zürich on the A3. Take exit 44 (Niederurnen), keep going toward Glarus, then it's another 13 minutes into the Klöntal valley.

Plan for one thing: parking has been paid since the start of 2025. The zones at Güntlenau and Vorauen charge CHF 3 per hour for the first five hours, then a flat CHF 15 for the day. You can pay via parkingpay, easypark, TWINT or at the meter. Bring your phone, or some coins.

Worth knowing: The valley fills up fast on sunny weekends, and when the car parks are full, the access road gets closed. It's worth checking Glarnerland's live capacity page before you leave. If it's red, take the train instead.

Without a car it works just as well. SBB from Zürich HB to Glarus takes about an hour, then PostBus line 504 runs up the Klöntal valley to its terminus at Vorauen. Roughly two hours door to door. The 504 runs from early May to end of October, with a half-hourly service on summer weekends. No photos of the car, but you get a clear head. Dogs on SBB and PostBus either ride free (small dogs in a carrier) or with a Half-Fare day ticket. Current dog fares are on sbb.ch.

BBQ at the lake: what works, what doesn't

We had our small foldable grill with us. Charcoal, lighter, kindling, marinated chicken wings and pork. We found a spot on the open shore, well away from the forest edge, on open grass and pebbles. That's the right order: first check whether open fires and grills are even allowed on the day of your trip, then pick a spot outside the forest, then grill.

Canton Glarus has one clear rule: in forests and at forest edges, fires are permitted year-round only at official, reinforced fire pits. Bringing your own portable grill into the forest or right at the forest edge is never a good idea. On the open lakeshore, away from the forest, a portable grill is fine in normal conditions. "Normal conditions" means: no elevated fire-danger level and no cantonal fire ban in force.

Marinated chicken wings on the small foldable grill at Klöntalersee

Check before every BBQ day: Look at the current fire-danger level for Canton Glarus before you head out. As of today (level 2, moderate) there's no fire ban in force, but in a dry summer that can change from one week to the next. If in doubt, picnic instead of grill.

If you don't want to carry your own grill: there are several official Feuerstellen (fire pits) around the lake, including at Camping Vorauen on the western end and along the eastern shore near Güntlenau and Rhodannenberg. There's no official map listing every single one, so it's worth keeping your eyes open on site or asking at the Vorauen kiosk.

And as always: take everything home. Ash, charcoal, packaging, bones. We always pack one extra rubbish bag.

The dog at the water

Swimming in Klöntalersee: allowed and glorious. Noushka is always sceptical for the first few metres because the water comes cold off the mountains, but two seconds later she's in and fetching sticks from the shallows. The water is clean, cool and perfect for a hot day.

Running on the shore, shaking out sticks, rolling in the grass: all allowed, no official Strandbad ban. What you do need to know:

Canton Glarus has a year-round leash law in forests and at forest edges. On the open lakeshore, leash is not a legal requirement, but the moment you head toward the forest or walk along the forest edge, the dog goes on a leash. A long leash (Schleppleine) is explicitly allowed and is exactly the right tool. It gives the dog freedom to move at the water and keeps you compliant when you switch into the forest.

Noushka on the Klöntalersee shore, lake and mountains behind, long leash visible

In practice this looks like this for us:

In the water and on the open shore: the long leash is loose, Noushka swims and runs freely.
During the BBQ: ground anchor in the soil, long leash clipped in. She stays relaxed near us without anyone having to hold the leash. If a neighbouring family smells like their chicken, she can't suddenly bolt over.
At the forest edge and on paths with other people: leash short, dog close.
At the back end of the lake lies the Schutzgebiet Hinter Klöntal, a protected wetland with a core zone. No dog has any business in there. We stay on the paths, watch the signage and don't let the dog into the marsh.

More on the cantonal leash rules and why they matter in wildlife areas is in our piece on dog leash law in Zürich and Switzerland.

More than just BBQ: the lake loop

If you don't want to sit by the water all day, you can walk all the way around the lake. The Klöntalersee loop has been fully on its own paths since summer 2023 (before that, the southern side meant walking on the road). About 14 kilometres total, three to five hours, around 120 metres of elevation gain, no SAC T-grade, just a regular yellow-marked hiking path.

Doable for most dogs, provided it's not too hot and you take regular water breaks. The route gives the dog plenty of opportunities to get into the water. If you don't want the full loop, walk a section and turn back. Vorauen at the western end is a good turnaround point with a kiosk and shade.

This visit, we stuck with the BBQ and a short walk. Next time, the hiking boots come with.

For a broader overview of hiking options with a dog, our hiking with your dog in Zürich guide is a good start.

What we packed

Here's the list that lives in the boot for a BBQ-by-the-lake day. Not all of it is hi-tech; most of it is common sense.

For the dog:

A long leash (Schleppleine). The single most important piece of kit for a BBQ day at the lake. We use one with a cable core because it stays stable under tension and the dog can't bite through it.
A ground anchor (Erdanker). Sounds like camping gear, but it's a game changer for the picnic. You drive it into the grass, clip in the leash, and the dog has a fixed point without anyone having to hold the line.
A collapsible water bottle and travel bowl for fresh water. The lake looks clean, but we give the dog tap water to drink. Cold lake water in the stomach is unpleasant, and in warm late-summer bays algae can appear.
A tick remover. Standard kit from April through October.
A first-aid kit. Small, light, always in.
A dog towel. For the ride home in the car.

For us:

A small foldable grill. We use a simple portable charcoal grill that fits in the boot and can be disposed of properly once cooled.
Charcoal, kindling, tongs, foil.
An extra rubbish bag for ash and charcoal remains. Leave no trace, and "ash" means cold and complete.
Sun hat, sunscreen, water.

Here are the specific products we use or recommend:

View long leash with cable core → View ground anchor → View collapsible water bottle → View tick remover → View first-aid kit →

Worth knowing: The long-leash + ground-anchor combo is also the core of our setup for the Klimsenhorn bivouac. Once you own both, they come on every trip.

The day in short

Leave in the morning, after checking live capacity and the fire-danger level.
One-hour drive, park at Vorauen or Güntlenau (don't forget your phone for the app).
Find a spot on the open shore, away from the forest.
Long leash on, ground anchor in, grill up. Dog swims, we eat.
In the afternoon a short walk along the shore, maybe a stretch of the loop.
Pack everything up, take cold ash with you, bag the rubbish. Trace: zero.
Dog dry in the car, AC on, drive home. She sleeps ten solid hours at home.

Noushka at Klöntalersee in the evening light, water in the background

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One more thing, then done

We'll definitely be back, maybe in late summer when the water is still warm and the tourist wave has eased off. If you want another honest trip report with a dog, our Klimsenhorn bivouac and the T5 report from Stockflüe are both far more demanding, but just as rewarding.

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This is a personal trip report. Klöntalersee is in Canton Glarus, not Canton Zürich, and rules around dogs, fire and nature protection vary by canton. Check current fire-danger levels, live capacity and on-site signage before every trip. Every trip is at your own risk.