| Address | Meien 6485, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 46.7868, 8.5246 |
| Category | Hiking, Hiking, Scenic |
| Nearest city | Engelberg |
| Region | Uri, Switzerland |
| Sources | geonames |
Gross Spannort Hiking & Travel Guide
Gross Spannort is a mountain in Meien, Switzerland. The nearest service base is Engelberg, roughly 10 km away.
Gross Spannort at a Glance
- What it is: mountain (Hiking)
- Where it is: Meien 6485, Switzerland — coordinates 46.7868, 8.5246
- Why it is listed: a source-verified entry in the CollabsTravel master database, matched against official gazetteer and geographic records before publication
- Time needed: two to four hours
- Best season: late spring to early autumn
Quick Facts
| Place type | Mountain |
| Primary category | Hiking |
| Also good for | Hiking, Scenic |
| County / region | Meien |
| Region / state | Uri |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Postal address | Meien 6485, Switzerland |
| Nearest city | Engelberg |
| Coordinates | 46.7868, 8.5246 |
| Nearest base town | Engelberg (10 km) |
Why Gross Spannort Is Worth Visiting
Gross Spannort earns its place in this guide for a simple reason: it is a verified hiking in Uri, Switzerland,. Its position 10 km from Engelberg also makes it an easy add-on rather than a detour that costs half a day. Visitors book it for hiking, scenic as much as for hiking. And unlike listicle recommendations, everything on this page - coordinates, category, sources - was checked against official records before publication.
About Gross Spannort
In plain terms, Gross Spannort is a mountain in the Meien area of Uri, Switzerland that travellers book around hiking trips. Beyond its main draw, the record tags it for hiking, scenic too, so it rewards more than one kind of visit. Functionally it belongs to Engelberg - the town most maps and locals will reference when describing how to reach it. Everything stated on this page comes from that verified record; where background history is quoted, the source is named at the end of the section.
The Story of Gross Spannort: History & Background
The Gross Spannort is a mountain of the Uri Alps, located between Engelberg and Erstfeld in Central Switzerland. It is located within the canton of Uri, although its summit lies on the watershed between the Engelberger Aa and the main Reuss valley. The Gross Spannort is almost entirely surrounded by glaciers, the largest being the Glatt Firn. South-west of the Gross Spannort is the Chli Spannort ("little Spannort").
Lead passage from the Wikipedia article "Gross Spannort", reused under CC BY-SA 4.0 with a coordinate-verified name match; the source article carries the full referenced history.
The Beauty of Gross Spannort
What people mean when they call Gross Spannort beautiful is usually elevated, unblocked views - the kind of layered landscape that photographs badly from the road and perfectly from the first viewpoint. The light does most of the work: mid-latitude light gives the place two looks: clean blue summer noon and a low amber angle in spring and autumn. The seasons restyle everything around it - wildflower spring, deep-green summer, gold-and-rust autumn and, above the snowline, a winter version of the same scene. And the beauty compounds with context: with 8 other verified places nearby, the Meien area reads as one continuous landscape rather than a single viewpoint, which is worth more than any filter on the photos you take here.
Getting There
Gross Spannort sits at 46.7868, 8.5246 in Meien, Switzerland. Most visitors reach it by car, regional rail or local transit; pin the coordinates above rather than only the name - Gross Spannort names repeat across regions, and rural entries often lack street addresses.
Base yourself in Engelberg and make this a half-day trip; services, fuel and lodging are easiest there. The run from Engelberg is about 10 km (6 mi) each way, so allow Engelberg as your anchor for the day.
Best Time to Visit
Late spring to early autumn (May to September) brings the warmest and most reliable conditions across Switzerland. Shoulder months just before and after that window trade a little weather for noticeably lower prices and thinner crowds.
Gross Spannort Season by Season
- Summer (Jun-Aug) - peak season: the warmest, longest days and everything open, which also makes it the priciest and busiest window
- Autumn (Sep-Nov) - shoulder season: crowds drain away, the light turns photographic, and lodging rates typically fall
- Winter (Dec-Feb) - off-season: cheapest beds and empty viewpoints, but check for closures, snow or rain before committing
- Spring (Mar-May) - rebuild season: wildflowers, newborn wildlife and reopened facilities - the best balance if the weather holds
Things to Do
Planning what to actually do at Gross Spannort comes down to the setting it sits in:
- Arrive with the exact coordinates (46.7868, 8.5246) pinned in your maps app — rural place names repeat across states
- Walk the shortest signed loop first, then decide how far to push on with the lightest pack
- Check sunrise/sunset times before setting out; carry water for double the distance you plan
- Photography stops at the first viewpoint are usually the best framed ones
- Chain the stop with what is nearby — see the list below before fixing your day route
None of this needs a rigid schedule - the honest pattern at Gross Spannort is one anchor at the trailhead or first viewpoint, one longer stop, and the rest of the time left for whatever looks better from the car window. That flexibility is what separates a good half-day from a rushed one.
A Perfect Day in Gross Spannort
Morning (start early). Have breakfast at Engelberg and roll out before mid-morning - the light is softer, parking is open, and Gross Spannort is at its quietest before the day-trippers arrive. Give the main stop its full due first rather than saving it for later.
Midday. From Gross Spannort, Uri Rotstock is only 8 km away - pair the two rather than driving home for lunch; a picnic beats a reservation near most of these spots.
Afternoon. Keep going to Erstfeld (10 km) if the group still has legs; it is the standard second half of this loop.
Golden hour. End at the main viewpoint, waterfront or main street as the light drops; this is the hour Gross Spannort is genuinely famous for locally, and it costs nothing.
Evening. Sleep at Engelberg unless the road out is long - leaving at dusk is the one mistake that can flatten an otherwise perfect day.
Know Before You Go to Gross Spannort
- Save the pin (46.7868, 8.5246) offline - reception in Meien is exactly as good as it needs to be and no better
- Check the official source listed at the bottom of this page for current hours, fees and closures before driving out
- Carry more water than the plan says; shade is usually optional on these routes
- Tell someone the turnaround time - help arrives slower than it looks from the trailhead
Nearby Places Worth Combining
Gross Spannort does not sit in isolation - these verified places are all within a short hop and combine into a full loop:
- Uri Rotstock — hiking, about 8 km (5 mi) away
- Erstfeld — city, about 10 km (6 mi) away
- Hoh Brisen — hiking, about 13 km (8 mi) away
- Pfaffen — hiking, about 13 km (8 mi) away
- Schattdorf — city, about 13 km (8 mi) away
- Gitschenen — hiking, about 13 km (8 mi) away
- Brisen — hiking, about 13 km (8 mi) away
- Bristenstock — hiking, about 13 km (8 mi) away
Planning More of Your Trip
See everything in Switzerland on the Switzerland country hub, browse the full Hiking Switzerland collection, or take in the whole Uri region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gross Spannort worth visiting?+
Yes, if you are in the area for more than a single day. Gross Spannort is a verified mountain in Uri, Switzerland that most drive-by lists miss, and the official-record provenance behind this page means the location, name and access facts are checked rather than guessed. Give it two to four hours.
Where exactly is Gross Spannort?+
Gross Spannort sits at Meien 6485, Switzerland, coordinates 46.7868, 8.5246. The postal locality is Meien - use the coordinates rather than the name alone, because place names repeat across regions and a map pin beats a keyword search.
How far is Gross Spannort from the nearest city?+
Gross Spannort is about 10 km (6 mi) from Engelberg, which is an easy out-and-back day trip - most visitors base themselves in Engelberg and make the run in well under an hour each way.
What is the best time to visit Gross Spannort?+
late spring to early autumn. Book the shoulder months either side of that window for the same scenery at lower prices, and check seasonal closures before fixing dates.
How long do you need at Gross Spannort?+
Plan on two to four hours for a first visit - the highlights at a normal pace without rushing. Add another half day if you want to combine it with the nearby places listed above.
Is Gross Spannort good for families with kids?+
With kids, judge Gross Spannort by the shortest signed loop rather than the headline route - if the first viewpoint holds their attention, extend; if not, leave early and nobody is disappointed.
Does Gross Spannort cost anything to visit?+
Most public places like this have no entry fee, but parking, guided programs and seasonal shuttles are the usual small costs. Confirm current fees with the official source cited on this page - they change more often than guidebooks do.
What is near Gross Spannort?+
The closest verified neighbour is Uri Rotstock; the nearby list above has the full set with distances, and combining two or three of them is the standard way to fill a day around Gross Spannort.
Is Gross Spannort open to visitors, and do you need a permit?+
Public places listed here are visitable by default; the permit exceptions are usually specific activities (backcountry camping, drones, commercial photography) rather than the visit itself. Check the cited official source for anything activity-based.
Should you visit Gross Spannort in bad weather?+
Rain reshapes rather than ruins the day - viewpoints become cloud-scapes and trails get muddy. Keep Gross Spannort as a fair-weather item on your trip and swap in the covered alternatives from the regional list when the forecast turns.
What makes Gross Spannort different from other places like it?+
Its exact combination: a mountain in Uri, Switzerland with verified coordinates and, where listed, an official designation. The difference is usually the setting and the access pattern rather than the category label - the facts table on this page shows that specifically.
Can you visit Gross Spannort as a day trip?+
Yes - at two to four hours on site, a day loop is realistic: morning at Gross Spannort, one nearby stop, and home by evening. The Perfect Day section above has the hour-by-hour version.
What is Gross Spannort known for?+
In the wider record, mountain-class place: The Gross Spannort is a mountain of the Uri Alps, located between Engelberg and Erstfeld in Central Switzerland. This guide adds the practical layer - verified coordinates, access, seasonality and what to combine it with.
What is the most beautiful thing about Gross Spannort?+
The honest short answer is in The Beauty of Gross Spannort section above, but distilled: what people mean when they call gross spannort beautiful is usually elevated, unblocked views - the kind of layered landscape that photographs badly from the road and perfectly from the first viewpoint. Come for the light and the setting rather than a single checklist object.
Is Gross Spannort crowded?+
Gross Spannort sits below the headline-name tier in its region, so crowding is an event-and-weekend problem rather than a standing one. Weekday mornings in the shoulder season are the quietest version of the visit.
What is the history of Gross Spannort?+
The History & Background section above quotes the coordinate-verified Wikipedia lead for Gross Spannort, which is the shortest trustworthy path into its past - dates, name origin and the events that shaped it, with the full referenced article linked there. ## Source Verification This guide's facts come from official public datasets: [Geonames record 2660483](https://www.geonames.org/2660483). Location data is reviewed in per-state batches before publication.
Nearby destinations
Titlis
Mountain · Engelberg · Obwalden
Uri Rotstock
Mountain · Uri
Engelberg
City · Obwalden
Erstfeld
City · Silenen · Uri
Engstlensee
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Hoh Brisen
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Pfaffen
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Schattdorf
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