Jura Park Aargau, the Staffeleg, the Fricktal and the Schenkenberg Valley
14 October 2026
Switzerland’s landscapes have evolved over time. The region comprises three major landscape zones: the Alps, the Mittelland and the Jura. Over millions of years, plate tectonics in Earth’s crust has repeatedly formed and erased seas and mountain ranges. Together with changes in weather and climate, these movements of the Earth’s crust have also shaped, characterised, and repeatedly transformed the Jura landscape.
The Jura
The Alps and the Jura mountain ranges were formed by the same processes within the Earth’s crust, while the Mittelland, situated between them, represents the former receptacle for eroded rock during the formation of the Alps 64 million years ago. All three major regions are closely linked in terms of their formation.
Geologically speaking, the Jura is the older mountain range (dating back approximately 200–145 million years). When a new crustal movement shifted the Swiss Plateau northwards 2 million years ago, the Black Forest and the Vosges stood in the way.
The deposits were compressed in the Jura region, causing the Jura mountain range to fold. Four to six ice ages and interglacial periods (!) ultimately shaped Switzerland’s relief and the Jura Park into its present form until around 10 000 years ago.
Jura Park Aargau
The Jura Park Aargau stretches across the region between Brugg, Aarau and Rheinfelden. Between 245 and 200 million years ago, the climate was desert-like; during the Jurassic period (200–145 million years ago), the Tethys Sea flooded the park, and during the ice ages (up until 10 000 years ago), the foothills of the great glaciers covered it.
The Staffeleg, the Fricktal and the Schenkenberg Valley
The Staffeleg is a significant Jura pass on the Jura High Trail between Aarau, the Fricktal and the Schenkenberg Valley. The Gisliflue is an impressive peak offering panoramic views of the Alps, the Jura hills and the Black Forest. The Gisliflue ridge is also of geological interest as it was once a coral reef.
