From the Klausen Pass to the Stäuben Falls in the Schächen Valley

Wednesday July 8, 2026 -- Having traveled 2½ hours to the Klausen Pass (one of our very favourite hiking areas) and doing the ca. 2¼-hour loop hike up to the Glacier Lake (photos HERE) which would have been a full hiking experience in itself, we had a two-hour wait ahead of us for one of the few bus runs heading back down the Schächen Valley. Instead of spending those two hours sitting at the Klausen Pass Hotel, we decided to tackle another hike which I had long been wanting to do: Descend from the Pass the most direct way to the bottom of the valley, at the base of some very steep cliffs and to the site of the now Instagram-famous Stäuben Falls which many tourists walk 3-4 kilometers each way along the valley bottom for "that" required photograph.

As expected, it was a steep descent to the alpine village of Äsch, mostly a well-laid out set of steps, but a bit "slippery" at places due to the dry ground. The view of the waterfall when you reach the hamlet is definitely impressive (We have been here a couple of times before, having done a similar descent from the southern side of the valley in July 2016). Unfortunately by the time we got here the sky was overcast, so the photos look duller than they might have been with sunshine. 

Having walked the rather boring road between here and Unterschächen twice before, we continued along an older trail called the "Alter Chläusenweg" closer to the Schächen River, ending at the town of Unterschächen to catch the bus back out of the valley. The overcast skies meant we escaped the heat of the day, so we can't complain. 

The two hikes ended up being a total five-hour hike and 15 kilometers this day! 

After the 2¼-hour loop hike to the Glacier Lake (photos HERE), we returned to the Klausen Pass at 11:20 and decided we would do an additional 2½-hour hike to Unterschächen village at the bottom of the Schächen Valley, passing via the Stäuben Waterfalls at Äsch. That would mean altogether about five hours of hiking, but we didn't want to wait another two hours up here for the next bus. 

Heading westward now from the Klausen Pass. You can just make out the road we had come up by bus in the very center of the photo. 

Always nice to see meadow flowers. 

Down below us the cows are grazing on this high alpine plateau. We headed the same way as the little stream, which also drops in several waterfalls over the steep cliffs to join the Stäuben River at Äsch.

And here on this side, also a few of them enjoying the flowers as much as I am!

Up ahead you can see the Klausen Pass road which we came up by bus. On our right (off photo) is the Klausen Pass Hotel. Soon we will be headed down to the left, to descend into the deep Schächen Valley. 

Down below us now is the place at which our steep descent starts into the Schächen Valley. 

After returning from the little lake back to the Klausen Pass by 11:20, we now head parallel to the Klausen Pass road, then descend a steep 500 meters to Äsch, where the Stäuben stream creates the magnificent Stäuben falls, and the river then continues down the valley. We followed the river to Unterschächen, with about 15 minutes to spare for the 15:44 bus. This second hike was just under 9 km, 2½ hours.

From this vantage point, we can see the vertical cliffs that form the back end of the Schächen Valley, cliffs along which we are going to descend. 

Probably likes the taste of the salt on my skin!

A look to the north to the new Klausen Pass Hotel. 

And now a closer look at the cliffs, as we start on the trail down into the valley. 

A first look down at our trail and the whole valley we are walking down now. 

The first part of the descent starts with a well-laid set of steps and a guard fence. 

Zig-zag down the steep trail with views of the valley bottom. 

We then spied a marmot on the rocks below! Actually, we know where to look because they whistle really loudly when they sense danger!

Then we saw there was a second one here as wel!

At the first arrow on the left, the trail meets up with the one we descended on when we came down from the other side in July 2016. Then the hamlet of Äsch is at the second arrow, where you can observe the waterfall, and lastly, the village of Unterschächen, where you can catch the bus, is at the back arrow. 

The steps made it easy, but on the regular trail, there was gravel which made it "slippery". 

From here it's straight down, following the stream that we had seen earlier near the Klausen Pass (there were also waterfalls on this side of the valley). 

A look behind us again. 

A beautiful beetle with spectacular antennae, but it turns out this is a "White-Spotted Sawyer Beetle" which is destructive to conifers. 

A bit of a well-deserved break!

And the first view of the waterfalls as we approach the village of Äsch from the north side. (All the tourists come up from the west). 

VIDEO:

First views of the Stäuben Falls from the north side of the village

Stäuben Falls, also known as Stäubifall. Side note: On a hike in June 2025 high up on the south side of the valley, we crossed over the Stäuben stream (which eventually comes down as the waterfall here) near to its source from the Griess Glacier. 

A look behind us to where we started on our descent into the valley. 

There is a little bridge here over the Stäuben River, from where I took a small video of the waterfall.

VIDEO:

Stäuben Falls and Stäuben River.

The main trail back to Unterschächen is a road that passes south of these buildings (to the left) but we are going to head down past the chapel to the "Old Klaus Trail", which a local had told us was still totally walkable. The house on the left is a restaurant, but it seems to be closed at the moment. 

The view that all the tourists come for. 

It takes about an hour to walk from here to Unterschächen, and a little longer to get here as it is uphill! We walked the main trail (this road) twice now, once in each direction. So this time we were looking for an alternate trail according to our map, and asked a local farmer about it.... 

Some of these goats has escaped and we helped the farmer herd them back into the pasture!

We have walked the main trail twice, and a local told us that this trail below the chapel is still walkable. It is called the "Alte Chläusenweg" (Old Klaus Trail) and the locals still use it. 

An interesting sculpture (we have seen similar as "gravestones" in cemeteries). This was such a lovely forest trail, heading down to the river. 

Just for fun, we crossed the Schächen River here to the north side. 

A short stretch along the north side of the river, and we crossed back again at the next bridge further down!

From here we cross back to the south side of the river and join the regular road for the final 2½ kilometers back to Unterschächen.

A look behind us up to where we had started our hike at the Klausen Pass. 

On the north side of the river is the small hamlet called Schwanden. We passed by there the second time we had been to the back of the valley in June 2022. 

Cute. 

There is a bus stop here in Ribi as well, but we had enough time to still walk the 20 minutes to Unterschächen, which is a very nice stretch of trail. 

Final stretch between Ribi and Unterschächen. 

View into the side valley called Brunnital. You get a really nice look into this side valley on the bus ride up to the pass, which we did earlier in the day. (Photo HERE). 

And now a final look back up the Schächen Valley from Unterschächen. You can even see the waterfall from here, as well as the start of our hike at the arrow. We caught the 15:44 bus for the two-hour trip back home. 

What this second hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. 

Both hikes together on Google Satellite Maps. Both starting at the Klausen Pass. 

Earlier in the day, as we traveled by bus up to the Klausen Pass, this is the view down to the waterfall. 

Adding the two hikes together that we did this day, starting at 8:45 at the Klausen Pass, doing the loop hike to the glacier lake and back to the pass at 11:20, then down to the Stäuben Waterfall, out of the valley to Unterschächen at about 3:30 p.m. made this a 15-km, 5-hour hike with a total descent of almost 1400 meters. We were not at all tired. 

All the hikes we have done around the region of the Klausen Pass, Unterschächen and Brunni Valley.

Location of the Klausen Pass within Switzerland.