Hiking in Switzerland – Gabrielle and Urs

Wednesday July 8, 2026 -- This day was supposed to be a "short" walk, somewhere at higher elevations away from the heat, and Urs wanted to return to the Klausen Pass, one of our favourite passes, which separates two of our favourite valleys: Schächental and Urnerboden. About an hour's walk from the pass is a small glacier lake, simply called "Gletscherseeli" (i.e. "Little Glacier Lake") fed by the Clariden Glacier. We had been there twice before, and Urs wanted to visit it again.

The buses don't run often over the Klausen Pass, so we would have to try to do the loop in 2½ hours, which we figured would probably not be possible, so the alternative was going to be to wait at the Balm Hotel near the pass for two hours. (As it turns out, we decided to do a second hike...)

It was almost too cold up here at the Pass and at the little lake, where we took a small break to observe how much the glacier has shrunk since we were there last in August 2018. But visibility was superb, and the landscape is incredible. The little hike, not too strenuous, was enjoyable, and we were just fine to continue on a second longer hike down into the Schächen Valley to go see the now Instagram-popular Stäuben Falls.

PART I: Bus Ride through the Schächen Valley to the Klausen Pass

Once again we are headed into the Schächen Valley at Altdorf in the Reuss Valley.

Looking down the Schächen Valley as the bus heads toward the Klausen Pass.

From the village of Unterschächen, the bus starts to wind its way up toward the pass, with views into the side valley called Brunnital. (We have also hiked there often)

This is the old Post Office building in the mountain village of Urigen.

View down the Schächen Valley toward the Reuss Valley.

Higher and higher the bus goes, with views down to the town of Unterschächen and into the Brunni Valley. The massif in the back is one of the largest north faces in the Swiss Alps.

Directly to the south are high alpine pastures accessed either on foot or with very small cable cars, which are an indispensible lifeline for the farmers in these high alpine regions. We have walked along those alpine meadows a couple of times, most recently in June 2025, also starting at the Klausen Pass.

Toward the back of the Schächen Valley (fenced in by high vertical walls) is the little mountain village called Aesch, where the large Stäuben Falls drop dramatically.

In the past few years, the Stäuben Waterfall has become an Instagram icon, and many tourists make their way on foot into this valley to the waterfalls and back to Unterschächen (four kilometers each way) for the iconic photo.

A look down the beautiful Schächen Valley toward the junction with the Brunni Valley at Unterschächen. (After our hike to the glacier lake and back to the Klausen Pass, we decided to hike down to the waterfall and then out of the valley to catch a bus at Unterschächen).

Near the pass now, we can see the vertical walls which form the back of the Schächen Valley where the waterfall drops. Later, we returned from the pass to the point at the arrow from where we descended to the valley bottom on a very steep trail. The distinctive mountain on the other side is called the Schärhorn.

Close-up view of Mt.Schärhorn. We have walked several times along the foot of this mountain below those moraine hills. The white patch is a glacier called the Griessgletscher.

From here at the height of the Balm Hotel near the Klausen Pass, you can see how steep the Schächen Valley is, and what kind of road they had to build to get up here.

The Klausen Pass Road.

Three flags at the pass: On this side, plus a large part of the east side of the pass, it is Canton Uri, the yellow flag with the steer's head. The flag on the left is from Canton Glarus, whose border with Uri is at the far eastern side of the Urnerboden high plateau.

At 8:45 a.m. we are at the Klausen Pass and heading off toward the glacier lake, simply called "Gletscherseeli". The next bus back from here comes at 11:10, so the original idea was to do the one-hour hike to the lake and back again to be on that bus.

PART II: Loop Hike to the Glacier Lake and back to Klausen Pass

A look behind us to the Klausen Pass as we start up the hill toward the lake.

Starting at 8:45 at the Klausen Pass, we walked up to the Glacier Lake, and via a different route back to the pass, which we reached at 11:20. Since we missed the bus by 10 minutes, and would have had to wait for two hours for the next bus. So we decided to hike down into the Schächen Valley from there.

This large massif forms the north side of the Urnerboden, a large alpine plateau on the east side of the Klausen Pass. Side note: At this point near the pass there was a very icy wind blowing, a stark difference to the otherwise hot days we are experiencing.

A spectacular view down the east side of the Klausen Pass across Urnerboden and to the Glarus Alps. Over a thousand cows roam free in these high alpine pastures in summer. In October 2021 we did a hike starting here at the pass and ending in the main community below, also called Urnerboden. (Photos HERE).

The trail up toward the glacier lake.

I had run ahead because a very noisy group of hikers who had come up on the same bus, were also walking the same trail, and I cannot stand the noisy chatter in the mountains, and always need to make distance. Behind me, you can just see Urs in the wide landscape, just plodding along...

A large flock of sheep has free range in this landscape.

A sign shows us where to head up to the little lake. By now I had changed into shorts because it wasn't quite so cold any more!

Making our way among the sheep.

So cute!

A splash of colour at these high altitudes (we are now at about 2100 meters above sea level).

There are a few bits of glacier up here.

First glimpse of the lake now. All this gravel is debris from the retreating glacier, which still exists at the back of this lake, although the ice is covered in gravel.

Heading along the glacier moraine toward benches which a cousin of Urs has built here.

The hill on the right is part of the glacier, and you can just make out a wall of ice below the gravel covering its surface.

The glacier has changed an awful lot in the past 8 years. We also came past this lake on a hike along the Clariden High Trail in August 2018 with a guest from America. Also compare with this photo --> HERE.

These benches here were built by Urs' cousin. We sat here on our 2018 hike, and can now observe the difference of the glacier in the back. Compare with this photo HERE.

We only spent about 10 minutes up here, as it was also windy cold. We heard several rock falls across the lake as well.

There they go, the members of the noisy group (there were about eight of them) having caught up to us but quickly passing by, thank goodness!

Wall of glacier to the south across the lake. As we took a long break here, several times we heard rock falls from higher up the mountain. Back on the 2018 hike we had actually witnessed a piece of the glacier breaking off.

After a small break on the view benches, we continue on to the east side of the lake at 10 a.m.. There is nothing left of the large glacier wall we had admired last time we were here.

Down below the hiking group crosses the river that leaves the lake and falls deep down onto the Urnerboden plateau.

Down at the lake now... this photo is worth comparing to the similar one we took on the 2018 hike --> HERE.

Our turn to cross the bridge!

From here, the popular Clariden High Trail heads eastward (where the hiking group is headed... you can just see them below) and which we have walked twice (once with our friend Parkes in 2018, and once earlier in July 2015). This time we are headed to the left into the riverbed where it drops over the cliff onto the Urnerboden.

The group heads eastward along the Clariden High Trail, and we are headed around the hill back to the Pass to the west.

This return trail is an older, less-used trail and we had to first find our way across the river.

No problem crossing the river, which now drops down on the left.

The drop down toward the Urnerboden plateau, looking eastward.

According to our map, this is a lesser-used trail, but it was a very nice trail to walk and I really enjoyed it.

Looking back at where we had come from

Up ahead is the trail which we had first taken from the pass to the lake, and which we will now again return on.

Coming back to the grazing sheep and the original trail up to the lake. It is now 10:50, and we are pretty sure we won't make it by 11:10 back to the pass.

Another look back to where we had ascended a couple of hours earlier.

By now there are many other people making their way to the lake. It is actually a nice little hike for people driving over the pass, as they can park their car and do the little hike and back without it being a day hike.

At 11:10 we haven't reached the pass yet, but can see the bus coming up from Urnerboden. It is running pretty late, but we still would not have made it. (It was supposed to be up at the pass at 11:10)

There was a farm up here near the pass, and the farmer has her own little helper in putting up the fences!

Cheese and various flavoured milk drinks offered in the little farmer's shop. Urs likes to buy something cold to drink along the way. This time it's Banana-Flavoured Whey.

A final look back at the Klausen Pass Road descending onto the Urnerboden plateau, and crossing into Canton Glarus at the far back, into the Linth Valley.

And ahead of us, we are now back at the pass by 11:20. From here we have to walk westward anyway toward the Klausenpass Hotel, a 30-minute walk, where we then have to decide if we will wait there for the 13:05 bus, or continue down into the Schächen Valley.