From the Klausen Pass to Alpine Pastures high above the Schächental Valley

Thursday Sept.17 -- Today I had a chance to do another hike on my own, I just had to because the weather was great and the forecast for the weekend not so much.

New hikes which we haven't done yet, Urs wants to do those as well, so I picked a place we've been often together: The Klausen Pass, one of our favourites. It's quick to get there and there are many options for hiking, but until I got to the Pass, I wasn't yet sure which direction I wanted to hike in. I decided when I got there.

Even though I could have stayed on the bus right to the Pass, I decided to get off earlier, and walk the "missing" stretch to the Pass, a stretch I still "needed" to do, to connect other hikes we've done. It took me an hour to walk to the Pass. Once there, I decided to walk back the way we'd come, along the Schächental Valley, but on the side opposite to the pass road. On the South side of this valley, high above the valley bottom, are three alpine farms which can only be reached on foot or with those wonderful farmer's cable cars which we love to ride....

It was a fabulous hike with fantastic views, good weather, and a very good trail. I had forgotten what a nice hike this was (we've done it before), through karst landscape, along the base of one of my favourite mountains: Mt. Schärhorn with its glacier moraines, and through the meadows. It's only a 2.5-hour hike from the Pass to the third farm (Wannelen Alp), from where you take the cable car down to a hamlet called Ribi. As I was too early for the hourly bus, I walked the additional 30 minutes to Unterschächen, where I waited on the church wall from where I could admire the mountains where I'd walked high above...

A view down the Schächental Valley while riding the bus up toward the Klausen Pass

Across the valley are the high alpine pastures. The one in the circle was the goal of the day, with a descent to the valley bottom to Ribi, and then a final walk to the next town over: Unterschächen

The fantastic road up to the Klausen Pass (on nice days, two buses make the run!)

I got off here at "Untere Balm" where most of the other passengers get off, as there is a popular high trail on this side of the valley heading back out the way we came. I could have stayed on the bus till the next stop, the hotel, from where we've started other hikes in this area. Trail marker says 50 minutes to walk to the Pass.

First I walked approx. 1 hour to the pass (I could have started at the next stop). When I got to the pass, I decided to walk along the South side of this valley. Other options would have been to go East into the Urnerboden Valley.

First wonderful sight across the valley: Mt. Schärhorn, one of my favourite mountains. My trail takes me right beneath it!

As I head up to the Klausen Pass, a look to the East shows me where I will probably be walking. By now I had pretty well decided that's what I would do.

No one to take photos of me except my tripod and self-timer!

A bit further up on the left, then continuing on the other side of this neat little "dip"

Up at the pass. The flag is Canton Uri's

A look to the East down into the Urnerboden Valley. An option was to walk down there. But I decided to stay on this side of the pass

At the pass I decided to walk above the valley bottom, on the South side of the valley

The chapel at the Klausen Pass

I had the bad luck that they were cutting grass along the pass road, and it seems it is absolutely necessary to blow the grass off the road with the leaf blower. A noise I HATE and which carries far up here in the mountains. Luckily it was now 11:40 and they stopped for their lunch break at exactly 11:55!

I found the one bench along the trail, and it was a perfect spot for my picnic lunch, especially as the grass blower had stopped!

In the middle of the hill is the motor vehicle road up to the pass, and the trail above that is the popular "Schächentaler Höhenweg" (Schächen Valley High Trail)

Across the valley I can see where I started my hike toward the Klausen Pass. Actually, I should have started at the hotel on the right, to really connect my trails.

My lunch bench

Heading toward Mt. Schärhorn and the massive glacier moraines

A view down the Schächental Valley and to Oberalp, the first of three alpine pastures I'm walking through.

The trail passes across the glacier moraine

A really good trail the whole way, with some really fantastic views

Approaching Oberalp alpine pasture. From here there is also a farmer's cable car down to the valley bottom (we have yet to try it out) but it runs only on weekends after August.

Across the valley, the bus is making another run up to the Klausen Pass

Approaching Oberalp. I had a break down at the marshy area below.

A nice break to air out my feet! No other people far and wide, how nice!

A look back at the trail that I descended from the glacier moraine.

Heading down to the next alpine pasture called Nideralp

The trail wasn't difficult, a series of switchbacks through bushes. But here some rock came off the hillside.

Approaching Nideralp. Not much to see here. The farmers have taken their cows off these high pastures already (end of August) back down to valley bottom.

Another glimpse across the valley to the North

Final section to Wannelenalp. The cable car goes down from the very right of the little cluster of houses.

There is no trail down the steep hillside here. You either have to take the cable car, or make a long detour into the next valley (Brunnital)

The Wannelenalp cable car, carries four people. This is another one of those cable cars where you have to call to get the operator to come over from his home to the station

Across the river from the Wannelenalp valley station. The other cabin is a cargo cabin. The operator lives nearby and comes over twice an hour to operate the cable car, if someone calls from the top