Stunning hike in the Alpstein Massif, from Stauberen to Wildhaus via Mutschensattel

Saturday September 4, 2021 -- More wonderful weather! There was an especially good forecast for Eastern Switzerland (pure sunshine, although once again this usually means in the valleys and not in the mountains!) and we decided to hike in the popular Alpstein Massif, an unusual and geologically intriguing (and very popular) mountainous region near the border of Liechtenstein. The main mountain in this massif is the renowned Mt. Säntis.

The last time we were here was in July 2019 doing a similar hike to what we chose to do this day. At that time we walked along the Eastern ridge of the massif from the peak called Hoher Kasten (there is a popular revolving restaurant there) via Saxerlücke and down to Lake Fählensee, where we overnighted in an Alpine Hostel. On the second day we crossed the Zwingli Pass to Wildhaus in the Thur Valley.  [Those photos can be viewed HERE]

It was at that time that I became so fascinated with the rocky crags on the eastern edge near the Saxerlücke, that I really wanted to go again and hike up a different couloir and cross a different pass, although once again ending up in Wildhaus. This time, though, we started not at the Hoher Kasten, but at another mountain hotel called Staubern, accessed by a cable car from the Rhine Valley over 1200 meters below. (Starting here meant we could complete the hike in a single day, although it was a good five hours of walking, and a very long downhill stretch). The ride in the cable car was an expensive one, but it's the only cableway into the massif from the Rhine Valley side, and also the first cableway in the world to be wholly operated by solar power. 

The first half of the hike to the Mutschen Saddle was on the western side of the crags, which meant morning shade but superb views of the entire massif to the West. By the time we got to the pass, clouds had formed and we lost the sunshine for a while, but the entire hike, although a good five hours of walking, never became tiring or boring, even the long uphill hike to the pass. Nowhere else have we encountered such stunning rock formations. No wonder it's such a popular area...

Heading North up the Rhine Valley by bus, the Alpstein Massif is to our West. This is exactly the stretch we walked, on the other side of the peaks mostly. The left section is called Chrüzberg. 

Up on the ridge is the Stauberen Mountain Hotel/Restaurant. A solar-powered cable car from this side of the valley takes you 1200m up there, from where you can walk along the ridge in both directions. 

Frümsen-Stauberen Cableway, the first in the world to be fully powered by solar energy alone. Eight people can ride at a time, and one direction costs 18 SFr. 

From the ridge at Stauberenkanzel, this is teh magnificent view South along the Rhine Valley! This is the northern part of the Rhine Valley, shortly before the Rhine flows into Lake Constance on the German Border. To the left on the East side of the Rhine River is Liechtenstein. The river forms the country border.

Our hike starts here behind the Stauberen Gasthaus. The sign says 1 hr 20 minutes to the Saxerlücke, from where we then head up to the Mutschensattel Pass. We have walked this section of trail two years ago. 

Looking down at the Staubeen Gasthaus as we head South on the trail. Those hills in the background are in Austria, as the Rhine River also forms the country border here. 

Down below is Lake Sämtisersee (the only view we got of it). The highest peak in the background is the Hoher Kasten with the revolving restaurant, where we started our hike in this direction in 2019

This was a good 5-hour hike, with the Mutschensattel Pass at almost the half-way point. We could have taken a small cable-car down to Wildhaus, but we did that last time we were here (when we crossed the Zwingli Pass), and it is almost faster to walk! (Walking adds a lot more downhill, though)

Heading along the crags

The trail to Saxerlücke was on the West side of the craggy peaks, so we had shade most of the way as it was still fairly early morning (10 a.m.)

But the morning light on the Alpstein Massif to the West means we get a good view of Mt. Säntis. Back in 2014 we descended the couloir on the right, and in 2019 we walked up the couloir on the left (currently in shadow). 

A look North along the ridge trail

And the first glimpse South to the Churfirsten mountains. On the right is the valley we are climbing, passing across the saddle above the remaing patch of snow. 

This is the view that impressed me the last time we were here, when I decided I wanted to walk up and across the Mutschen Saddle some day. This is the day!

A closer look at the valley/couloir we are headed up after first descending to the Saxerlücke. It was a 430m climb, and 1hr 15 minutes to get to the saddle. We passed by the farm buildings below, and also observed rock climbers on the peaks of the Chrüzberg

At first we were worried about the snow, but an even closer look shows a well-trodden trail, and people on the saddle. So it shouldn't be too hard to cross. 

The last time we were here, we descended here to the lake below (Fählensee) and the alpine meadow called Bollenwees. There is a hotel there, but we overnighted in the Alpine hostel Hundsteinhütte (in the red circle) and headed up the valley along the lake the next day. 

This time we are heading up that valley behind me! It's called Roslenalp, and it looks like quite a hike, but it wasn't really that bad!

The trail markers at Saxerlücke tell us that it takes 1hr 20 minutes to the pass, and another 2 hrs. 20 minutes to Wildhaus! A long hike, and I wasn't at all tired!

Climbing uphill again from the Saxerlücke, this look behind us shows where we came down from the ridge, and a really close look shows lots of people descending and ascending! Also surprisingly many people came up the same trail we did. 

A surprisingly interesting short stretch with a fantastic look down into the Rhine Valley. Switzerland on this side of the river, Liechtenstein on the other. 

Heading up the couloir. This whole "valley" is a summer alp called Roslenalp. 

A really good view behind us of the whole ridge section from the Hoher Kasten in the far back, and the section we descended in the middle!

If you look really closely, there are people climbing up there!

Making our way across the large amount of snow which still (surprisingly) remains up here. This is very close to the highest point of the tour

Near the pass, looking back down the couloir where we came. What a fantastic landscape!

At the pass (Mutschensattel). This is not actually so high, just over 2000m, that's why the amount of remaining snow was a surprise. From here we have another 2.5 hours to walk to Wildhaus, so we're almost exactly at the halfway point of our hike here. 

As we got to the saddle, though, some large dark clouds had gathered here, and we had very little sunshine for the descent. This is the view down the couloir on the other side of the saddle, looking into the Thur Valley and the North side of the Churfirsten mountains. We had lunch here and waited in the hopes the clouds would lift. It didn't happen...

There was a lot of karst (limestone) here, which causes underground caves and tunnels. Looking down into this deep hole we also spotted a whole lot of unmelted snow. 

A bit of colour

We saw no chamois this time, but it's always fun to spot the marmots! You can tell they are around because they whistle warnings when you pass by.

A look up the couloir to the pass

There were a lot of cows on this sloping couloir, so we were accompanied by the sounds of cowbells the whole way down. 

Finally some sunshine as we reach the large flat Teselalp. It is down at the road where the other trail from the Zwinglipass meets with this one (from the right). Last time we were here, the farmers at the alp were serving refreshments. This time there was nobody there. Just some goats

Arriving down at the Teselalp

Another look back up the couloir where we had descended. There are even more clouds gathering there now, so it was good we didn't wait any longer at the top. 

Last time we walked to Gamplüt to take the cable car down to Wildhaus. This time we decided to walk down the Flürentobel Gorge instead.

Crossing the meadows above Wildhaus, we watched the Gamplüt cable car on its very slow descent, and we were sure that we had descended faster than if we had taken this cable car!

A final look at the Alpstein Massif behind us. 

Wildhaus, where we caught the bus to Wattwil and then a variety of trains home. 

What our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. Cable car from Frümsen to Stauberen, 2.5 hours to Mutschen Saddle, and 2.5 hours descent to Wildhaus.

All the hikes we have done in the Alpstein Region. The Blue one is a 2-day hike we did in 2014, the purple one is the 2-day hike in 2019.

Region of the Alpstein Massif near the Austrian and Liechtenstein border.