High Above the Schächen Valley from Klausen Pass to Brunni Valley

Saturday June 28, 2025 -- Today was the first day that the buses are running to the mountain passes, and most of the mountain cable cars start operation, so we can finally get to higher elevations to try to beat this heat. 

Our first choice would have been the Furka Pass, but there are biking events going on in that area with many bus delays. So we went back to our favourite valley, the Schächen Valley, and took the first bus on its first run up to the Klausen Pass (finally!). We left home shortly after 6 a.m. and were up at the pass to start our hike at 8:45. We did one of my favourite hikes walking high up above the valley on its south side, passing via farms where the cows had just been brought up the same morning for the summer in the high alpine meadows. 

We walked a four-hour hike with the most fantastic views once again, ending by descending into the Brunni Valley (a side valley off the Schächen Valley) and ended up in the town of Unterschächen where we were just in time for the 14:44 bus back out of the valley. Home by 5 p.m.!

Here are the photos of the hike I did on my own from Klausenpass to Wannelenalp (Sept.2020) --> HERE

Here are the photos of the hike we did from Klausenpass to Oberalp farm (July 2016), from where we descended to the Stäuben Waterfalls, now made popular by photos on Instagram. --> HERE

As the bus heads up toward the Klausen Pass along the north side of the valley, we get a view to the south side to the high alpine meadows of Oberalp, Nideralp and Wannelenalp, three farms we will pass through before heading south into the Brunni Valley. 

Across the Schächen Valley directly to the south is the beautful Mt.Schärhorn. Our trail takes us past the base of the mountain and the glacier moraine, where the hillside is green. (We then descend sharply on the right).  

That fantastic cliff is a vertical drop of about 400 meters, and the valley bottom is another 250 meters below that!

The bus stops for about five minutes at the Hotel Balm just before the Klausen Pass, and the bus driver lets us out for a view down the Schächen Valley. The perpendicular valley to the left is called Brunnital (Brunni Valley) where we ultimately descended to after walking via the high alpine meadows on the left. 

Here we are at the Klausen Pass (1948 meters above sea level). We had debated walking on the east side of the pass (Urnerboden), but there was a lot of low cloud in that valley, so it was a better decision to walk westward. 

Once again, there are very many pretty flowers up here!

Starting out at the pass at 8:45, we walked along the south side of the Schächen Valley, along the base of Mt.Schärhorn and Griesstock heading west, and then walked southward into the Brunni Valley. Once we got to the bottom of the Brunni Valley, it was another two kilometers (30 minutes) along paved roads to the bus stop in Unterschächen, which we reached at just after 2:30 p.m. Four hours of walking, and almost 1300 meters descent!

First break with a view down the Schächen Valley!

All along the way on our hike we get this view of the north side of the Schächen Valley, with the very long Klausen Pass Road on which we had come up by bus. The rocky massif is called the Schächentaler Windgällen. I have walked the crest (Balmer Ridge) to the right of that massif twice, in October 2017 and June 2018. 

For a change, the clouds are elsewhere, and not directly covering the sun where we are walking (which happens a lot to us!)

View to the southwest from the little bench. That cool mountain is the summit of the Gross Windgällen mountain. 

Right after starting on our hike at the pass, we had heard a lot of loud noise of cowbells, which usually indicates cows walking, and we were sure we had just missed the arrival parade for the cows in the high summer pastures. Which apparently turned out to be the case. 

It takes 40 minute to walk on a dirt road from the pass to this farm called Chämmli, where the farmer spends the summer and offers refreshments. We were surprised at the number of people gathered around the table there, and we figured these were probably the people who had accompanied the cows up here this morning. 

This collection of cow bells next to the small farmhouse is proof of the parade that took place earlier, which we had missed: The cows get adorned with large fancy bells for their walk up here, and the bells are then removed and stored away until late summer, when the cows parade back down the mountain again. 

After the small farmhouse, we reach the rough landscape of Mt.Schärhorn's glacier moraines. 

Heading toward the narrower footpaths along the base of Mt.Schärhorn. 

Beautiful morning sunlight. 

You can barely see them, but there is a small herd of goats roaming free in this gorgeous landscape!

From here on in, we have mostly narrow footpaths winding along the mountainside

In the moraine landscape of the Griess Glacier below Mt. Schärhorn

An entire mountainside full of yellow flowers!

Looking behind us to where we came from the Klausen Pass on the left. 

This bridge crosses the Stäuben River which is the main water source (from the Griess Glacier) of the mighty Stäuben Falls which drop 100 meters to the valley bottom. (This waterfall has recently become a tourist attraction, unfortunately, from very many social media posts. My own photo from when we hiked to the falls is HERE). 

VIDEO:

This is the water that flows out of the Griess Glacier, and ultimately forms 

the Stäuben Falls, which have become popular due to Instagram posts. 

The waters then continue as the Vorder Schächen River. 

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It's hard to see, but the river water here is whitish-grey, because it comes directly from the glacier above!

A look at the 400-meter vertical cliffs which we saw from the vehicle road on the other side!

Another great place for a break! And in the cool shade as well!

Now we head down to the first of three farms up here. This one is called Oberalp, which is where we walked to the first time we did this hike (Photos are HERE). 

Pretty flowers around every corner!

On the narrow, steep sections there are chain handholds, although it's not dangerous here. 

Another look straight to the north, to the Klausen Pass road. The Schächentaler Windgällen Massif is now covered in clouds, but on our side the sky is cloud-free!

Another look behind us. 

Lately we have seen many of the dark purple columbines, but I had never seen this beautiful flower before. It is a blue alpine columbine!

These flowers are cool as well! They are called "Meadow-Rue"

Up ahead are the buildings of the Oberalp farm. The clouds hanging low in the valley look pretty neat!

The cows here probably also just came up recently!

A whole hill of alpine roses!

There are a handfull of little lakes up here, on a marshy landscape. This water also flows down to feed the Stäuben Falls. This is the same picture we took on the 2016 hike which we did from here down to the base of the waterfalls (photo HERE). 

Here at the Oberalp farm is one of those cool cargo cable cars which connect this upper alp to the village of Aesch at the valley bottom. Also, it is a 30-minute walk to the next farm at Nideralp, where we are going next. 

It's now shortly before 11 a.m., so before continuing to the Nideralp farm (in that next clearing), we found a bench here near the Oberalp cable-way, and watched the cargo cable-car. (And the beautiful view)!

This is the cute little cable-car from the hamlet of Aesch at the valley bottom, to the Oberalp farm up here on the alpine meadows. We rode this cable car once before on another fabulous hike in June of 2022.  

From here we get a look toward the Klausen Pass and those vertical cliffs. The first time we were here in 2016, we had originally planned to ride this cargo cable-car, but opted to descend to the valley bottom along the foot of those cliffs (photos HERE). 

Watching the little Oberalp cable car ascend from the village of Aesch at the bottom and very back of the Schächen Valley. (The waterfall is not visible from here. To get there, you have to walk for two kilometers from Unterschächen. Lots of tourists are doing that now.)

VIDEO:

Watching the Oberalp cargo cable-car

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I could sit here all day. 

Now we head to the next farm called Nideralp. This requires another steep descent, but zig-zag trails and these steps make it easier. 

Far up ahead we see the Nideralp farm. It is a 30-minute walk from Oberalp. Still heading westward out of the Schächental Valley.

From Nideralp (just one farmhouse and they were offering cheese for sale), it's another 30 minutes to the next "alp" called Wannelenalp, which is actually a cluster of houses, also with a cargo cable car to the valley bottom (600 meters down). 

Up ahead is the cluster of houses at Wannelenalp

When you consider that the cows have to walk up to 20 km and quite a bit of uphill, from their winter barns below. (Probably along the same trail that we took!)

We heard the whistle of a marmot and spotted it farther up the hillside

Arriving at Wannelenalp. Here at the alp, cheese is produced from the summer milk. In June of 2022, when we rode the Oberalp cargo cable car, we did a hike higher up on the mountain, and ended here at Wannelenalp to take the cable-car from here down into the valley. At the time, the farmers were just transporting the cheeses UP to the alp for curing during the summer. At that time we had also just missed the cow ascent. 

There is also a little "restaurant" up here, a farmer family serving their own products, including the cheese they make up here.  

On the right is the cable-car station, and directly up the valley we can see up to the Klausen Pass. 

From here we still have two hours to walk, via another mountain farm called Trogenalp

Another perfectly-situated bench for a long rest in the shade. 

As we round the mountain now and head into the Brunni Valley, we get a view from the entrance of the valley to the Schächental. 

Heading south into the Brunni Valley. On the other side of this valley is the Sittlisalp, where there is also a large dairy and where cheese is produced all summer. We have been up there several times also, most recently in August 2024 when we did a two-day hike with an overnight there on the upper level of a cow barn! 

Back in May 2016, the first time we were in the Brunni Valley, we walked this same trail in the other direction, from the back of the valley, uphill toward the Wannelenalp, from where we rode the cargo cable car the first time. At that time, there was still a lot of snow on the parts of the trail which don't get a lot of sun (like the shady portion here), and some of the sections were tricky to cross. (HERE is a photo to compare, with the snow).

Except at the very start of our hike when several people from the bus also started on the same hike (and then "disappeared", we were alone on the trail except for here, when two other hikers appeared on the trail, and then very quickly got ahead of us again. 

At 1:25 p.m. we got to the Trogenalp farm. Up ahead where the other two hikers are, we have to enter the cow pasture on the right and start on the long descent to the valley bottom (400 meters down). 

Farm at Trogenalp. 

Walking through the cow pasture!

Here the pastures have been mowed. 

VIDEO:

Cow bells on the Trogen Alp

Another look out of the Brunni Valley to the Schächen Valley. 

A close-up look at the villages of Bielen and Unterschächen, where we are going to end our four-hour hike. 

Interesting little building set up right at the base of this vertical cliff.

Walking below some very fabulous vertical cliffs! (On THIS PHOTO from our 2016 hike in the Brunni Valley, taken from Sittlisalp, you can see the vertical cliffs below the Trogenalp farm..)

In the back of the Brunni Valley is a large rock wall (Gross Ruchen and Gross Windgällen), one of the largest north faces in the Alps. 

From here, the last 150 meters to descend were along a long stretch of steps like this, which makes the downhill walk so much easier. 

Down at the valley bottom, we now head toward the Sittlisalp cable-car station, where there is also a large parking lot.

Up ahead of us, the little cabins of the Sittlisalp cable-car are crossing. 

The little cable car gives access to the high mountain pastures of Sittlisalp, 500 meters further up. 

A look behind us after crossing the parking lot. This is a popular cable car accessed by car. Only four people can be transported at a time, and sometimes you have to wait over an hour for a ride. We have been in that situation once before!

The "Hinter Schächen" river flows out of the Brunni Valley and joins the "Vorder Schächen" at the town of Unterschächen. 

A look behind us on the two-kilometer stretch we have to walk, along paved roads, to get out of the Brunni Valley. 

View ahead of us

View behind us as we reach the first buildings at Bielen, the little village next to Unterschächen. 

Heading through Unterschächen toward the main road to catch the 14:44 bus. 

The church in Unterschächen is on a hill overlooking the town. 

Here the two Schächen Rivers (Posterior and Anterior) join to form the Schächen River, which flows into the Reuss River at Attinghausen. 

All the hikes we have done near the Klausenpass on the Schächen Valley and Brunni Valley side. The blue trail from the pass via Wannelenalp and Trogenalp is the one we did this day. 

Location of Schächental Valley within Switzerland