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

Thursday Sept.17, 2020 -- 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

From the cable car station, I walked along the river toward the next town of Unterschächen

Approaching Unterschächen

The hills above, I believe this is massif is called the Schächentaler Windgällen. 

The trail toward Unterschächen is this lovely grassy carpet,

A look back toward the Klausen Pass, and where I had been walking.

Parish church in Unterschächen

I had about 15 minutes to wait for the bus, so I sat on the wall at the church and admired the view across the town and into the Brunnital Valley. 

Close to 12 km and 3.5-hours of walking for this trail. A wonderful day.

The area of the Schächental Valley is very close to where we live, and doesn't take long for us to get there, so a favourite place to hike. 

Hiking over the Storegg Pass from Engelberg Valley to Melch Valley

Wednesday Sept.16 -- Our regular Wednesday Day-Off-Work, we like to hike somewhere close to home so that we don't have to travel too far. We thought being a week-day, we might be safe going to a place which is usually overrun on weekends, so we headed off for the Engelberg Valley, planning to go up with the cable car to Fürenalp.

But the bus from Engelberg train station was already full (mostly "old" people, they are constantly on the go!) as we set off from there, and a group of school kids, about 15 of them, got on along the way. And then there are people who go to the cable car station by car. Some quick math: The small cable car holds 8 people, and takes probably 10 minutes per run, so unless we rush off the bus and knock over a few old people and school kids to be the first to reach the station, we might have to wait over an hour for our turn up. I don't like to wait that long for my turn in a cable car.

So we decided to not get off the bus and headed right back to Engelberg, then back down-valley a bit to Grafenort, to try our luck with a tinier but lesser-known farmer's cable car, hoping the owners were at home to operate, and hoping no one else was waiting in line!

(NOTE: We have ridden this cable car before, almost exactly two years ago, for a different hike via Lutersee back down to Engelberg. Photos of that trip: CLICK HERE )

All turned out well, as after walking the two kilometers to this unique cable car, built by the farmer himself, consisting of two cable car at right angles, we got up the mountain from where we could walk over a passage called Storeggpass, to the next valley over: The Melchtal Valley (The cable car saves us an 800m ascent). By now it was late in the morning and we started our hike at noon, so it was quite warm, but nevertheless a good decision, as this time, for a change, the sun favoured us, and the dark clouds gathered over Fürenalp, where we were originally going to walk....

NOTE: The trail turned out to be harder to walk than we expected, as cows had churned up a large part of this trail, that is actually a regional long-distance trail called the Obwaldner/Niedwaldner High Trail.

From Grafenort train station in the Engelberg Valley, we first have to walk 30 minutes to the cable car station. Our goal is to cross the Storegg Pass. The cable car saves us over 800m climb.

The first section of the Mettlen-Ruggisbalm cableway goes up to the upper plateau where the farm is. The second section goes up to the right to a summer pasture for the cows.

After calling up to the farm to let them know we need a ride, we have to get into the cabin.

First section of the cable car to Hinter Ruggisbalm Farm. 

The first cable car docks at this building.... and then we have to walk over to the house to get in the other one.

We are met at the second cable car by the farmer who operates this cable car every day. This is where we pay for the ride before heading up to the summer pasture.

Heading up to the summer pasture high up on the hill, we get a nice view down the Engelberg Valley, to Grafenort where we started on our walk. 

The other cabin passes on its way down.

This is not our first time riding this cable car, but it's fun every time!

The cows have not yet descended from the summer pasture.

Once we got to the top of the cable car, it was just over an hour and 350m ascent to get to the Storegg Pass. It took us another two hours of walking to get to Melchtal.

It's like they don't see a lot of people up here!

Up ahead we can see the pass where we will cross.

Another Golden Eagle, that's two in one week!

Here starts a bit of a steep section.

Making our way up to the Storegg Pass

Higher and higher.

Near the level of the pass we get the first look across the saddle in the direction of Engelberg. Without the clouds, you can see Mt. Titlis. Behind the saddle is a small laked called Lutersee, which we walked to the previous time we were here in 2018.

Since we started our hike at noon and it was warm here, the small uphill hike was more strenuous than expected. Glad to make it to the Pass! From here you can walk North across the entire ridge along the Obwaldner High Trail. 

A good place for our picnic lunch!

From the pass, a look back at the trail we walked from the cable car station. Doesn't look so strenuous from here.

Another look in the direction of Engelberg and the Fürenalp, where we first planned to go. I think the weather there is not as good as here!

And the first glimpse into the Melchtal Valley. Our descent will take us past all those farms below.

Heading down into the Melchtal Valley.

These flowers look like silk flowers. They are apparently another sort of Gentian (of which we have seen so many this year) called "Fringed Gentian"

Hiking along the Obwalden / Nidwalden High Trail (No.57 and No.88 -- the trail runs through both Cantons).

A glimpse down the Melchtal Valley all the way to Lake Sarnen

Sunshine in the forest sections, I always like that.

The mountains that separate us from the Engelberg Valley

A look down at the town of Melchtal

The trail was hard to find here through the meadows. You always have to keep your eyes open for red/white painted markers on rocks or trees, or posts.

Another beautiful view down the Melchtal Valley

A stretch along the road past some farmhouses

No issues walking along this paved road

We have never seen this pretty bird before. It's called a goldfinch, but not a full-grown adult. So cute!

Fields full of autumn crocuses mean the summer is almost over!

Last stretch into the town of Melchtal.

There is a monastery (St.Niklaus von Flüe) here in Melchtal.

In German: "Benediktinerinnenkloster". What a mouthful! "(Benedictine Women's Monastery)

The church in Melchtal, across from which is the bus stop where we can catch the 16:48 bus out of the valley.

A quick look inside at ceilings and organs: They had TWO organs! (one also in the balcony to the right).

Our trail including cable car, traced on Google Maps

We love this area, as it's not far from where we live, and the many farmers' cable cars (24 in Canton Nidwalden) mean we have access to loads of nice trails. 

The area of Canton Nidwalden, not far form Luzern and Zug.