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Hike from Alp to Alp in the Brunni Valley

(Unterschächen) – Sittlisalp – Brunnialp – Trogenalp – Wannelenalp – (Unterschächen)

Hike from Alp to Alp in the Brunni Valley

This is the 2km road from Unterschächen to the cable car station.

Sittlisalp cable car

Walking toward Sittlisalp with the North Wall of the Gross Ruchen in the back.

Heading down to Brunnialp.

Along the other side of the valley the trail heads uphill to Trogenalp.

View into the Schächen Valley before the steep portion of the tour.

The crocuses are just starting to bloom on the Wannelenalp.

View into the Schächen Valley from the Wannelen cable Car.

From Unterschächen, view into the Brunni Valley.

(Unterschächen) – Sittlisalp – Brunnialp – Trogenalp – Wannelenalp – (Unterschächen)

Published/updated on 26.05.2016 by GabrielleMerk | 15524 points

| Date of Tour: 21.05.2016 | Favourite Entries (7)

With a long and cold winter as this one, it is a thrill to finally be able to get back up into the higher Alpine Regions, but we did run into a few stretches of snow, some of which were potentially difficult to navigate. So we would definitely suggest waiting till June to try this one.

This lovely and not too difficult tour starts with a 30-minute walk along the valley bottom from Unterschächen into the Brunni Valley, which is a side valley that you can see if you are driving in the Schächen Valley toward the Klausen Pass. The road to the cable car is a paved road, but it is a comfortable walk, and if you are lucky you might encounter friendly livestock who roam the valley in their open meadow. Plus you are always walking toward the magnificent North face of the Gross Ruchen.

After a steep ascent (400m) with the cable car you are met with a simply stunning sight: a steep valley below and a massive wall of rock at the back of the valley. This wall of rock is one of the longest North faces in the Swiss Alps. With this view you walk toward the back of the valley, past a cheese dairy where you can buy the renowned Sittlisalper cheese, then descend to the Brunni Alp, where there is a restaurant where you can stop for refreshments.

One popular hiking option is to descend from here back into the valley to Unterschächen (1h 15mins), but lovelier is to go back up along the other side of the valley, along a forest road and past a couple of more Alps, also with a cheese dairy. Past the Trogenalp the path becomes more challenging, with some steeper uphill zigzag sections, until the trail levels out and heads Northward to Wannelen, a high plateau with stunning views up and down the Schächen Valley. Another short cable car ride back into the valley, and one more kilometre along a pleasant meadow trail brings us back to Unterschächen.

Route Infos

Region

Central Switzerland

Time Required

4 hours

Distance

9 km

Ascent

438 m

Descent

426 m

Max. Altitude

1689 m

Min. Altitude

994 m

Season Start / Season End

June - October

Starting Point

Unterschächen

Destination

Unterschächen

Places to Eat

Brunnialp, Unterschächen

Things to Note

Until mid-May there are fewer buses along the Klausenpass Road. Check the schedules. The hike is best done after end of May as there might still be snow.

Details about the route

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Detailed map with traced route on SwissMobility map, including elevation profile
GPS file for download
Route description in text form
Printable tour description