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.