At the foot of the Brisen
Niederrickenbach – Alpboden – Haldigrat – Brisenhaus – Musenalp (– Niederrickenbach)
moderate
Distance 11.5 km
The convent village of Maria-Rickenbach (Niederrickenbach) is reached from Dallenwil (Niederrickenbach lower terminus) with the aerial cableway. Many visitors pop into the Pilgerhaus near the summit terminus to learn the secret of the Alpöhi dessert. It takes half-an-hour to reach the lower terminus of the unusual chairlift to Haldigrat: it can only carry eight passengers a time. You then walk to the Brisenhaus and via Bärenfallen to the Musenalp opposite. After a snack – do try the well-known Nidwalden Bratchässchnitte – take the aerial cableways back down to the valley. The walking time from Haldigrat is two-and-a-half hours, not counting breaks.
Author’s recommendation
"Alpöhi" dessert at the Pilgerhaus Maria-Rickenbach and then a "Nidwalden Bratchässchnitte" at Musenalp to round off the outing: in contrast to raclette, this cheese slice is made by melting grated cheese in a frying pan and spreading it over a slice of wholemeal bread.
Difficulty
moderate
Technique
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Highest point
2,071 m
Lowest point
1,155 m
Best time of year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Track types
Forested/wild trail
0.5 km
Path
6.2 km
Road
1.8 km
Lift/cableway
3 km
Unknown
0 km
Tips and hints
More information:Nidwalden Tourismus
Bahnhofplatz 2
6370 Stans
+41 41 610 88 33
info@nidwalden.com
nidwalden.com
Visit nidwalden.com/culinary-hikes for more gastronomy from Nidwalden.
Nidwalden recipes to try out: nidwalden.com/recipes
Start
Niederrickenbach (1,156 m)
Coordinates:
SwissGrid
2'675'281E 1'198'099N
DD
46.929726, 8.427164
DMS
46°55'47.0"N 8°25'37.8"E
UTM
32T 456392 5197514
w3w
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Destination
Niederrickenbach
Turn-by-turn directions
It takes half-an-hour to walk from Niederrickenbach upper terminus to the chairlift at Haldigrat. After a break in the restaurant, there are two ways of reaching the Brisenhaus refuge (run by the Pilatus section of the Swiss Alpine Club): a 150 m climb, then via Peterslücke and around the Zwelfer; or first a descent northwards and then a flat walk. You then follow a mountain path via Bärenfallen to the Musenalp opposite. Have a bite to eat here before taking the aerial cableways back to the valley.
Note
Wildlife refuge Brisen: December 15 - April 30
all notes on protected areas
Public transport
Public-transport-friendly
Zentralbahn railway to NiederrickenbachCoordinates
SwissGrid
2'675'281E 1'198'099N
DD
46.929726, 8.427164
DMS
46°55'47.0"N 8°25'37.8"E
UTM
32T 456392 5197514
w3w
///motivates.adopting.elect
Arrival by train, car, foot or bike
Book recommendations for this region:
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Reviews
Difficulty
moderate
Distance
11.5 km
Duration
5:05 h
Ascent
1,153 m
Descent
1,132 m
Highest point
2,071 m
Lowest point
1,155 m
Statistics
2D
3D
Maps and trails
Distance
km
Duration
: h
Ascent
m
Descent
m
Highest point
m
Lowest point
m
Questions and answers
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Rating
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