Mariastein Abbey is situated in the lovely landscape of the gentle Leimental Valley. Behind Einsiedeln Abbey it is the second-most important place of pilgrimage in Switzerland. In the vicinity of the extensively renovated abbey, the hikers come across historic inns where pilgrims have stopped for centuries. Past the walls of the abbey’s gardens, the path briefly follows the road before turning left, going uphill near Wilerhölzli.

After Vorhollen’s beautiful “Fromentalwiese” (a lightly fertilized meadow where the grass is cut two or three times a year), take a last look back at the abbey and the Sternenberg castle ruins. With up to 40 species of plants the meadow is rich with flowers. Chälengraben Gorge is reached just a little while later. It is a regional nature protection area and therefore, dogs are not allowed here. Since the end of the Jura folding, approximately two million years ago, the water flowing from Blauenhöhe created the natural wonder of Chälengraben. You can walk through this pleasantly cool ravine via a path, steps and bridges and reach Restaurant Bergmatten in about 1 ½ hours. Shortly thereafter you cross Blauepass and finally take a path to Blattepass. With a place to grill and an oversized bench, this is a lovely spot to rest your feet.

Through the last short forest section, you soon reach a vineyard below Frohberg castle. Following the WeinWanderWeg (Wine Hiking Trail) for a short while, Via Surprise soon turns right, down to Chlusbach Creek and back to civilization. Continue along the creek, which is in a recreation area for the people of Aesch, and you will soon reach the town of the same name. The last segment follows an interesting path, always close to the Birs River, the main road and the industrial area, and takes the hikers to Dornach in just over another half hour.