Hiking

Nidwaldner Höhenweg
Stage 3, Melchsee-Frutt–Engelberg

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Nidwaldner Höhenweg
Stage 3, Melchsee-Frutt–Engelberg
Past four wonderful mountain lakes and over the Jochpass to the monastery village of Engelberg. The nearby imposing mountain world of the Hochstollen, Glogghuis and Titlis bids you welcome. The long descent to Engelberg can be shortened with the aerial cableway.
Stöckalp is situated in the Melchtal Valley where the gondola leaves for the Melchsee-Frutt holiday and ski resort. The family-friendly village, featuring playgrounds, grilling places and the “Frutt Train”, is located directly on Melchsee Lake, a great place to catch trout and char in the summer. The small Melchsee chapel on the north-eastern shore is a favourite subject for photographers. The next lake on this route is Tannensee (fir lake) below Bonistock. And while it should be obvious from the name - there isn’t a single fir tree in sight. But there are plenty of cows spending the summer on the alp. The path around the reservoir leads to Tannalp. This is where the family-friendly paths end and the more difficult mountain trails begin.
The section leading to Engstlenalp, located in the Canton Bern, offers fantastic views. The area is under nature protection. A scattering of alpine buildings, cows, the mountain backdrop with the glaciers on Mt. Titlis and a wide variety of Alpine flora together create a picture-perfect sight. There is even a hotel on the alp at the end of Gental Valley, the starting point of a number of mountain tours. The trail meanders past the lake and up to Jochpass. The region’s highest mountain, nearby Mt. Titlis, is in view when the weather is clear, as are the Bernese Alps in the other direction.
From here the trail is steep at times and leads down to Trübsee, where a playground and boat rentals are available. Passing the lake and later the Wäschplatten Hut, the path gets steeper again. Every so often it changes to a wider gravel road. At Unter Trübsee you will see the prominent peak of Gross Spannort in the distance. After Trübsee Boden the trail briefly dips into the forest. Back on a gravel road the tour ends in Engelberg. The Benedictine monastery and the remaining buildings from the Belle Époque lend a distinctive charm to the quaint mountain village.
The section leading to Engstlenalp, located in the Canton Bern, offers fantastic views. The area is under nature protection. A scattering of alpine buildings, cows, the mountain backdrop with the glaciers on Mt. Titlis and a wide variety of Alpine flora together create a picture-perfect sight. There is even a hotel on the alp at the end of Gental Valley, the starting point of a number of mountain tours. The trail meanders past the lake and up to Jochpass. The region’s highest mountain, nearby Mt. Titlis, is in view when the weather is clear, as are the Bernese Alps in the other direction.
From here the trail is steep at times and leads down to Trübsee, where a playground and boat rentals are available. Passing the lake and later the Wäschplatten Hut, the path gets steeper again. Every so often it changes to a wider gravel road. At Unter Trübsee you will see the prominent peak of Gross Spannort in the distance. After Trübsee Boden the trail briefly dips into the forest. Back on a gravel road the tour ends in Engelberg. The Benedictine monastery and the remaining buildings from the Belle Époque lend a distinctive charm to the quaint mountain village.
Past four wonderful mountain lakes and over the Jochpass to the monastery village of Engelberg. The nearby imposing mountain world of the Hochstollen, Glogghuis and Titlis bids you welcome. The long descent to Engelberg can be shortened with the aerial cableway.
Stöckalp is situated in the Melchtal Valley where the gondola leaves for the Melchsee-Frutt holiday and ski resort. The family-friendly village, featuring playgrounds, grilling places and the “Frutt Train”, is located directly on Melchsee Lake, a great place to catch trout and char in the summer. The small Melchsee chapel on the north-eastern shore is a favourite subject for photographers. The next lake on this route is Tannensee (fir lake) below Bonistock. And while it should be obvious from the name - there isn’t a single fir tree in sight. But there are plenty of cows spending the summer on the alp. The path around the reservoir leads to Tannalp. This is where the family-friendly paths end and the more difficult mountain trails begin.
The section leading to Engstlenalp, located in the Canton Bern, offers fantastic views. The area is under nature protection. A scattering of alpine buildings, cows, the mountain backdrop with the glaciers on Mt. Titlis and a wide variety of Alpine flora together create a picture-perfect sight. There is even a hotel on the alp at the end of Gental Valley, the starting point of a number of mountain tours. The trail meanders past the lake and up to Jochpass. The region’s highest mountain, nearby Mt. Titlis, is in view when the weather is clear, as are the Bernese Alps in the other direction.
From here the trail is steep at times and leads down to Trübsee, where a playground and boat rentals are available. Passing the lake and later the Wäschplatten Hut, the path gets steeper again. Every so often it changes to a wider gravel road. At Unter Trübsee you will see the prominent peak of Gross Spannort in the distance. After Trübsee Boden the trail briefly dips into the forest. Back on a gravel road the tour ends in Engelberg. The Benedictine monastery and the remaining buildings from the Belle Époque lend a distinctive charm to the quaint mountain village.
The section leading to Engstlenalp, located in the Canton Bern, offers fantastic views. The area is under nature protection. A scattering of alpine buildings, cows, the mountain backdrop with the glaciers on Mt. Titlis and a wide variety of Alpine flora together create a picture-perfect sight. There is even a hotel on the alp at the end of Gental Valley, the starting point of a number of mountain tours. The trail meanders past the lake and up to Jochpass. The region’s highest mountain, nearby Mt. Titlis, is in view when the weather is clear, as are the Bernese Alps in the other direction.
From here the trail is steep at times and leads down to Trübsee, where a playground and boat rentals are available. Passing the lake and later the Wäschplatten Hut, the path gets steeper again. Every so often it changes to a wider gravel road. At Unter Trübsee you will see the prominent peak of Gross Spannort in the distance. After Trübsee Boden the trail briefly dips into the forest. Back on a gravel road the tour ends in Engelberg. The Benedictine monastery and the remaining buildings from the Belle Époque lend a distinctive charm to the quaint mountain village.
Length
21 km
Ascent | Descent
640 m | 1550 m
Hiking time
6 h 20 min
Grade | Fitness level
medium
(mountain hiking trail)
|
difficult
Arrival | return travel
Season
Season
Beware: snowfields possible into summer months on high-level sections
More …
Saving metres in altitude Jochpass
There is a chairlift between Engstlensee and Jochpass that saves about 300 metres in altitude.
Arrival | return travel
Contact
Signpost management
Signposting is managed by the cantonal hiking trail organisation on behalf of the communities.
Obwaldner Wanderwege
6061 Sarnen
info@ow-wanderwege.ch
www.ow-wanderwege.ch