Mürren Northface Trail & Sprutz Waterfall

This beautiful trail near Mürren hikes through alpine meadows with spectacular mountain views. For a special treat, you can do a short detour to the Sprutz waterfall, where you can walk under the raging water. 

Along the way, you’ll pass mountain huts where the dairy farmers tend to their cattle and make cheese during summer. A few huts have cafes, where you can eat traditional mountain food with some of the best views you can get in this region.

Keep reading for all the details you need for this hike.

Gallery

Trail Overview

This map shows the Northface trail. The instructions are hiking counterclockwise, which is more downhill. You can hike it in reverse if you prefer uphill.

1. Get to Mürren alpine village, directions below.
2. Ride the funicular up to Allmendhubel (2). Or you can skip the funicular and walk up the service road (A) to join the Northface trail.
3. Follow Northface trail signs. At Suppenalp (3), there is a mountain hut with a cafe (see website). It’s open late June to early October.
4. Keep following Northface trail signs towards Spilboden, where there is another mountain restaurant. If you want to visit the waterfall, branch of the main trail when you see signs pointing to “Sprutz.”
5. The “Sprutz” signs lead you down through a forest to the big waterfall. After walking under the waterfall, follow signs to Mürren to rejoin the Northface trail.
6. Or… follow signs to “Gimmelwald” to option B. In Gimmelwald, you can ride the cable car up to Mürren or down to Stechelberg.

Here is the trail map that you can use on your phone. This version includes the detour to the Sprutz waterfall and returns to Mürren.

See this trail map on Komoot • SchweizMobil • OutdoorActive

Northface trail variations

There are many variations of this trail, depending on whether you want to use the Allmendhubel funicular and if you want to visit the waterfall. I’ve mapped the trails hiking downhill but they can can be reversed if you prefer to hike uphill instead.

Note that the waterfall detour includes walking behind the waterfall, which can be very wet and slippery. The path approaching the falls is steep in parts without a railing.

• A: Start at Allmendhubel to Mürren, includes Sprutz waterfall. See trail map. 7.4km, 170m up, 420m down
• B: Start at Allmendhubel and hike down to Mürren, no waterfall. See trail map. 7.3km 170m up, 420m down
• C: Loop from Mürren, skips the Allmendhubel funicular, includes Sprutz waterfall. See trail map. 7.8km, 380m up, 370m down
• D: Start at Allmendhubel to Gimmelwald, includes Sprutz waterfall. See trail map. 6.7km 100m up, 620m down

Trail conditions

The trail alternates between a gravel service road and dirt footpath through forests and meadows. It’s mostly easy walking, especially if you go downhill. The path has uneven terrain and is not suitable for strollers.

The waterfall detour is more difficult with steep switchbacks through the forest with uneven terrain. It also includes walking behind the waterfall, which can be very wet and slippery. The path approaching the falls is steep in parts, without a railing. So not the best for those that have a fear or heights or very small children. You may want to skip the waterfall if these conditions don’t sound great to you.

Longer hike

If you want a longer day, you can add the Mürren Mountain View trail, which ends in Allmendhubel where the Northface trail starts. 

How to get there

This hike is located in Mürren, an alpine village in the Jungfrau Region near Interlaken. You access the hike with cable cars. 

This map shows the Mürren area and the context of the Northface trail (red line). 

By public transport:

If you are traveling via public transport, I think the easiest way to get to Mürren is via the Lauterbrunnen-Grütschalp cable car. This journey is free with Swiss Travel Pass, Jungfrau Travel Pass, and Berner Oberland Travel Pass.

I describe getting to this hike as a round trip from Lauterbrunnen. You may need to adjust this based on your starting point.

1. Take a train to Lauterbrunnen. 
2. Ride cable car up to Grütschalp, transfer to mountain train to Mürren BLM.
3. Short walk through village to Allmendhubel funicular station. Ride up to Allmendhubel.
4. Start Northface trail.
5. At Spielboden, you can do a detour to Sprutz waterfall (yellow line). After the waterfall, rejoin Northface trail and hike back to Mürren.
6. OR… after waterfall, follow signs to Gimmelwald (gray line) and end your hike there.
7. Can take cable car down to Stechelberg (7) and bus back to Lauterbrunnen. Or cable car from Gimmelwald back up to Mürren (3).

By car:

You may find it simpler to park at the Stechelberg cable car (7) instead of Lauterbrunnen (1).

In this case, drive past Lauterbrunnen, up the valley to Stechelberg and park in the metered lot next to the cable car station. Lengwald 300B, 3824 Stechelberg CH. Then ride the cable cars up to Mürren (Mürren (Schilthornbahn) station stop) and walk to the Allmendhubel funicular station. 

On extremely busy days, the parking at Stechelberg may be full. In this case, you may need to park in Lauterbrunnen parking garage or even the new overflow lot Park & Ride Matten bei Interlaken and ride the train to Lauterbrunnen. 

Planning your day

Tickets

Your cost depends on which mountain transport you use to get to Mürren and which variation of the trail you do.

In 2024, the return trip from Mürren from Lauterbrunnen (via Grütschalp) costs CHF 23.60. This journey is free with Swiss Travel Pass, Jungfrau Travel Pass, Berner Oberland Travel Pass, GA and SBB Day Passes. Discount with Swiss Half Fare Card.

Then you need a one way trip on the Allmendhubel funicular, which costs CHF 7/adult. Discounted with all the Swiss travel passes and discount cards. Current prices here.

You can buy the whole journey on the SBB Mobile app and scan your QR code at the turnstile. You can also buy individual tickets at the cable car and funicular stations.

Opening Times

The trail is usually open from early June through late October. Check the Mürren website for trail status.

The cable cars and mountain trains run 

Sample timetable

Here was our schedule for a day trip from Zurich.

• Interlaken 9:04 to Lauterbrunnen 9:26
• Cross street to Lauterbrunnen cable car station. Depart 9:38, arrive Grütschalp 9:42.
• Transfer to Mürren mountain trail, arrive Mürren BLM 9:58.
• Walk through Mürren village to Allmendhubel funicular, about 10 mins.
• Funicular departs 10:20, 4 min ride up mountain.
• Optional time at playground/restaurant
• Start trail about 10:45, reach Sprutz waterfall about 12:15.
• Continue hike to Mürren, arrive about 13:15
• Travel back to Lauterbrunnen, arrive about 14:00

Photo story of the trail

We started the hike at the top of the Allmendhubel funicular and ended in Gimmelwald. We did this hike the first week of June 2024. Your journey may look different from ours.

1. Riding up Grütschalp cable car

From Lauterbrunnen, you cross the street to the Grütschalp cable car station. If you don’t have a ticket, you can get one at the ticket counter. If you have a Swiss Travel Pass or other travel pass, you can go directly to the turnstile and scan your ticket. 

Beautiful views of Lauterbrunnen as you ride up the mountain.

You transfer to the mountain train that goes to the Mürren BLM station.

2. Riding up the Allmendhubel funicular

It’s about 8 min walk through the village to reach the funicular station. 

Here are the funicular tracks.

The funicular station. You can purchase tickets here if you don’t have them already. It’s not free with travel passes, but you do get a discount.

View of Mürren as you ride up the mountain.

3. Arriving at Allmendhubel

There’s a big playground here and a restaurant.

4. Starting the Northface trail

Follow the signs to Northface trail, walking away from the playground towards the mountains.

Here’s the start of the trail.

It’s not marked, but you can follow this footpath down to the service road. It’s a shortcut that everyone takes. The road below is the Northface trail.

The trail follows the service roads for a few minutes. Don’t worry, it gets more remote in a few minutes.

Make sure to follow those yellow trail signs at the splits so you stay on the walking path.

The big mountain peaks are almost always in view.

After only 15 mins walking, you’ll reach Bergpension Suppenalp, which has a cafe in summer. Their summer season starts the last week of June through early October. Closed Mon/Tues. I’ve eaten there before and it was tasty traditional Swiss.

Keep following the green Northface signs, direction Im Schilt.

Just after Suppenalp, you join the service road again. In 2024, there is some construction due to the cable car. Just keep on the road until the trail sign tells you to fork right. This signs says to pass quickly through this area so you aren’t lingering under the construction zone.

Now the footpath leaves the busier part of the trail and heads into pretty alpine meadows.

This would be a lovely place for a picnic. But it’s only about 45 mins into the hike.

Making our way up this valley towards Schilt.

Looking down to Spilboden where the trail is taking us.

Arriving at Schilt. When the cows are on the alp (late June), the alpine dairy here has a self-service shop with snacks.

Continue following the green Northface trail signs, direction Spilboden Sprutz.

At this sign, you can leave the official Northface trail for awhile to detour down to the Sprutz waterfall. Follow the signs with “Sprutz” on them. If you prefer to skip the waterfall, just keep following signs to Mürren.

Arriving at Restaurant Spilbodenalp. This hut has a small cafe open about mid June to mid September when the cows are on the alp. It wasn’t open yet when we were there.

After Spilboden, you are on the Via Alpina trail for bit, direction Sprutz.

Detour to Sprutz waterfall

The trail heads into the forest and descends a bunch of switchbacks.

First view of the falls.

As you get closer, you can see the stairs and trail heading up the other side of the falls.

Lots of water in early June as the snow melts. The volume decreases as you approach fall.

Walking under the raging water. It was wet and slippery, be careful!

On the other side of the falls, there are stairs leading up the rocks. No safety rail on this one, just a handrail on the rocks that you can hold.

As you get a bit higher, there is a safety railing and more stairs.

End in Gimmelwald

Just after the falls, you’ll come to a fork in the trail, left leading to Mürren and right to Gimmelwald, about 40 mins either way.

We chose to hike down to Gimmelwald, where we would ride the cable car down to Stechelberg and return by bus to Lauterbrunnen. You could also ride a cable car from Gimmelwald back up to Mürren.

The Gimmelwald direction has about 20 mins more forest before you get the big views again.

Emerging from the forest to a view of Gimmelwald.

So many flowers in early June.

In the village, we stopped for refreshments. We like the food and their specialty beer at Pension Gimmelwald.  

But this time we ate pizza at Mountain Hostel Gimmelwald, which was full of young happy hikers finishing their day.

Then we rode the cable car down to Stechelberg and bus back to Lauterbrunnen.

Hope you try this hike soon!