These powerful waterfalls near Lake Lucerne are one of the prettiest in Switzerland, quite popular on social media. They are set in a peaceful Schächten valley, surrounded by lush alpine meadows and tall mountain peaks.
Although you cannot drive directly to the falls, it’s a relatively easy walk on a service road along a river, about 1 hour each way.
Keep reading for all the details you need to plan your visit to the Stäuben falls.
Contents
Note: If you like hiking, try the mountain hike to the falls instead.
| Location: | southeast of Lucerne, Canton Uri, Switzerland |
| Car: | parking in Unterschächen: 46°51’51.2″N 8°46’54.6″E Lucerne 50mins, Zürich 1hr10 |
| Train: | Bus stop: Unterschächen, Ribi Lucerne 2hr, Zürich 2hr30 |
| Trail: | 6 km, about 2hr |
| Elevation: | highest point 1680m |
| Condition: | wide dirt road, obstacle free, ok for all-terrain strollers |
| Skill: | easy • 250m up and down |
| Services: | at waterfall – restaurant, picnic area with fire pit, toilet |
| Cost: | free |
| Open: | best May to October |
| More info: | nearby webcam • weather |
Gallery
Trail overview
The Stäuben falls are near the south end of Lake Lucerne, near the end of a long valley. To reach the falls, you walk on a service road along a river.
As noted by a sign at the start of the road/path, the service road is not open to public traffic. Only local residents, farmers or others that have a permit can drive on that road.
Hiking map
The map below shows the walking path from Ribi to the Stäuben falls.
See interactive hiking map on Komoot – OutdoorActive
If you park in Unterschächen and it adds about 15 mins to Ribi. From Ribi, you stay on the service road the entire way, following the river to the falls. Return the way you came.
Longer option: If you want a more interesting mountain hike, you start by riding a cable car up and traverse the mountain above the falls and descend along the river to the falls viewpoint. Learn more.
How to get there
The Stäuben Falls (also called Stäubifall) are located southeast of Lucerne, in the Unterschächen area (see on Google Maps).
You can drive or ride a bus to the village Ribi, about 3km from the falls. Then walk the rest of the way.
By public transport:
Take a train to Altdorf, then bus to Unterschächen, Ribi, which drops off very close to the cable car. Note that before the end of June, this bus runs very infrequently, only a couple times a day. So check the schedule carefully.
By car:
There is a small parking area just before you reach the Ribi village – see on map. Last time I visited, you could park here. But if there are any “no parking” signs when you arrive, part in Unterschächen instead.
Do not park in the Ribi-Wannlen cable car parking lot. That is reserved for people using the cable car and you risk a fine by parking there.
If the Ribi parking is full, drive to Unterschächen and park in one of the signed parking areas in the village. Follow trail signs to Ribi, about 15 mins extra walking. Then follow signs to Äsch and Stäuben Falls.
Planning your day
When to visit
The best time to visit the falls is April to October, with the prettiest season from mid May to July with green meadows filled with flowers.
But since there is no fee or entrance gate, you can hypothetically visit the falls anytime. However in winter, the path may be obstructed by snow and not safe to walk on.
Where to eat
The Alp Äsch restaurant is located very close to the falls and has outdoor seating with a view. See on map. They are open weekends beginning of June through September. They are also open on August 1, the Swiss National Day. See their Facebook page.
Just outside the restaurant, there is a picnic area with tables, firepit and water. See picnic area on map. There are toilets adjacent to the picnic area.
You can also walk on the trail a bit past the falls to a nice bench overlooking the valley – see approximate location on map.
Photo story
1. Starting the walk
This photo shows the Ribi village where you get off the bus. There is a small parking area just off the main road before you enter the village.
The walk starts on the road that leads through the village, past the cable car parking, as shown here.
The dirt road from village starts close to the river.
At the start, you’ll sometimes get a long view down the valley.
The wildflowers in late May were incredible!!!
I couldn’t get enough of this view!
Looking back at the road. Just keep following the yellow trail signs to the falls.
The road climbs gradually but sometimes you might feel ascent, especially on hot days.
Getting prettier every minute.
A herd of goats followed us for awhile along the river.
Often cows and goats grazing along the way. Do not pet and stay away from their babies!
The water has such a beautiful color.
Lots of pretty views along the way.
2. Arriving at Stäuben falls
When you reach the Äsch village, you’ll immediately hear and see the Stäuben falls.
Keep following the road to the river.
A lot of people take pictures with the river in the frame.
You can wander a bit along the river to get closer to the falls. But it’s not a well defined path and you can’t go far before you reach a fence.
Walk a bit further up the road to get this view of the falls with the farmhouses. The land very close the falls is private property. So be respectful and don’t go wandering around their land and crossing through fences.
If you are lucky, a cow will pose for your picture.
3. Walk higher up the valley
We suggest walking a few minutes past the falls on the road shown here for another perspective of the falls.
We particularly like the view from this bench, a most isolated place to enjoy the falls.
View down the valley you just walked up.
4. Picnic & restaurant
When you first arrived in Äsch, there is a picnic area with a grill, wood and water.
Next to the picnic area, there is the Alp Äsch restaurant, which is open weekends June thru September.
There are toilets adjacent to the picnic area.
5. Return the way you came
Ending back at the Ribi village and cable car.
20 Responses
Dear Tanya,
Thank you for the detailed information as always. I have a small question. We would like to visit the falls with my 3 year old so hiking is rather restricted. From where can we have the nicest views of the falls (as closer as possible). We are with a car and will be traveling from Zurich 🙂
Thanka and best,
Yoshita.
Hi Yoshita, if you cannot manage the walk to the falls with your 3 year old, then perhaps better to visit other waterfalls. The Berglistüber falls are on the same road on the other side of the mountain pass. You can park quite close to the falls, about a 10 min walk. Here is the link to the location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/kgLXSG2yfba8RGpj6
Hi, I couldn’t find on your site if you can take train from Lucerne and then get a cablecar to the mountain? Your your site amazing.
Hi. You would need to take a train to Altdorf, then bus to Unterschächen, Ribi, which drops off close to the Ribi cable car. Does that answer your question?
Hey all! Just curious as to how the bus from Altdorf works? After booking tickets on SBB I noticed it says you have to call to make a reservation as well? Did anyone else have issues booking it or was there an easier way to get there from the train station?
I’ve ridden the bus from Altdorf before and I just bought my ticket on my phone, no advance reservation. I just looked on SBB. It only says reservations are required for bikes. I don’t think you need a reservation for people.
Hi,
Thanks for sharing the detailed route! We plan to make this trail on August, but we will arrive directly to Ribi-Wannelen cable car stop with our bags. Do you know if there are any lockers where we could leave them until we complete the hike and pick them up?
Thanks
No, there is nowhere to store your bags there. It is a tiny village with almost nothing happening there. The cable car is mostly for the farmers that use it to haul equipment to the alps. You would be better to store your luggage at a big train station, like Lucerne, somewhere you are going back to later. You can see which train stations have lockers on this site: https://www.sbb.ch/de/bahnhof-services/am-bahnhof/services-am-bahnhof/gepaeckaufbewahrung/schliessfaecher.html
Thank you so much for sharing the details. We did it yesterday. Splendid views. Would like to share that as of yesterday 408 bus is running only till Unterschächen, Post and not Ribi. Also, at Nideralp, they have put yellow ropes all around, which made us difficult to comprehend which way to go. From distant, it looked like the ropes are fixed, and can’t be opened. We asked a local(in my broken German), and he said “Sie können aufmachen”. So, happily we went up to Oberalp, fell in love with the terrain there; had a snack break with one of the waterfalls in view. The 800m descent to Äsch had loose rocks, muds, scree at places, so had to be careful. One place the water current was strong as well to cross. But we forgot all when we saw the valley. The roaring Stäubifall was magnificent.
Your posts are much appreciated, Tanya.
Your kind follower 🙂
Thanks for the helpful report of your hike! Before the end of June, the bus to Ribi is much less frequent, only a couple times a day. So important to check the schedule carefully. But glad you were able to adjust your plans and manage the hike.
The yellow ropes are for fencing off the cow fields. Typically on hiking paths, there is a hook so you can open the rope fence and cross through. That’s what the farmer was referring to.
hi, in the parking lot is it advisable to park the motorhome/campervan?? if not where is the nearby parking lot? we are planning to visit in june….n i just love all your details about each hike 🙂
I don’t think you can park in the cable car parking, it’s pretty small and only for people who are using the cable car. Better to park in Unterschächen in the area I mention in the article. I hope that works for you. Glad you are finding the blog helpful! Enjoy your time in Switzerland.
I’m curious about how busy this hike is. We are going in July. We are staying in Lucerne. We are looking to do a hike that isn’t super popular and isn’t too hard. We really want to see some beautiful Swisse countryside. This hike sounds like something that would fit what we are looking for.
I can’t say how busy it might be when you go. When we went on a mid May Saturday, there were about a dozen people at the falls. But that was before summer season started and the restaurant was still closed. I imagine that a lot of locals will visit on a sunny weekend. But it’s not super full of tourists because it’s rather difficult to get to and not on the tourist trail.
Hey! Nicely narrated. Just wanted to know if the Stauben Falls is accessible during winters, especially December?
Maybe you could walk up the road to the falls, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. Let me know if you try it.
Did this hike yesterday. Really enjoyed it. We did get a bit confused at Niederalp and took the wrong path. We thought we took the middle path – I think they were not super clear because of all the recent storms. Anyway we ended up at Oberalp – which was spectacular and has a tiny cable car taking 3 people that goes down to Äsch. In the end we walked back down to Niederalp and took the correct middle path path. As of August 9th 2022 it has a yellow electric fence for the cows.
The path down to Äsch after the bridge over the river has also been a bit affected by the storms . Walking Sticks help as it’s quite slippy with stones in part. But we loved it. At Äsch opposite the restaurant there is a cute little self service box selling mountain crystals.
Hi Heather, Thanks so much for sharing your experience on the trail. It’s important reminder that storms can great affect the quality and visibility of trails. I might also suggest having the trail map on your phone so you can verify you are on the right trail. I have to do that a lot. Have fun out there!
Hi Tanya,
Thank you for posting this. We did this hike today Sun, 29.05.22. And absolutely LOVED it. Our first hike of the season started with a bang! We were 2 families, 4 adults, two 8 year olds and a 3 year old. We did make a fire just before the descend at the most idyllic spot. The kids loved to discover the landscape, streams, caves, nooks and crannies and giant rocks to climb. We were the first bbq of the day but definitely not the first ever. The hike was interesting and exciting the whole way, with different scenes, even the challenging paths passed by without a grumble. And the waterfalls at the end were spectacular and the vastness of the valley is humbling.
Wow, what a wonderful trip report! That’s exactly the type of outing I want to inspire. Your comment makes me so happy!