Nidwalden High Trail: Stage 5

Oberrickenbach is part of the municipality of Wolfenschiessen and lies on the right-hand slope of the Engelberg Valley at 894 meters above sea level. The first few meters of the hike are on a paved road. Looking down into the valley, the beautiful church catches the eye, with the Wellenberg towering behind it. Continuing along a trail, you’ll reach Brändlen in just over an hour. You could have taken a shortcut for the first 400 meters of elevation gain here: Nidwalden is the “cable car” canton. A multitude of cable cars provide access to remote pastures and alpine meadows. Most of them also serve tourism. It’s worth taking one last look back at the Walenstöcke before heading into the Steinalper Forest. This 57-hectare forest reserve is characterized by a great abundance of lichen species, including very rare and endangered ones.

On the other side of the forest lies the car-free village of Niederrickenbach. This small village is considered a place of pilgrimage and is centered around the Benedictine convent of Maria Rickenbach. It was founded in 1864 north of the pilgrimage chapel of St. Mary in Ahorn. The chapel houses a legendary statue of the Virgin Mary. It is said to have been saved by a young shepherd during the Reformation, when images of Catholic saints were being destroyed. He hid the statue in a hollow maple tree on the alp. When he wanted to return to the valley in the fall, he was unable to remove the statue from the tree. This was only possible once a chapel was built at this site. That marked the beginning of the pilgrimage. In the 19th century, 15,000 people made the pilgrimage to Niederrickenbach each year.

Hiking uphill, past beautiful sycamore maples, you make your way toward the SAC Brisenhaus Hut (1,753 m). It is the destination of this stage and can be reached after another two hours or so. The hut lies at the foot of the majestic Brisen, which rises to 2,404 meters. From here, you have a magnificent panoramic view of Mount Pilatus, the Rigi, and the Mittelland.

Overnight stay at the Brisenhaus SAC hut or at the Tipi-Stube Klewenalp.