Trümmelbach & Staubbach Falls and Northface Trail

Day three intertwined motion, mist and mountains as we biked the valley, chased waterfalls, and hiked the Northface Trail. We rolled downhill from Mürren to quaint Gimmelwald to snag a souvenir cowbell at the Honesty Shop. With bikes in tow, we rode the cable car to Stechelberg and cruised the Lauterbrunnen Valley, pausing for the thunder of Trümmelbach Falls and the iconic sweep of Staubbach Falls in the famed Valley of 72 Waterfalls. Back in Mürren, the Allmendhubel funicular set us up for the Northface Trail, an easy stroll through cow pastures and wildflowers with the Eiger and Jungfrau playing peekaboo in the clouds.

🗓️ Itinerary

This one-day plan comes from our August 22, 2025 visit (Day 3), based in Mürren at Hotel Alpina. We’d planned to paraglide in the morning and hike the Northface Trail in the afternoon, but a mostly cloudy forecast after several rainy days prompted a pivot. We also started later than ideal while reshuffling plans and securing bike rentals. If possible, lock in bikes right at 9 AM so you can enjoy more time on the valley floor, then begin the Northface Trail early enough to linger over lunch at Allmendhubel and still add the Sprutz Waterfall detour.

🚴‍♂️ Bike: Mürren → Lauterbrunnen via Trümmelbach & Staubbach Falls

• ☕️ 7:30 AM – Breakfast at Hotel Alpina (open 7:30 AM – 9:30 AM daily, free, arranged GF bread & cereals)
• 🚴‍♂️ 10:30 AM – Mountain Bike: Mürren → Gimmelwald → Stechelberg → Trümmelbach Falls → Staubbach Falls → Lauterbrunnen (~3h total w/stops, 9.5 mi / 15.3 km one-way, 1h bike Google, 1h bike Komoot)
  • 🚴‍♂️ Pick up mountain or e-bike (💡 See bike rental tips below)
  • 🚴‍♂️ Bike: Mürren → Gimmelwald (~20m, 1.6 mi / 2.5 km, steep but easy paved farm road – all downhill but control your speed)
  • 🚠 Cable Car: Gimmelwald → Stechelberg (💡⚠️ Per Intersport this portion is prohibited for bikers, and you must take the cable car, despite there being bike signs to these paths. Be sure to purchase the bike transport via SBB. It’s ~5 CHF extra and not included with bike rental or Berner-Oberland Pass.)
  • 🚴‍♂️ Bike: Stechelberg → Trümmelbach Falls (~10m, 1.6 mi / 2.5 km, flat paved path through valley)
    
• 🌊 Visit Trümmelbach Falls (~1h, open 8:30 AM – 6 PM)
  • 🎟️ Purchase tickets for 17 CHF at the ticket booth by the base (cannot book in advance).
  • 🚡 After entering, ride an inclined tunnel lift (a funicular-style elevator) that takes you up inside the mountain.
  • 🚶‍♂️ Once inside, follow a series of tunnels, stairways, and viewing platforms carved into the rock. These pathways bring you right up to the roaring glacial falls.
  • 💧 It’s cool, wet & slippery inside. Wear sturdy shoes & bring a rain jacket if you want to stay dry–there’s spray everywhere!
• 🚴‍♂️ Bike: Trümmelbach → Staubbach Falls → Lauterbrunnen (~15m, 0.9 mi / 1.5 km, iconic view of Staubbach as you approach the village)
  • 🌊 Stop at Staubbach Falls (💡 There is a steep path and long lines to get a closer view of the falls. Views from the valley are great. ⏰ Skip the steep climb if short on time and want to avoid the long lines.)
  • 🚠 Train/Cable Car: Lauterbrunnen (Seilbahn) → Grütschalp → Mürren BLM (22m)
    • 💡 Be sure to purchase the bike transport via SBB. It is extra and not included with bike rental. See tips from this review for taking bike to Mürren via cable car

🥾 Hike Northface Trail

• 🚡 3:00 PM – Funicular: Mürren (Allmendhubelbahn) → Allmendhubel (Standseilbahn) (4m, every 20m at xx:00/:20/:40 from 9 AM – 5 PM, 💡 Sit front for flower trail view)
• 🏞️ Optional: Food/drink @ Allmendhubel (“Flower Hill”) for panoramic vista of Eiger & Jungfrau from its sunny terrace + kids’ playground (🎟️ RESERVE to secure table with a view. ⏰ We ended up skipping this due to our later than planned start on the hike and wanted to beat potential afternoon rain/reduced mountain visibility.)
• 🥾 3:10 PM – Hike scenic Northface Trail loop (2-3h, 4.7 mi, easy, 💡 Best counterclockwise from Allmenduhbel with direct return to Mürren)
  • Optional: Visit Sprutz Waterfall (⏰ time permitting – we had to skip)
• 🛌 6:00 PM – Return to Hotel Alpina in Mürren
• 🍽️ 7:00 PM – Dinner @ Hotel Eiger Restaurant (🎟️ RESERVED window seat,  🌾 FMGF approved)

💡 Tips

• 🌦️ Weather watch: Check Schilthorn webcams for Allmendhubel and adjust activities with forecast. We pivoted our schedule for this day to activities better suited for a mostly cloudy day – biking to the Lauterbrunnen valley to visit the falls in the morning, and hiking Northface in the afternoon (similar plan as our original schedule).
• 🚴‍♂️ Bike Rentals: Book bikes in Lauterbrunnen at Imboden, if possible. They have mounts and locks for rent and better reviews than Intersport Mürren. See more under Intersport Bike Rental Experience.
• 🚠 Bikes on Cable Cars: Riding Gimmelwald → Stechelberg is prohibited according to Intersport, so budget for bike transport on the cable car and buy the bike ticket in the SBB app (not included with rentals or passes, ~5 CHF each way per bike on lifts where required)
• 📱 Bike Supplies: Bring your own bike phone mount and lock if renting in Mürren
• 💧 Falls gear: Trümmelbach Falls is wet, cool, and slick, wear grippy shoes and a light rain jacket and protect camera gear
• 🎟️ Tickets: You can’t prebook Trümmelbach tickets, buy on site (17 CHF), and go early or late to avoid queues.
• 🌊 Staubbach Falls viewpoint: There’s a steep path and long lines for the viewpoint, and the valley-floor view is stunning. We recommend skipping this if you’re short on time or energy for the trek.
• 🥾 Northface Trail direction: Hike counterclockwise from Allmendhubel for steadier grades and better reveal moments with direct return to Mürren avoiding having to worry about catching the last funicular down.
• 🪂 Paragliding buffer: Book with free-cancellation windows and plan it for a day with multiple earlier visibility checks. Due to potential rain/clouds, we delayed paragliding by 2 days to the clearest day in the area.

📸 Summary

🚴‍♂️ Mountain Biking: Mürren → Lauterbrunnen

Our valley ride with waterfall stops was a great last-minute activity for a partly cloudy day after several days of rain. We rented mountain bikes same-day from Intersport Mürren and eased into a steep paved glide to Gimmelwald, then rolled the bikes onto the cable car for the float to Stechelberg. From there the valley path was relaxed and scenic through meadows and cowbells en route to thunderous Trümmelbach Falls and the iconic veil of Staubbach Falls, finishing with a spin through Lauterbrunnen village. Buying bike transport in the SBB app was straightforward, the ~5 CHF each way worth it for the views, and the route delivered plenty of grin-per-mile moments.

📈 Biking Stats

Garmin Data

🚴‍♂️ Biking: Mürren → Gimmelwald

The paved farm road down to Gimmelwald from Mürren is a quick, steep glide by bike, and the beloved Honesty Shop is a fun stop for a cowbell or chocolate. Gimmelwald is a tiny farming hamlet tucked just below Mürren, with quaint flower boxes, barns, and cowbells. Check out our other blog for our longer visit to Gimmelwald.

🚠 Cable Car: Gimmelwald → Stechelberg + 🚴‍♂️ Biking Stechelberg

From Gimmelwald you can hop on the cable car to Stechelberg. Riding from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg is prohibited according to Intersport (even though the trail has bike markers). You’ll need to purchase separate bike transport tickets on the SBB app for this segment. The cable car drops you on the flat Lauterbrunnen valley floor. Riding through Stechelberg feels like gliding through a postcard: a smooth valley path beneath sheer cliffs. The route is mostly flat and relaxed – perfect for an easy cruise along the Lauterbrunnen Valley. The alternative route down to Lauterbrunnen is through Grütschalp, and is on a gravel road with views mostly blocked by trees. We chose the route via Gimmelwald because reviews said it was more scenic. The views and stop in Gimmelwald were pleasant, but there is the tradeoff of having to take the cable car down. It’s likely more convenient to bike down via Grütschalp (to avoid cable cars down) and then take the cable cars up from Stechelberg → Gimmelwald → Mürren.

🚴‍♂️ Stechelberg → Trümmelbach Falls

From Stechelberg, it’s a gentle spin on a flat, paved road/path with cliffs towering overhead. Meadows and wooden barns slide by to a soundtrack of cowbells, with waterfall mist cooling the air. In no time you’ll reach Trümmelbach Falls – park the bikes and grab a ticket to see the glacier water thundering through the mountain.

💦 Trümmelbach Falls

Trümmelbach Falls is a roaring series of glacier-fed cascades carved inside the mountain. You buy tickets on site, ride an inclined lift into the mountain, then follow tunnels and stairs to misty viewpoints beside the torrents. It is cool, wet, and slippery, so bring grippy shoes and a light rain jacket to keep the spray off you and your camera.

🚴‍♂️ Trümmelbach Falls → Staubbach Falls

Roll out from Trümmelbach to the flat Lauterbrunnen Valley path with barns, meadows, waterfalls, and cliffs at every turn. Navigate around the crowds as the silver curtain of Staubbach Falls comes into view ahead–an easy, scenic ~10 minute cruise. Coast into the gravel lot at the base, park your bike, and admire the iconic falls.

💦 Staubbach Falls

Staubbach Falls is Lauterbrunnen’s most iconic veil, dropping free from the cliff above the village. The valley-floor view is already spectacular, and there is a steep path to get closer if time and lines allow. It pairs perfectly with a leisurely bike roll into town and the classic church-and-waterfall photo angle. It was really gushing during our bike ride due to a lot of recent rain. The flow slowed down towards the end of our time in Lauterbrunnen. It’s lit up at night so you can see the falls at any time.

🚴‍♂️ Biking: Staubbach Falls → Lauterbrunnen Village

From Staubbach Falls, coast the flat valley path beside the Weisse Lütschine into Lauterbrunnen; in ~5-10 minutes (~0.5 mi/0.8 km) you’ll reach the village center. Continue a couple minutes along Dorfstrasse to the Lauterbrunnen–Grütschalp cable car beside the platforms. If continuing back up to Mürren, be sure to purchase the bike transport via SBB. It is extra and not included with bike rental or Berner-Oberland Pass.

📋 Intersport Bike Rental Experience

We rented mountain bikes through Intersport Mürren (open 9 AM – 4:30 PM with return by 4:30 PM; 40 CHF full day; includes helmet; no locks or phone holders). Despite bike waymarks, riding from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg is prohibited per Intersport so you have to buy separate bike transport tickets on the SBB app for both this segment and the return trip from Lauterbrunnen to Mürren. Contrary to what we were told, cable car bike transport is not included in Intersport’s rentals, and cost ~5 CHF each way, plus some hassle. Intersport Mürren also lacked online clarity for bike info and was unresponsive to our email inquiry nearly a week in advance to reserve bikes; they ended up being out of e-bikes when we tried to reserve them onsite. Though they carry both e-bikes and mountain bikes, this was difficult to confirm through their website, reviews, or direct contact. In contrast, Imboden in Lauterbrunnen has clearer info, better reviews, and rentals for phone mounts and locks. If we did it again, we’d reserve e-bikes with Imboden and spend most of the day cruising the valley floor; this was our original preferred plan, but we ended up biking out of Mürren due to weather itinerary adjustments.

🌸 Northface Trail

The Northface Trail from Allmendhubel is a scenic 4-mile loop that meanders through alpine pastures, wildflower meadows, and shady forest paths, all set against constant views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. Along the way, you’ll pass traditional wooden chalets, hear the echo of cowbells across the valley, and enjoy postcard-perfect overlooks of Mürren and the Lauterbrunnen Valley far below. Though rated easy to moderate, the trail delivers some of the most rewarding mountain vistas in the region with minimal effort—making it a must-do for anyone visiting Mürren.

Hiking Stats

Time: 1:34 moving, 2:51 elapsed for photo, drone and snack stops
Distance: 4.7 miles (7.5 km)
Max Elevation: 6,426 ft (at 1.9 miles)
Cumulative Ascent: 462 ft
Cumulative Descent: 1,319 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Directions: Ride the Allmendhubelbahn up, hike counterclockwise for gentler grades and better sightlines, and return directly to Mürren.
Additional Resources: Garmin Data, AllTrails