Staubbach Falls
Surrounded by towering rock faces and snow capped mountain peaks, Lauterbrunnen has one of the most dramatic settings in the Bernese Oberland. Free falling Staubbach Waterfall rushes down nearly 300 meters off the face of the cliff to the valley below. It seems to disappear behind a group of chalets on main street leaving a trail of wet spray. Staubbach is only one of 72 other waterfalls in Lauterbrunnen. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe traveled to Lauterbrunnen in 1779 and was impressed by what he saw, enough to write a poem ¨Spirit Song over the Waters¨. Here´s an excerpt from the poem:
“Down from the lofty
Rocky wall
Streams the bright flood,
Then spreadeth gently
In cloudy billows
O'er the smooth rock...”
Lauterbrunnen Valley
To get a good view of the valley, take the train to Wengen, an alpine village above Lauterbrunnen with an elevation of 1,274 meters (4,180 ft.).
Some visitors to Lauterbrunnen have expressed their disappointment with the low volume of water flowing down the rock face. I did notice that in late afternoon, the Staubbach was reduced to a trickle. But even in November before snowfall, I was fortunate to see the falls gushing down the cliffside early in the day. If the main purpose of your visit is to see Staubbach Falls at its peak, it´s best to schedule your visit in the spring when snow melts and the waterfall will be at optimum flow. Check Swiss Tourism bureau for more information about Lauterbrunnen. https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/home.html
All that water flowing down from the mountains leave a picturesque green valley.
Blue sky, nothing but blue sky. I was so lucky that good weather followed me throughout my trip in the Bernese Oberland region.
How to get there:
Take the train from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen. Staubbach Falls is a 5-minute walk from the train station. The roundtrip ticket I purchased for 28 Swiss francs included a train ride to Wengen where I took the picture of the valley. *****
Images by TravelswithCharie