Männlichen-Kleine Scheidegg | Kleine Scheidegg-Wengen
Mürren-Rotstockhütte | Mürren (Allmendhubel)-Grütschalp
Lauterbrunnen-Wilderswil | First-Bachalpsee
First-Schynige Platte | Schynige Platte Panorama Trail
Mountain Weather
Walking Guide Books
Maps

ny number of fine rambles start in Mürren, Gimmelwald, Stechelberg and Grindelwald in the heart of the mountainous interior of the Swiss Berner Oberland. Whichever of the mountain villages you choose as a home base, you can get to any of these walks in under 60 minutes. (Add 30 minutes from Interlaken.) There are many excellent books about walking in the Swiss Alps, among them several favorites of ours.

Finding Your Way

rails are commonly well-marked. No map is ordinarily required, though one is useful in planning. We find one in the pack reassuring while walking. While signage is usually good, once in a while we find a need to orient ourselves or resolve what seems an ambiguous marking. A cheap compass may be useful as well.

Most of the signage looks like that to the right. Without the single red line the trail would be more sidewalk than trail. With two red lines a "mountain trail" ... not requiring technical skill, necessarily, but typically requiring more care than a forest path.

Times are shown in hours (Stunden in German, Std.) and minutes (Minuten, Min.). These durations are almost always a bit shorter than we take, and are probably set for moderately-well-conditioned, experienced walkers. No allowance included for rest stops, sightseeing, wandering children or out-of-condition office-working Americans!

Kümmerly & Frey publishes a range of maps at 1:50,000 and 1:60,000 scale, available in Switzerland. These are commercial versions of the official Swiss agency maps and quite reliable.

The Verkehrsverein Lauterbrunnen - Mürren - Wengen puts out a good hiking map for the region in 1:33,333 scale, with brief descriptions of 44 walks in German, French and English.

The Swiss 'Geological Survey' publishes 1:25,000 maps for the entire country; maps 1228, 1229, 1248 and 1249 cover the Jungfrau region. This series is the best to have as a basic detailed reference ... available only in Switzerland so far as we know.

You can order official 1:50,000 series topos from Adventurous Traveler Bookstore.  Map 5004 (AT #G7845) is the one you want for the Berner Oberland/Jungfrau Region.

Mountain Weather

No matter how warm and dry when starting out in the mountains, take at least jacket and sweater in the event of sudden, unexpected and dramatic weather changes. Thunderstorms, with rain or snow, are not unusual at any time at higher altitude. Do remember that even on a warm sunny day the mountaintops will be 25-40 °F (15-20 °C) cooler than the valley, before taking into account the effect of wind and clouds. More info on the effect of altitude in Mountain Weather.

Favorite Rambles

ännlichen (2239 Meters/7346 Feet) to Kleine Scheidegg (2061 Meters/6762 Feet.) The classic Alpine stroll. 1 hour 20 minutes (less for most). Gentle downhill. Easy, almost wheelchair-accessible. Great scenery for the entire trip, and a sense of being on top of the world.

leine Scheidegg (2061 Meters/6762 Feet) to Wengen (1275 Meters/4183 Feet.) A half-mile vertical descent packed into 6-1/2 kilometers (less than 4 miles.) Part of the stroll is next to the Jungfrau, the balance overlooking Wengen and the Lauterbrunnen Valley. 1 hour 45 minutes. Relatively easy, though you may discover parts of your legs you didn't know existed. The Swiss, and conditioned walkers, walk it uphill in 2 hours 45 minutes with far less discomfort to the muscles.

ürren (1639 Meters/5377 Feet) to Rotstockhütte (2039 Meters/6690 Feet.) About 4 hours roundtrip, moderate. An easy 45 minute walk to Spielbodenalp (visit the Sprutz Waterfall on the way), and a stop for refreshments. The climb up nearby Bryndli (or Brünli) is steep and tiring, but offers a rewarding view at the end. (Be careful descending.) From Bryndli it's another 20 minutes or so to the hut where you can enjoy a picnic or lunch, followed by homemade pastry. Return the way you came, or choose an alternate route.

ürren (Allmendhubel (1900 Meters/6225 Feet)) to Grütschalp (1481 Meters/4859 Feet). 1 hour 45 minutes. An excellent scenic stroll at and above the tree line. You never lose sight of the Jungfrau and companions. Level and easy, except for a fairly steep descent at the end.

auterbrunnen (797 Meters/2615 Feet) to Wilderswil (584 Meters/1916 Feet.) 2 hours 15 minutes. Easy. For most of the trip you'll be alongside the rushing waters of the Lütschine River. It's a gentle downhill path. You'll pass next to a restored iron smelter built in the late 17th Century. If you find yourself tiring, you can end the trip at Zweilütschinen after 50 minutes.

auterbrunnen to Stechelberg. This is a 4-5 km walk on fairly level ground. We describe it in One Day in the Swiss Mountains.

irst (2171 Meters/7122 Feet) to Bachalpsee (2265 Meters/7431 Feet.) 95 minutes roundtrip. Fairly easy. The starting climb from First up the initial hill is moderately steep if you're not in condition and makes up most of the 100 meter altitude gain. The balance is mostly downhill. Bachalpsee is a delightful reflecting pool amidst an Alpine pasture. Wonderful views. Plan a picnic. (Photo courtesy of, and copyright © by, Karen Walker, 1996.)

You can vary this trip in two ways. Continue on from Bachalpsee to the Faulthorn, the first part of the walk described below. You can return the same way you came, or descend via Bussalp. You can also reach Bussalp from the Bachalpsee. At Bussalp you can catch a bus to Grindelwald (infrequent, but all-day service) or walk the rest of the way.

irst (2171 Meters/7122 Feet) to Schynige Platte (1987 Meters/6519 Feet) via Bachalpsee and the Faulhorn (2680 Meters/8793 Feet). This is one of the most scenic mountain walks in Europe, if not the best. 5-6 hours. (Watch your timing - you want to be sure you catch the last train down from Schynige Platte, unless you'd like to add over 3 hours to your trip.) Moderately strenuous.

Most often routed in reverse, this (we think) is the slightly easier direction. From Bachalpsee to the Faulhorn is 1 hour 15 minutes, all uphill (1/4 mile uphill in a relatively short horizontal distance,) with easy rock scrambles. The Faulhorn views are the best in the Swiss Alps. Faulhorn to Schynige Platte is downhill, mostly gentle. There is, however, a sheer descent (with rock 'steps') an hour beyond the Faulhorn at Männdlenen, leading to a tiny, welcome, 'restaurant' where you can take light refreshment and relief. From there it's two hours of scenic and mostly easy walking to Schynige Platte. The last 700 meters is not steep but sharply uphill, just when you're most tired!

chynige Platte (1987 Meters/6519 Feet) Panorama Trail. In under 2-1/2 hours you can make an easy tour of several fine viewpoints including the Oberberghorn and Tuba. There are two steep, though short - 100 meters or less gain - ascents. Wear good footwear since there is a stretch with a steep dropoff at trailside.

Books

here are several good to excellent books about hiking in the area or the country; some can be ordered online through our relationship with Amazon.com (more information about ordering online):

Jungfrau Region - Hiking Guide Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Wengen (title #3081) published by Kümmerly & Frye in Bern (ISBN 3-259-03081-6) - the most authoritative and comprehensive guide (in English) to hiking in the area. Unfortunately not available in the US, but K & F may supply to a phone request. Look for it in Swiss bookstores. Usually available in German, you can often find the English edition in stores in tourist areas.

The Bernese Alps - Switzerland - A Walking Guide Reynolds - Cicerone Press (ISBN 1-85284-074-9) - The most extensive collection of walks. The best book available in the US. Poor maps but adequate trail directions. Companion books for the Valais and other regions. Available from the Adventurous Traveler Bookstore.

Walking Switzerland-The Swiss Way- : From Vacation Apartments, Hotels, Mountain Inns, and Huts - An excellent introductory guide for hiking Switzerland while staying at huts and hotels along the way.

Switzerland's Mountain Inns: A Walker's Complete Vacation Guide - Lieberman - Written by folks who know these mountains. Whether you're planning a serious hiking trip to Switzerland or are just a Switzerland- or mountain-fan with an itch for some armchair travel, you'll find this an enjoyable and informative book.

Walking in Switzerland - Lindenmayer - Lonely Planet - Comprehensive coverage of walks throughout Switzerland. While quite useful, the author and we do not always see eye-to-eye on the selection of better walks in areas we know well.

If you'll also be visiting Zermatt, you'll enjoy Dick Hess' walking article.

The Schweizer Alpen Club (SAC) maintains a website with information on membership, mountain huts and more. Unfortunately much is in German only.

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