Berner Oberland Hiking Recommendations

• How to get to the Berner Oberland, Switzerland (see map): From Zurich's downtown train station, ride 4 hours to Interlaken. From Interlaken, board a train to scenic Grindelwald Valley or spectacular Lauterbrunnen Valley.
• Recommended resources:
  
• 100 Hikes in the Alps, 2nd Edition, published by The Mountaineers 1992-2002 -- several hikes below are from this book.
• Good descriptions of most Berner Oberland hikes, at an external link:  www.myswissalps.com/berneseoberland/berneseoberland-hiking.asp?lang=EN
  
• Tom's recommended hikes:
• Take the cable car from Wengen to Mannlichen, then hike the short round trip on a paved path up to Mannlichen Gipfel. My best selling image (81ALP-04-15-Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau) was photographed from Mannlichen Gipfel. The best views may be before 1:30PM to avoid afternoon cloud buildup. Then walk a couple of leisurely hours on the path to Kleine Scheidegg train station, with incredible world class views in front of you at every turn! How to get there: A special cog train runs from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald and back.
• Lauterbrunnen Valley:
  
• Wander around Lauterbrunnen town and valley for amazing views, including 1000-foot-high Staubbach Falls.
• Hike from Murren (or Gimmelwald) up towards Birg and the Schilthorn as we did, and take the cable car back down for a very scenic day (or lift up and walk down). Or, walk Mürren to Griesalp one way 10 miles, 3000-4000 feet gain, then take the Kiental bus out. Or if you have more energy, stay overnight in Grisalp and continue walking from Griesalp to Kandersteg.
• On a rainy day, visit "Trummelbach Falls inside the mountain" (a fee is charged for entry), while you wait for the mountains to clear. I haven't been there yet, but pictures of this underground slot canyon look impressive.
• Based in Grindelwald, hike the Faulhorn Trail from Schynige Platte to First. Walk about 6.5 hours, 9 miles, ~2700 feet elevation gain, but only on a clear day so you can see the incredible mountain views. (You can also reverse direction for less uphill, 2300 feet total, but you must arrive at Schynige Platte by 17:00 or 18:00 to catch the train.) Take Wilderswil cog rail 1 hour to Schynige Platte (2068m). Hike by fantastic rock shapes in deep valley. Hike east side of Bachalpsee. 15 minute ascent of Faulhorn as a side trip. At First (2168 meters elevation), lift down to Grindelwald; or from Mittelläger take ~hourly Post bus. Around First, early morning sun with haze obscures mountain details, which favors reaching First at the end of your hike in the afternoon. “One of finest hikes in Switzerland”. “Atop Faulhorn is the atmospheric Berghaus (033/853 27 13, fax 853 10 25; Fr.34); stunning sunset & sunrise views one of the high points of walking Switzerland.”- switzerland.isyours.com  (Weather prevented us from hiking this, but we will return for another try.) See hike #39 in the book, 100 Hikes in the Alps by The Mountaineers, 1992-2002.
• Hikes near Lötschental (or Loetschental), located in the next valley south of the Berner Oberland:
  
• If you like a scenic mountain valley that is not so well known by international tourists, visit Loetschental, located in the Valais Canton. We stayed in attractive Blatten, where we admired the restored wood chalets and enjoyed a 3-mile walk one way up the valley to Kuhmad Chapel (built 1758), past historic wood hayloft buildings. We caught the bus back at Fafleralp.
  
• For the best views of the valley and the sharp ridge of the Bietschorn, from Fafleralp, hike to Krindellücke, 5 miles round trip, 2.5 hours, 1542 feet gain. (See Hike #30 in 100 Hikes in the Alps.)
• Hikes near Kandersteg (which is reached by train or road from Brig to the south or Spiez to the north):
• Oeschinensee is a very popular alpine lake walled with high cliffs; see hike #36 in the book, 100 Hikes in the Alps. Start hiking in Kandersteg, 6 miles round trip (4 hours), 1400 feet gain (or only 30 minutes round trip hiking from top of chairlift). Late afternoon photo light is best for the famous “calendar shot”; try for a windless day for best lake reflections. (I haven't hiked here yet.) From the lake, optionally walk further, such as 1 or 2 nights one way to Lauterbrunnen, staying in mountain lodging.
  
• Near Kandersteg, take the cable car from Fiesch to Eggishorn (2893 meters elevation at top of lift), to see a spectacular view of the Grosser Aletsch Glacier (Großer Aletschgletscher), which flows from Jungfrau. From this great viewpoint at Eggishorn, if no ice or snow affects your safety, you can start a hike to Riederalp (9 miles one way, with 700 feet gain), optionally via Donnerstafel, Bettmersee, and Blausee, and crossing over the ridgeline for the best long-distance views. Then walk towards Rieder Furka and the cable car at Riederalp. (Option: After admiring the Eggishorn view, you can take the cable car back to the middle terminal to shorten the hike and avoid slippery snow if present.) After finishing the walk at Riederalp,take the cable car down to Morel, where you can take the train back to Fiesch or down the valley to Brig. (Hike #34 in 100 Hikes in the Alps.)
  

Above: Hiking Wasenegg Ridge. Left to right are Eiger (the Ogre, 13,026 feet), Mönch (the Monk), and Jungfrau (the Virgin, 13,600 feet), Switzerland.
Below: Carol hikes Wasenegg Ridge, in view of Eiger (the Ogre, 13,026 feet), Mönch (the Monk), and Jungfrau (the Virgin, 13,600 feet).

Below right: Staubbach Falls, lit at night, descends 1000 feet to the village of Lauterbrunnen, in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Seen from our balcony in the Staubbach Hotel.

Grindelwald Valley