Berner Oberland · SwitzerlandBärentrek
Six passes, four valleys, one glacier hut
About This Trip
The name says it without saying much: the Bärentrek, the bear trek, named for a time when the passes over the Bernese Alps were walked only by wild animals. The bears are gone, the path stayed. Six stages of it now form the most famous week of the Via Alpina, Switzerland's national walking route 1, and the reason is easy to list: the Grosse Scheidegg under the icefalls of the Wetterhorn, a full morning beneath the Eiger north face, the crossing of the Sefinenfurgge into the roadless Kiental, and the Hohtürli, at 2,778 metres the highest pass of the entire Via Alpina, where the trail skirts the Blüemlisalp glacier and drops to the turquoise bowl of the Oeschinensee.
This is a real alpine week, not a themed hike. The route climbs close to 7,900 metres in six days, and two crossings are properly exposed: the Sefinenfurgge descent runs down fixed ropes and long wooden ladders through black slate, and the climb to the Hohtürli gains some 1,400 metres from the Griesalp, part of it on steps bolted into the rock below the hut. Locals call it the Königsetappe, the queen stage, and they are right. What you get in return is the strongest mountain scenery in Switzerland strung together in a single week: Jungfrau, Mönch and Eiger, the Blüemlisalp, the Wildstrubel, and two UNESCO-protected valleys, Lauterbrunnen and the Kiental.
Practical
Season. Late June to the end of September. Snow lingers on the Sefinenfurgge well into July in some years; the regional bus to the Griesalp runs only in summer.
Accommodation. Every stage ends in a village with hotels, guesthouses and campgrounds; the exceptions are the huts. The Rotstockhütte, the Blüemlisalphütte and the Griesalp hotels all need booking well ahead for August. A popular upgrade is a night at the Blüemlisalphütte, splitting the queen stage in two.
Shortening. Regional buses serve the Grosse Scheidegg road, Lauterbrunnen–Mürren has a cable car, the Oeschinensee and Sunnbüel have gondolas, and Adelboden–Lenk can be shortened with the Hahnenmoos chairlift. Almost every stage can be trimmed without losing its highlights.
Navigation. The route is signed throughout with the green Via Alpina route 1 marker. The sixth stage onward continues as the Via Alpina towards Gstaad and Montreux; the Bärentrek proper ends in Lenk.
Stages
Planning a multi-day hike often takes more time than expected. Which route matches your experience level? Where will you stay overnight? Are the accommodations available? We have done the preparation for you. With carefully curated routes, accommodations and highlights, you can easily plan your next adventure.
Meiringen - Grindelwald
The week opens with its most literary climb. Past the Reichenbach Falls, where Sherlock Holmes fell, and the gorge of the Rosenlaui, the route follows the car-free road to the Grosse Scheidegg. From the pass the icefalls of the Wetterhorn hang directly overhead; the descent to Grindelwald runs under them all the way down.
Grindelwald - Lauterbrunnen
A full morning under the most photographed wall in the Alps. The trail climbs through Grindelwald Grund and past the Alpiglen inn straight beneath the Eiger north face to the Kleine Scheidegg, with Mönch and Jungfrau beside it. Then over the Wengernalp, past Wengen and down into the valley of the seventy-two waterfalls.
Lauterbrunnen - Griesalp
The hardest climb of the week: 800 metres up the valley wall to Mürren, on over the Rotstockhütte and across the Sefinenfurgge, 2,612 metres, down ladders and fixed ropes through black slate. The Kiental below feels like another country; the Sprutz waterfall lets you walk behind the water.
Griesalp - Kandersteg
The queen stage. Over the Bundalp and up the old mule track to the Hohtürli, 2,778 metres, the highest pass of the whole Via Alpina, with wooden steps bolted into the rock and the Blüemlisalphütte at the glacier's edge. The descent passes the Oberbärgli and drops to the deep blue Oeschinensee before Kandersteg.
Kandersteg - Adelboden
A quieter day into the Üschen valley, then the steep stepped path up to the Bunderchrinde, 2,382 metres, a sharp notch between the Gross and Chlyne Lohner with a view back to yesterday's Hohtürli. The descent through the Bunderalp pastures brings the first sight of the Engstligental and Adelboden.
Adelboden - Lenk
The mildest day, saved for last. Over the Geilsbüel and the Hahnenmoospass, 1,957 metres, under the Wildstrubel, then down along the Simme into Lenk. There is time for the Simme Falls on the way in, and from Lenk the trains run home via Zweisimmen and Spiez.
FAQ
Below you'll find answers to some frequently asked questions.
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