Duration: Approximately 5 to 6 hours of narrated hiking Distance: 15.2 km (one way to Faulhorn; 16.8 km if continuing to First) Elevation Gain: 1,060 m ascent / 480 m descent (to Faulhorn) Starting Elevation: 1,967 m (Schynige Platte station) Ending Elevation: 2,681 m (Faulhorn summit) or 2,168 m (First gondola) Difficulty: T2-T3 (moderate to demanding mountain hiking) Trail Number: SAW 38 Best Season: Late June to October GPS Start: 46.6545N, 7.9070E (Schynige Platte) GPS Faulhorn: 46.6558N, 7.9923E GPS Bachalpsee: 46.6710N, 8.0152E GPS First: 46.6600N, 8.0555E
Introduction
Welcome to one of the great ridge walks of the Bernese Oberland: the trail from Schynige Platte to Faulhorn, and optionally onward to First above Grindelwald. This is a full day's mountain hike, covering 15.2 kilometres to the Faulhorn summit with over 1,000 metres of cumulative ascent. If you continue to First, add another 1.6 kilometres and a further descent.
This trail is consistently ranked among the top day hikes in Switzerland, and for good reason. It follows a high-altitude ridge that offers an almost uninterrupted panorama of the Bernese Alps: the Eiger, Moensch, and Jungfrau dominate the southern horizon, while Lakes Thun and Brienz shimmer far below to the north. On clear days, the view extends from the Jura Mountains to the distant peaks of the Valais.
You have arrived at Schynige Platte by the historic cog railway from Wilderswil. This railway, opened in 1893, is one of the grand mountain railways of the Belle Epoque era, still running its original wooden carriages on a metre-gauge rack-and-pinion track. The journey up, climbing 1,400 metres in less than an hour, is a fine introduction to the scenery ahead.
Some essential advice before we begin. This is a long hike at altitude, and you should be fit and well-equipped. Carry at least two litres of water, as there are limited refill opportunities. Pack rain gear, warm layers, sun protection, and food for the day. The trail is well-marked but includes some exposed ridges where weather can change rapidly. If thunderstorms are forecast, do not attempt this hike. Check conditions at the Schynige Platte restaurant before departing.
The trail is marked with white-red-white blazes throughout. Follow signs for "Faulhorn" and "First."
Waypoint 1: Schynige Platte Alpine Garden (1,967 m)
GPS: 46.6545N, 7.9070E
Before setting off on the trail proper, consider a brief visit to the Alpine Garden here at Schynige Platte. Established in 1929, this botanical garden displays over 600 species of alpine plants from all regions of Switzerland, arranged in naturalistic settings that mimic their native habitats.
The garden is a living encyclopaedia of Swiss alpine flora. Here you can learn to identify the plants you will encounter throughout the day's hike: gentians, saxifrages, primroses, orchids, and dozens more. The displays include plants from different elevations and soil types, from the limestone-loving edelweiss to the acid-soil-preferring alpenrose.
The garden is open whenever the railway is running, and a visit takes about thirty to forty-five minutes. Even a quick walk through will sharpen your eye for the wildflowers along the trail ahead.
Now look south from the terrace. The trinity of the Eiger, Moensch, and Jungfrau is laid out before you in all its glory. The Jungfrau, at 4,158 metres, is the westernmost and highest of the three. The Moensch, at 4,107 metres, stands in the centre. And the Eiger, at 3,967 metres, anchors the eastern end. Together they form one of the most recognisable mountain panoramas in the world.
Begin the hike by following the broad path that heads northeast from the restaurant, passing the Alpine Garden on your right.
Next waypoint: 1.2 km, approximately 20 minutes.
Waypoint 2: The Oberberghorn Saddle (2,100 m)
GPS: 46.6555N, 7.9150E
The trail climbs steadily to a saddle below the Oberberghorn. From here, the character of the hike reveals itself: you are on a ridge, with the world falling away on both sides.
To your left, to the north, the land drops steeply to the shores of Lake Brienz, 1,400 metres below. The lake's distinctive turquoise colour comes from glacial meltwater carried by the Luetschine and Aare rivers. At 14 kilometres long and 260 metres deep, Brienz is one of the cleanest and coldest lakes in Switzerland.
To your right, the terrain descends into the Grindelwald valley, backed by the permanent snows and ice of the Jungfrau massif. On a clear day, you can see the dark speck of the Jungfraujoch observatory, at 3,571 metres, Europe's highest railway station.
The geology of this ridge is a story of two very different rock types meeting. The northern slopes are composed primarily of flysch, a soft, fine-grained sedimentary rock that weathers into smooth, rounded forms and fertile soil. The southern slopes and higher peaks are built of harder Jurassic and Cretaceous limestone, which weathers into the dramatic cliffs and pinnacles that define the Bernese Alps skyline. This geological boundary runs roughly along the ridge you are walking, and you can see the contrast in the landscape on either side.
Next waypoint: 1.5 km, approximately 30 minutes.
Waypoint 3: Loucherhorn Traverse (2,230 m)
GPS: 46.6560N, 7.9285E
The trail traverses the flanks of the Loucherhorn at 2,230 metres. This section involves some undulating terrain, with moderate climbs and descents as the path weaves along the ridge.
The meadows here are a textbook example of alpine grassland at its finest. In July, the diversity is astonishing: you can find thirty or more species of wildflower within a single square metre. This extraordinary biodiversity is maintained by centuries of traditional grazing management. Without some grazing, the meadows would be colonised by shrubs and eventually trees. But too much grazing destroys the delicate wildflowers and leads to erosion. The balance, maintained by generations of Swiss alpine farmers, creates one of the richest habitats in Europe.
Among the most conspicuous flowers, look for the cobalt-blue spring gentian, Gentiana verna, which flowers in June. Later in the season, you will see the tall yellow spikes of great yellow gentian, Gentiana lutea, the species used to flavour gentian schnapps. The roots of this plant grow for many years before the first flowering, and individual plants may live for sixty years or more.
If you hear a melodic, warbling song coming from the rocks, it is likely the Alpine accentor, a bird about the size of a sparrow that lives year-round above the treeline. Unlike most alpine birds, which descend to lower elevations in winter, the accentor stays high, sheltering in rock crevices and feeding on seeds and invertebrates.
Next waypoint: 1.3 km, approximately 25 minutes.
Waypoint 4: The Weber Huette Area (2,180 m)
GPS: 46.6565N, 7.9400E
You are now roughly a third of the way to Faulhorn, and this gentle depression in the ridge makes a good rest stop. There is often a small stream here in early summer, though it may dry up by August.
Look around at the landscape and notice the marks of the Ice Age. Roughly 20,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum, this entire area was buried under hundreds of metres of ice. The Aare Glacier, one of the great ice streams of the Alpine glaciation, filled the valleys below and overtopped many of the lower ridges. Only the highest peaks, the nunataks, protruded above the ice sheet.
The evidence is everywhere. The rounded, smooth profiles of the hills to the north are the work of glacial grinding. The scattered boulders, erratics, deposited on the ridge are rocks transported from distant locations by the moving ice. And the U-shaped valleys visible on both sides of the ridge, Grindelwald to the south and the Brienz valley to the north, are classic glacial troughs, carved by ice that was sometimes over a kilometre thick.
The retreat of the glaciers, which began about 18,000 years ago and proceeded in fits and starts, left the landscape you see today. Plants recolonised the bare rock and gravel, soils slowly developed, and eventually the forests and meadows that now cover the lower slopes established themselves. The entire process of ecological succession, from bare glacial debris to mature forest, can take thousands of years.
Next waypoint: 1.5 km, approximately 30 minutes.
Waypoint 5: Egg Ridge Point (2,290 m)
GPS: 46.6558N, 7.9530E
The trail reaches a prominent high point on the ridge, and the views here are among the finest on the entire hike. On an exceptionally clear day, you can see the Saentis in northeastern Switzerland, over 100 kilometres away.
This is an excellent spot to survey the Jungfrau region. Directly south, the Jungfrau massif is now seen from a slightly different angle than at Schynige Platte, revealing the dramatic icefalls of the Giessen Glacier on the Jungfrau's north face. To the southeast, the dark pyramid of the Eiger North Face is visible in profile.
Between you and the high peaks, the Grindelwald valley floor lies at about 1,000 metres elevation. The village of Grindelwald is visible as a cluster of buildings and the distinctive tower of its church. Grindelwald has been a tourist destination since the late eighteenth century, when early travellers came to marvel at the glaciers that then descended almost to the village. Lord Byron, Felix Mendelssohn, and countless other artists and writers visited, drawn by the sublime landscape.
The wind can be fierce on this exposed ridge. If it is blowing, you will notice it funnelling through the saddle. This is a venturi effect: as air is compressed through the narrow gap between peaks, its speed increases. The same principle explains why mountain passes and ridges are consistently windier than sheltered valleys.
Next waypoint: 1.2 km, approximately 25 minutes.
Waypoint 6: The Sagistalsee Viewpoint (2,310 m)
GPS: 46.6558N, 7.9630E
Below you to the north, if you look carefully, you can spot the small, dark oval of the Sagistalsee, a lake nestled in the folds of the northern slopes. This is one of many small tarns, lakes formed in depressions left by retreating glaciers, that dot the landscape of the Bernese Alps.
These small mountain lakes are important ecological habitats despite their modest size. Many harbour populations of alpine newts and common frogs, and their shores provide breeding habitat for pipit and wagtail species. The lakes also serve as water sources for the alpine wildlife, including chamois, ibex, and marmots.
Speaking of chamois, this ridge is excellent territory for sighting these agile mountain goats. Chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra, are native to the Alps and move with astonishing grace on steep, rocky terrain. They can leap several metres between ledges and run at speeds of over 50 kilometres per hour across broken ground. Their hooves have hard outer edges and a soft, flexible centre that acts like a suction cup on smooth rock.
In winter, chamois descend to the forests to escape deep snow, but in summer they range freely across the alpine zone. A population of several hundred lives in the mountains around Grindelwald and the Faulhorn, and sightings on this trail are common, especially in the early morning and late afternoon when they are most active.
Next waypoint: 1.5 km, approximately 30 minutes.
Waypoint 7: The Final Ascent Begins (2,400 m)
GPS: 46.6558N, 7.9750E
The trail now begins the sustained climb to the Faulhorn summit. From here, you gain roughly 280 metres over the next 1.7 kilometres. The grade steepens, and the terrain becomes rockier.
As you climb, you leave the meadows behind and enter a landscape of bare rock, scree, and the hardiest of alpine plants. The cushion-forming plants are dominant here: Androsace alpina, Silene acaulis, and the glacier crowfoot, Ranunculus glacialis, which holds the altitude record for flowering plants in the Alps, having been found above 4,200 metres.
These plants have evolved remarkable strategies for survival. Silene acaulis, the moss campion, grows in dense cushions just a few centimetres high. The cushion form traps warm air and provides a microclimate that can be 10 to 15 degrees warmer than the surrounding air temperature. A single cushion may be decades old, growing outward at just a few millimetres per year.
The rocks you are walking over are increasingly limestone, and the terrain has a karst character: small fissures, dissolved hollows, and occasional sinkholes where rainwater has slowly dissolved the soluble rock over millennia. This karst landscape acts as a sponge, absorbing rainfall and releasing it slowly through springs lower down.
Next waypoint: 800 m, approximately 20 minutes.
Waypoint 8: The Faulhorn Hotel Approach (2,600 m)
GPS: 46.6558N, 7.9870E
You can now see the Faulhorn summit ahead, and on it, one of the most remarkable buildings in the Swiss Alps: the Berghotel Faulhorn, the oldest mountain inn in Europe.
The hotel was built in 1830, making it nearly 200 years old. It sits at 2,681 metres and has provided shelter and refreshment to hikers and mountaineers for almost two centuries. In the early days of alpine tourism, it was one of the key stops for visitors doing the "Grand Tour" of the Bernese Oberland. The building has been renovated and improved over the decades, but it retains its historic character, with simple dormitory beds, a cosy dining room, and limited but cherished amenities.
Everything at the Faulhorn Hotel must be brought up on foot or by helicopter. There is no road, no cable car, and no running water in the conventional sense. The staff collect rainwater and snowmelt, and supplies are helicoptered in periodically. Staying overnight here, watching the sunset paint the Jungfrau pink and gold and then seeing the stars from 2,681 metres in the absence of any light pollution, is an experience that has enchanted visitors since the nineteenth century.
The final climb to the summit is steep but short. Follow the path as it zigzags up the last rocky slope.
Next waypoint: 400 m, approximately 15 minutes.
Waypoint 9: Faulhorn Summit (2,681 m)
GPS: 46.6558N, 7.9923E
You are standing on the summit of the Faulhorn, 2,681 metres above sea level. This is the highest point of the hike, and on a clear day, the panorama is one of the most spectacular in all of Switzerland.
Turn slowly in a full circle. To the south, the full parade of Bernese four-thousanders is displayed: from the Blueemlisalp in the west through the Jungfrau, Moensch, and Eiger to the Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn in the east. These peaks hold some of the largest glaciers in the Alps, and on a quiet day you may hear the distant rumble of ice calving from their faces.
To the north, Lakes Thun and Brienz are laid out like a map. Between them, the town of Interlaken is visible, its name literally meaning "between the lakes." Beyond the lakes, the rolling hills of the Emmental and the long, flat ridge of the Jura Mountains mark the horizon. On exceptional days, the Black Forest in Germany is visible some 150 kilometres to the north.
To the east, the peaks above Grindelwald and the Grosse Scheidegg pass stretch toward the Sustenhorn and the mountains of central Switzerland. To the west, the view extends along the chain of the Bernese Alps toward the Wildstrubel and the distant Valais peaks.
The Faulhorn has been a celebrated viewpoint since the dawn of Alpine tourism. The first recorded ascent for the purpose of enjoying the view was in 1812. By the 1820s, it was one of the most popular destinations in Switzerland, and the construction of the hotel in 1830 cemented its status.
If you are ending your hike here, the hotel serves meals and drinks. If you are continuing to First and Grindelwald, rest well before the next section.
Next waypoint (to Bachalpsee): 2.0 km, approximately 35 minutes.
Waypoint 10: Descent to Bachalpsee (2,265 m)
GPS: 46.6710N, 8.0152E
The descent from the Faulhorn to Bachalpsee is one of the great stretches of Swiss hiking. The path drops 400 metres over two kilometres, first through rocky terrain and then through increasingly lush alpine meadows, with the twin lakes of Bachalpsee growing larger with every step.
Bachalpsee is one of the most photographed lakes in Switzerland. At 2,265 metres, it consists of two connected pools set in an open meadow with the Schreckhorn and Wetterhorn reflected in their still, clear water. The image of these snow-capped peaks mirrored in the dark surface of Bachalpsee has graced countless postcards, calendars, and travel brochures.
The best reflections occur in the early morning, when the air is still and the water is glass-smooth. By midday, thermals often create breezes that ripple the surface. If you are arriving in the afternoon, you may still see reflections, but they will be softer and more impressionistic.
The meadows around Bachalpsee are a final showcase of alpine wildflowers. The gentians are particularly fine here, and in autumn, the surrounding larch trees turn gold, creating a scene of extraordinary warmth and beauty.
Next waypoint (to First): 1.6 km, approximately 25 minutes.
Waypoint 11: Arrival at First (2,168 m)
GPS: 46.6600N, 8.0555E
If you have continued from Bachalpsee, you arrive at the First gondola station above Grindelwald. From here, the gondola descends to Grindelwald in about 25 minutes.
Closing
You have completed one of the great walks of the Bernese Oberland. From Schynige Platte to First, you have covered nearly 17 kilometres, climbed over 1,000 metres, and traversed a ridge that has thrilled hikers for two centuries.
The panorama you have enjoyed, the Eiger, Moensch, and Jungfrau set against the turquoise waters of Lakes Thun and Brienz, is a view that has shaped the world's image of Switzerland and the Alps. It inspired the Romantic poets and painters of the early nineteenth century, drew the first wave of Alpine tourists, and continues to move visitors from every corner of the globe.
For your descent, the First gondola runs until late afternoon. From Grindelwald, trains connect to Interlaken and the wider Swiss rail network.
Thank you for hiking with ch.tours. May the views from the Faulhorn stay with you long after the mountain haze has cleared. Safe travels.