Grindelwald Hikes G1: Grindelwald to First to Bachalpsee and Back

Grindelwald Hikes G1: Grindelwald to First to Bachalpsee and back From the Grindelwald train station, walk into town. A few hundred yards on the left, the sidewalk leaves the roadside to detour around a building. In the basement of that building is the Coop store where you can get snacks for your hike. Walk another 10-15 min further and on your left you will see the cable cars going up and down the slope. Get a round trip ticket to First. The cable car ride is 30 min each way. From First, follow the signs for a 50 min walk each way to Bachalpsee. Most of the time you will find friendly cows around Bachalpsee Walking back to First. If you have good eyes you can make out the bridge/cliff walk at First, near the middle of the picture where the grass ends on the ridge and the cliff begins. (A little horizontal white line.) G2: Grindelwald to First to Grosse Scheidegg Get up to First as described in Trail G1. Instead of going towards Bachalpsee, go the opposite direction, which is trail 6 on this map. Walk about 2 hrs to Grosse Scheidegg, where you can take a bus back to Grindelwald (about every 1/2 hr until 6 pm.) G3: Grindelwald to Pfingstegg to Berghaus Baregg If you look at the map on trail G2, you can see that the cable car station to Pfingstegg is further through town than the cable car station to First. If the Rodelbahn is open at Pfingstegg, it’s great fun for “kids” of all ages. Photos courtesy of Kathy VandenBerg. View from Pfingstegg, looking at the southern outskirts of Grindelwald. Trail to Baregg cuts across woods and mountainside on the left, and is about 75 min each way. There is a section where the trail cuts across a 45 degree slope, so if that bothers you, you can go up to that point and turn around, or just enjoy more rodelbahn rides at Pfingstegg. G4: Schynige Platte to First G4: This is a great hike but takes 6 hours, so plan ahead to reach the First cable car station before it closes at supper time. Take a train to Wilderswil, where you will change trains and take a cogwheel train up the mountain to Schynige Platte. That takes about 50 min, and I haven’t included that in the 6 hours walking time. I try to get to Wilderswil well before 10am. If some of your party doesn’t want to do the 6 hr hike, they can still take a circular path around Schynige Platte that still has great views and takes about 1.5 hrs. There is a large map on the train platform showing the paths. Upon exiting the train turn to your right. Use the restrooms, fill your water bottles, then continue on and you will enter the flower garden at the start of the trail. Photo courtesy of Amy Cornils. This section near the middle of the hike (a few hundred yards long) might bother some who can imagine themselves rolling downhill forever, so be forewarned. I just leaned to my right while walking it. A hiking stick might be nice at this point. Other than this, no other unsettling sections. Interestingly, Hotel Schynige Platte sponsors moonlight guided walks on this very trail. I haven’t yet reached that level of adventure. Halfway through the hike you will come upon this Berghaus where you can use the pit toilet and buy food and drinks, including buying water or soft drinks to put in your water bottle. Photo courtesy of Amy Cornils. Why it might take you longer to hike than you planned. Get an early start. Allow 6 hours or more. This peak is called the Faulhorn, and there is a hotel on top by that name. It is roughly 4 hours into the trail and once on the other side you can see Bachalpsee and eventually join the trail I called G1. Photo courtesy of Amy Cornils. The trail in the background is the First to Bachalpsee trail, that I called G1. Photo courtesy of Amy Cornils. Bachalpsee. .

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