First Cliff Walk, Lake Bashalpsee, Gross Scheidegg- help organizing day?

Are you planning on doing other paid activities at First?

No, we don't plan on doing any of the paid activities, but may change our mind if there is no line!

Good morning. Or perhaps I should say Grüezi!

There is no bus connecting Bort with Grosse Scheidegg; you would have to return to Grindelwald and take the bus up to GS from there. You can see a schematic map of the Postbus routes around Grindelwald here:

https://www.grindelwaldbus.ch/en/timetable?zoom=f6400e5f-633c-47b6-a042-20c85e75a38b

There is a nice hiking trail from First to Grosse Scheidegg that is described on these webpages. You could take the bus down to Grindelwald from there:

https://projecteasyhiker.com/2017/03/29/easy-hiking-in-switzerland-first-to-grosse-scheidigg/

https://jungfrauregion.swiss/en/summer/tracks/marmot-nature-trail-first-grosse-scheidegg-no-17/

So your options would be (1) First gondola up to First, hike to Bachalpsee,, return to First for the Cliff walk, then hike to Grosse Scheidegg on the Marmot Trail, or (2). Gondola to First, do the Cliff Walk, then hike to Bachalpsee. From there, continue on the Flower Trail to Waldspitz. You can either take the bus back to Grindelwald from there, or continue walking down to Bort and ride the gondola the rest of the way back to Grindelwald.

I can’t compare the two options for you, as I have only done the (1) option ( hike the Marmot trail to Grosse Scheidegg), not the Flower Trail. I have put that one on the list to do next time, when we are there with our grandchildren. From Grosse Scheidegg we actually hiked down to Grindelwald rather than riding the bus, but with your limited time I do not recommend that.

I understand your concern about crowds at Bachalpsee, but I have no idea how bad they are these days. The best way to handle that is to go as early as you can. The Cliff Walk will likely be crowded as well; maybe they limit how many people can access it at one time? That one is new since my last trip to Grindelwald.

I'm not sure what you imagine "terribly crowded" to be, but I don't think you'll find it to be a problem. I've been on that hike many times, and the number of folks at Bachalpsee has ranged from 6 to maybe 30. But even if I knew there would be 100 people there, that wouldn't dissuade me. There are loads of viewpoints around those 2 lakes and people spread out. Cows are more likely to get in your pictures than people are. Take a look at this website for typical views of the Bachalpsee lakes, hike G1: https://lauterbrunnenhiking.wordpress.com/grindelwald-hikes/

As for Grosse Scheidegg, if you decide to do that hike (and it is lovely), I would not want to hike from GS to First because a) you would be walking slightly uphill (GS 200 meters lower than First), and b) your back would be to the majestic mountains most of the time. See hike G2 at website above.

I suspect the “terribly crowded” comment may come from very recent reviews of the Bachalpsee hike. It has not been at all “too crowded” when we have hiked there either. But maybe this year the easy hikes in Switzerland have become as popular and inundated with people getting outside as we have seen here in the US (Yosemite Olympic National Park, and other western national parks in particular) (also Canadian Rockies parks where we visited last month).

In any case, as Shoe says, do not skip it. Bachalpsee is so beautiful it is well worth the trouble and possible annoyance of many other people. But you may be able to mitigate that somewhat by going early. That gondola starts up at 8 am and can only carry so many people at a time.

Thank you, Lola and Shoe for your insight! I've only heard that Lake Bashalpsee can be crowded (I think it was described by one blogger as the most crowded trail they saw in Switzerland) so it got me worried. We visited Yellowstone and Grand Teton last summer, and while it was lovely, there were definitely some trails where it seemed we were passing people constantly and waiting in line to take the perfect shot of the geyser or waterfall.

Lola- Thanks for all the trail ideas/suggestions. I think our first choice may be Lake Bashalpsee and the Flower Trail after doing First Cliff Walk, but if it looks too crowded, we may opt for the Marmot Trail to Gross Scheidegg.

Shoe- thank you for that note about having the views behind us if we hike from Gross Scheidegg to First. I think someone (not here) had mentioned it may be more convenient to take the bus to Gross Scheidegg first, then hike back so we don't have to worry about missing the bus or waiting for the next one, but I would hate to have the mountains behind me.

One other question- most likely I will be stopping at some tourist offices to inquire more about trails and get more suggestions. Would the Interlaken or Wengen office be able to provide info on Grindelwald and the Grindelwald area trails, or would I need to go to the Grindelwald tourist office for that? Were there especially helpful tourist offices or places to get information? I noticed in emailing some of the tourist offices that some are very responsive (e.g. a very nice lady at Brienz responded with a detailed itinerary within a few hours) and some offices haven't responded at all. I know a lot of this is probably dependent on the people who are there that day.

Thank you again!

Worries about missing the last bus down from G.S. make sense, BUT going the opposite way doesn't solve the problem, because then you have to worry about missing the last cable car down from First. As I recall, they both end around 6pm, but check the internet schedules or double-check at the tourist info office.

I just saw an Youtube video of a family taking the Bachalpsee hike. From the looks of the snow, it looks like it was taken mid-June, this year. The foot traffic on the path looks about normal to me. https://youtu.be/CzHVKA4MU7I?t=1302 starts at 20 min mark. One reason people say it is busier is because it is a 2-way trail--people have to take the same trail back. Most other trails in the area tend to have mostly one-way traffic, generally toward the Eiger/Jungfrau mountains because of the views.

In my experience, the Tourist Info offices in the area tend to have similar brochures, but maybe a few more specific to that town. They all seem to know which trails are closed due to snow or construction. The Lauterbrunnen TI is slightly south of the train station, across the street. The Grindelwald TI is also south of the train station, and to your right across a small plaza.
Frankly, I've often found the info on the web (here at Ricksteves, do a search, on Youtube, Google websites) to be more useful and up to date than what I've found in brochures. On the other hand, some experienced TI folks give great inside info.

Small correction: the name of the lake is Bachalpsee. No “Lake” in front of it, because the “see” at the end means “lake”. The “see” part is pronounced with a long ā sound, and the “s” is more like a zed. Bach-alp-zay.

That will help if you stop to ask at the tourist information bureau for hiking maps and information.

If you are concerned about reaching Grosse Scheidegg in time for the last bus down ( which as Shoe says is probably 6pm, but it might be on the schedule/map I gave you earlier), you could avoid that by choosing the Flower Trail down from Bachalpsee to Bort instead. Then you would not backtrack from Bachalpsee to First, again set the flow of hikers. If it appears you might not be in time for the last gondola run at Bort, you could opt for the bus back from Waldspitz, which you reach before Bort.

Edit: bus schedules here:

https://www.grindelwaldbus.ch/download/pictures/97/kvqa1gc224909qxjcjhp3qx91v6gbf/gwb_sommerflyer_2022.pdf

The last bus from Grosse Scheidegg down to Grindelwald departs at 17:20, not 18:00. And from Waldspitz the last bus departure is 16:35. So you are better off with the Flower Trail/gondola from Bort plan if you are running into late afternoon. During your visit the last downhill gondola departs from First at 18:00, and would reach Bort after that. I would hope they leave some room in the gondola cabins for people boarding at Bort, but you might ask the TI about that.

https://www.jungfrau.ch/de-ch/grindelwaldfirst/

When I was there in 2002 with my hiking club, we were a bit late to the First Gondola as we had done the whole hike from Schynige Platte, with a detour to the Faulhorn hut on the way. So we were about 5-10 minutes late, but the operator kept it running for us and other stragglers to get everyone down. Then the gondola broke down and we were stuck up there for about 45 minutes before they got it running again. 👍

Thank you Lola! I keep forgetting the “see” at the end means lake and I didn’t realize it was pronounced “say”! This will save me some embarrassment and confusion later on. Your Schynigge Platte to First hike sounds like quite the adventure! I hope our trip will not be quite that exciting, as I would have been freaking out if the gondola got stuck up there!

Shoe- you are right, I’ve found a wealth of information online, but it would be so nice to have hard copies of the maps, so I am definitely planning to stop by the tourist offices for these.

I’m pasting a below message I just sent to a friend and this was strictly JMO.

Ok. If it’s a beautiful weekend day it’s busy so if you’re early risers you’re good. If not here’s how I’d play it if I was repeating. I’d sign up for three of the four activities and take the gondola all sheckleberg stop which is next to last and get off to do First Glider skipping the first flyer because for us it has the longest line and wasn’t super impressive. Would save you 14 CH per person also. Do the first glider and then line up for mountain Kart. Kids and i really enjoyed this. Well made 3 wheelers with good brakes and racing slick rear tires. We were disappointed it ended so fast. If you’re hungry take the go Ndola back upwards to the top (it’s called First), do the cliff walk, take pics and have lunch and/or a drink on the very nice and large patio restaurant at the top. Take in the views here. Afterwards get on the next gondola down to Bort to do the Scooter bikes all the way down to Grindewald base to return bikes. This was my favorite activity. You will be braking almost all the way down. Fairly easy to balance but need to be comfy on a bike. No seats. It’s a peaceful ride down passing meadows and chalets with stunning views of mountains surrounding you. You’re immersed in the mountains as you go down.

As I said this is how I would do it if going again.

One other important thing. if the day you are going has nice weather but a day or two before it does not try buying your tickets online. We had shown up the day before and two of the four activities were sold out so we bought tickets for the next day and did it then. On weekends when the weather is nice it sells out quickly and is crowded in the lions especially for first flyer then again I didn’t think that was worthwhile

Thank PJ! We will be traveling with my parents who are in their late 60s/early 70s but in pretty good shape. Not sure if the First Cliff activities would be suitable for them, but we will definitely check it out!
Also thank you Shoe for the maps- I actually had already found your website (from another link in prior posts) and have printed out your maps. I am sure they will be useful!