Help with Itinerary

Yes, you can add schilthorn to north face. (I assume you mean take lift up to schilthorn, spend time there, then back to Murren, and do north face hike separately—I believe you need excellent hiking skills otherwise.)

Your itinerary sounds good to me. Don’t try to jam it all in - just come back another time, as Rick says!

You say you’re in average shape. To me this doesn’t seem like the itinerary for someone in average shape, it’s a lot of hiking and some are pretty big hikes so I’d say you need to be in above average shape to enjoy this if you’re hiking to/from all these huts/locations.

Murren to Obersteinberg is not an “average shape” hike in my opinion.

If you mean hike up to Schilthorn, that’s not for the average fitness level, it’s tons of elevation gain and loose scree in portions with sheer cliff faces, ladders you have to climb, etc.. You could do Murren>Allmendhubel>Northface counterclockwise ending at Schilthornbahn to ride the cable car up. Or alternatively, you could ride the Schilthornbahn up to Birg and hike down to Murren via the Wassenegg ridge if you don’t mind lots of downhill.

I wouldn’t prioritize Chilchbalm. It’s a very peaceful, nice hike but you have a ton going on already. You can do a small portion of it on the way to Obersteinberg.

And you’re not going to have time to do Giessbach on entrance day. That would be logistically too complicated with your luggage and trying to get up to Schynige Platte by the last train. Get up there a bit earlier and enjoy the views and ambiance up there instead of trying to cram in Giessbach, which is fine but not worth the complication of getting there.

I have always wanted to do a hut to hut in that area, but should have done it 20 years ago.

Like wanderweg, I am wondering about your “average” level of fitness and what that means. Are you an experienced hiker? What distance and elevation gain are you happy with? And do you live at altitude?

The first day, from Schynige Platte to First, starts at 6200 feet, and goes up and down from there. The total gain is 2700 feet, over 10 miles, which is not terribly difficult, but the terrain is rugged and rocky, and the starting altitude may be difficult for your fist day, unless you live in the mountains somewhere. Especially carrying your backpack with all your clothing and other needs.

Where did you find this itinerary? Did you look at the difficulty of each leg?

Thank you for the responses. No, I do not live at elevation and we live in the plains so we are not used to do a lot of inclines and descents. We do work out and are doing what we can to try to prepare for a hiking trip like this. Which portions of the itinerary are you most concerned about for us? I did put this itinerary together on my own. However, I have looked at NUMEROUS different websites, blogs, all trails maps, travel agency itineraries, Switzerland mobile app and other forms to figure out an itinerary that I think would work for us. I have literally spent days/weeks trying to figure out how to make this trip a success. I am 47. I'm in decent shape. But, I also know that I don't have very many years left in me to do an adventure like this. I don't want to overdo it were I don't enjoy it. But, I also want to push myself.

I don’t want to discourage you from doing this because I think it will be amazing, but this summer Id be filling up your backpack to the weight you’re planning on and be doing multiple 10+ mile hikes with similar amount of elevation gain. Hiking 3000 ft of gain at elevation with a backpack for 10 miles is personally not what I’d consider “average shape” material :) The full backpack will make that hike much more difficult. You for sure need hiking poles and to micro analyze every bit of weight you’re putting in your backpack.

I can tell you that Obersteinberg with a full pack is going to suck. It’s a ton of relentless uphill in the woods. If you can find lodging at Rotstockhutte that would be a significant amount easier and just as beautiful. Or do a simpler hut above Murren like Suppenalp or Sonnenberg and just do day hikes from there without your pack.

I haven’t done the First/Glecksteinhutte/Baregg portion so I can’t speak to that part. I’m not fully clear on which parts of this you plan to hike vs take transportation but you could potentially make some of it simpler for yourself by taking public transport as far as you can and then hiking in, leaving your big pack and doing awesome day hikes. For example, don’t hike from Wengen to Murren. That’s a ton of effort for little reward because it would just be huge climbs in the woods. Instead take the trains/cable cars between the two and then do the beautiful hikes with less weight. You’ll enjoy it more and have more stamina for the fact that you need to be hiking every single day to accomplish all this.

I think you’ll have an amazing time, just do the pack training to make sure your body is aware of how much more above average your shape needs to get over the summer :)

Another consideration in addition to altitude adjustment is HEAT! We were in Wengen from September 8 to 11 last summer and the temperatures were quite high. For example, we hiked from Mannlichen to Kleine Schiedegg at 7k elevation in pure sunshine and @80F temperatures. Thank goodness I decided to throw in some shorts and tank tops at the last minute before I closed my carry-on only bag.
IDK the distances of the hikes you are planning, but do consider that you want to take time to enjoy the gorgeous scenery. As others have suggested, avoid hikes that are mainly through forests. And remember a hike is not a march!
Irrelevant to Switzerland, but the start of last year's 3-week Europe trip was to the Dordogne where temperatures spiked to a high of 106F. 4 days of unrelenting heat until a thunderstorm came through on our last day.

How do you all feel about Lucerne? The only thing I would like to see is the lake and Chapel Bridge. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the peaks around there but we will get plenty of that in BO. I could stay another night in Murren after Obersteinberg. We could leave our big packs in Murren so we don't have to take them to Obersteinberg. We could still stay just the last night in Lucerne and checkout the bridge in the evening time.

If the Kappelbrucke and lake are your only interests in Lucerne it makes sense to spend your last night there before heading to the airport.

OK, I see you are basically following the AllTrails. 111 km 10-day Jungfrau tour:

https://www.alltrails.com/lists/jungfrau-tour

Note that they rate all but one of the segments as “hard” (but I don’t know how their rating system works). And it looks like they are talking about some of them as dayhikes, not with an overnight backpack.

I have to say I am not a fan of AllTrails. I have seen errors in their hike descriptions in hikes that I know well in the Sierra and the Cascades. Their hike descriptions have to be filtered through the background of experience, which you may or may not have.

You should be OK on most of the segments if you make use of the available lifts, trains, or buses when needed to help complete the segments between huts. But note that from Schynige Platte to First, you first hiking day, there is no way to connect the two hotels without the hike. You can divert to Bussalp and take the bus down to Grindelwald, but then you end up at the valley floor, not at First.

Also the hike to Glecksteinhütte appears to have some very exposed segments, with a cable to hold for security. You may or may not like that experience. I know I would not—-in spite of all my hiking experience I have a severe fear of heights and exposed places. I was not comfortable at all on the relatively easy hike to the Baregg hut.

You seem to feel some urgency to tackle a hike like this now because of your age. Let me assure you that you 47 is not at all “old” to be hiking, and you are not running out of time for this. My first trip to the Berner Oberland for hiking was with my local mountaineering club the Seattle Mountaineers when I was 54. We did the Schynige Platte to First hike, among others, adding a detour to the Faulhorn hut for a snack. I was one of the younger people on that trip—-most were in their 60’s, and the oldest was 72. I am still hiking at that level (10 mile hikes, 3,000 feet of elevation gain) now, 23 years later.

Yes, I do want to do as many of these types of hikes as I can before my knees give out on me. Bad genetics. But, I really don't know if I will ever return to BO. There are so many places around the world that I want to see and experience. I don't have an unlimited amount of time to see them all over and over again. So, I do want to see as much as I can while I am there. I purposefully didn't add other areas into this trip so I could see as much of the beautiful region as I could while I am there. The other places around Switzerland can be done in a 2 or 3 day trip later on if desired.

I have consulted the All Trails map. But mostly, I had checked into some of the hut to hut "tour companies" and figured out their routes along with the swiss mobile app, blogs and forums such as this one. I don't expect this trip to be easy by any means. My boyfriend and I have hiked Havasaupai. We had heavier packs and while I struggled with the descent into the campground due to my knees, he struggled more with the way out since I was in better cardiovascular shape. It took us about 4 hours in and 4.5 hours out. I figured if we have all day to complete a hike over 10 miles, I'm hoping that we should be good...right? I am not used to the elevation. The only segment that can't be shortened by using the transportation system is the first one and most of the hike to Obersteinberg. I'm I thinking of this correctly?

My concern for you is that with a hut-to-hut itinerary, you are committed to certain specific hikes on each day, based on what you have read on the internet rather than personal knowledge of the area. You have no way of knowing what criteria those tour companies ( or AllTrails) used when they designated these hikes and this route as the “ best” or “ most scenic”. The hikes may or may not be best for you.

And there is no flexibility to adjust based on the weather, or the trail conditions you find when you arrive there. The Schynige Platte to First hike should not be done when there is a threat of thunderstorms, as that high ridge is not a good place to be when lightning is near. And what if your legs are too sore from the first day’s hike to make the ascent to the Glecksteinhütte? Or you get a bad blister? ( I got such bad blisters on both heels hiking down to Havasu Falls years ago that I could not stand to wear my boots. I thought I would have to pay a tribal member for a horse to ride out. But then I discovered I could walk ok in my sneakers with the backs folded down. . . .)

Speaking of Havasu Falls, that hike is at lower elevation, and on an easier trail, than the rocky rugged trails in the Alps. Hiking back up, you ascended 2400 feet over 10 miles, ending at 5200 feet. At Schynige Platte you will start your hike at 6800 feet and go up from there.

Instead of a hut to hut hike, you might consider basing at mountain inns and doing the same hikes as dayhikes from there, without overnight backpacks or a firm commitment to completing the hike is something went awry. For example, from Alpinhotel Bort on the First Gondola, you could hike to Schynige Platte, then return to the inn by train and First Gondola. Another overnight there, then descend and head to Hotel Wetterhorn for the next stage. For Obersteinberg, you could do as you suggested—- book 2 non-consecutive nights in Mürren, and leave most of your luggage there while you hike down to Obersteinberg for the night. Return the next day by cablecar from Stechelberg. ( Friends of ours did this in 2018, carrying their 3-year-old child in a backpack. ).

When you go to to the BO, you’ll make sure you return again if you really want to. It’s unparalleled.

Thank you Lola for all your responses. Your response about SP to First is valid. This is a concern with any hut to hut that can be done anywhere. At least here, there are potential other options. Worst case scenario, we have to go to First via rail and try to make that hike during one of our other days that we are there. As far as Havasupai, The elevation change was all within 1.5 miles of the 10 mile journey. I know overall elevation was not as high and that is definitely a concern for me. I do think I might cancel my room in Lucerne for the second to last day and stay in Lauterbrunnen area. Then we can just take our small packs to Obersteinberg. After all your great advice, I think this would be wise. I don't know why, but I have my heart set on staying there. I think I would regret not doing it.

I can see you have put a lot of effort and care into your planning, and this trip means a lot to you. With that adjustment for Obersteinberg you should be fine. Your hike from Schynige Platte to First May we’ll take you and your partner longer than the stated 6-hour time for this hike,due to the altitude, but you can allow for that. But if you are staying at the mountain inn there ((Berggasthaus First), you do not have to worry about missing the last gondola down.

I hope it all turns out well and you two have a wonderful experience. And who knows, maybe you will get “hooked” as many of us have, and you return.