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Hiking Bernese Obertland Traverse

My wife and I are planning a trip to hike from Meiringen to Lenk with about 6 stops in between. Are there any suggestions for companies that transport your luggage from town to town and hotels along the way? Also maybe suggestions on what hikes that may not be worth doing (IE. Is it better to just start in Grindewald)?

Below is the plan we have but possibly looking at maybe taking out a couple of these stops. We are flying into Zurich. Then thought about taking a train over to Zermatt after getting to Lenk and spending a couple of nights there, then train to Geneva to fly out?

Start in Meiringen
Hike to Grindelwald
Hike to Wengen/Lauterbrunnen
Hike to Griesalp/Pochtenalp
Hike to Kandersteg
Hike to Adelboden
Hike to Lenk

Thank you in advance
-Cody

Posted by
485 posts

This hike is beyond my ability (mostly medium grade mountain hiking trail, fitness level: difficult, around 7-9 hours a day of hiking time - awesome that you are doing it! ). Perhaps someone else will be able to answer you from their own experience.

It looks like this is stages 10 - 15 of the Via Alpina. Recommendations for accommodation are given for each stage here:

https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/route-01.html

When I have had hiking questions in the past, I wrote to the hiking club of the Canton of Bern and they were extremely helpful.

https://www.bernerwanderwege.ch/de/

The Switzerland-wide one is here:

https://www.schweizer-wanderwege.ch

There is no English version of these websites, but easy enough to translate. Lots of other useful info there as well.

Posted by
16241 posts

This is indeed a section of the Via Alpina. I have hiked some sections as dayhikes, and often thought about working in a 2-3 night trek on part of it, but haven’t managed to fit it into our Switzerland trips. We do have friends who hiked the section from Mürren to Oeschinensee with their 3-year-old in a backpack, with one overnight at Blumlisalphütte, and absolutely loved it.

My thoughts: Meiringen to Grindelwald is well worth doing, but not between Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen and up to Mürren. That part is so well covered by multiple lifts, and even a train, that it is not fun to hike, in my view.

I have long wanted to stay at Chalet-Hotel Schwartzalp, a mountain inn which lies between between Rosenlaui and Grosse Scheidegg.

https://www.schwarzwaldalp.ch/hotel

Consider starting in Meiringen and taking your time to savor the first part, especially the Rosenlaui area, and ending the day at Schwartzwaldalp. See the trails on this area map:

https://www.schwarzwaldalp.ch/_files/ugd/6d89a4_ee3002bd783c473f9519490219e90778.pdf

The next day, continue on over Grosse Scheidegg and down to Grindelwald or, if you dislike downhill hiking as much as I do, hike from Grosse Scheidegg to the top of the First Gondola, and enjoy the views on the ride down. Walk through Grindelwald and take the train over to Lauterbrunnen and cablecar up to Mürren to spend the night. Or if you want to stay closer to the actual route and don’t mind spending some money on lifts, ride the gondola from Grindelwald Grund up to Männlichen and take the cablecar down to Wengen from there. From Wengen you take the train down to Lauterbrunnen where you take the cablecar up to Mürren. This would take you over the same terrain, with the same views, as the hike.

Or, if you feel that is taking too much of a short cut, walk or take the Postbus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg,, and hike the trails into the upper valley toward Oberhornsee. There are several mountain inns along the way in this roadless valley, including Hotel Obersteinberg:

https://grindelwald.swiss/en/summer/eat-and-stay/mountain-hotels-huts/mountain-hotel-obersteinberg/

Overnight here and the following day take the trail up to Gimmelwald and then Mürren. (This is another one I have wanted to do).

Either way, from Mürren you continue toward the Sefinenfurka and Griesalp per your original plan.