Hiking near Wilderswil and the Bernese Oberland

The weather is unpredictable in the northern Alps. Can't help there, I don't have psychic powers :-)
As for hiking : Schynige Platte (right above Wildeswil) to First is a classic day hike, so is the shorter and easier Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg (above Wengen), and there are many others including some at lower elevations if weather is less good.

I agree that trying to predict weather 3 weeks out in a shoulder season where the mountains make their own weather and are affected by autumn north American fronts is either very difficult or impossible.

Wilderswil is very low so it will be lovely unless it rains. The snow will probably be further up, or maybe not at all. Nobody knows yet.

I'd go, and I'd be looking for a nice time walking. Good luck.

We were in the BO last month and the weather forecast wasn't even accurate on the day of. We ended up with more sunshine than we thought we would. Could have been the other way around. Some options that we did in addition to the ones above: train south to Lauterbrunnen and walk the valley and to its various waterfalls, or up to Murren where there are plenty of trails.

From Wilderswil, you can get to several good hikes by way of Lauterbrunnen to Murren.

From Murren, there are several great day hikes, either the North Face Trail or Mountain View Trail. With the Allmendhubel funicular closed starting Oct. 13, you would have to walk from Murren to Allmendhubel, which adds about another 2k to the distance. You can also hike from Murren to Winteregg or the Grutschalp station and back (this parallels the train route, and it’s not too steep (about an hour ten minutes one way).

The walk from Murren to Gimmelwald along the road is pleasant with great views as well. It’s steeper hiking back, so you could take the cable car back. There are several trails in the Gimmelwald area as well, including one leading to Sprutz Waterfall (which is also available from the North Face Trail.

Here’s a link to the Mountain View Trail:

https://www.outdooractive.com/en/route/hiking-trail/bernese-oberland/muerren-mountain-view-trail-/23431856/

From Lauterbrunnen, you can also take a train to Wengen, then take the Wengen-Männlichen Aerial Cableway.

https://www.maennlichen.ch/en/

From Mannlichen you can hike to Kleine Scheidegg and take the train back to Lauterbrunnen.

https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/

There are also nice trails from Lauterbrunnen along the river going up the valley toward Stechelberg and down toward Interlaken. It it’s too rainy, snowy or cold in the upper trails, these would be an option.

From Interlaken, you can take a bus to Beatenbucht; then a funicular to Beatenberg, and a cable car to Niederhorn. There are nice hikes from there that are lower than the high Alps hikes and that offer great views of the Alps and Lake Thun. I hiked from Niederhorn to Gemmenalphorn and back (a great half day hike) and saw an ibix.

https://www.niederhorn.ch/en/time-tables/

Here are links to sites with great information about hikes in the area:

https://lauterbrunnenhiking.wordpress.com/

http://www.gimmelwald.ch/e/activities/summer/hiking.htm#hike6

As to weather, carry extra clothes to be prepared for cold, rain, or snow. It can change quickly. Even the 2 day forecast was often inaccurate during September.

Hope you have some great hikes.

All the best,

Raymond

Having just spent two weeks in Lauterbrunnen here are the priority hikes we would do with three full days.

Good weather (at least not raining):

• Grütschalp to Mürren then down to Gimmelwald. Ascend at Grütschalp using the gondola and descend at Gimmelwald via another gondola and take a bus back to Lauterbrunnen. This is an easy hike of 90 minutes or less, so if you are up for more, walk the valley back to Lauterbrunnen, another 90 minutes. Checkout Cafe Liv in Mürren.

• Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg is a classic and beautiful walk. Not hard at all, immensely satisfying. If it has rained and there are freezing temps, it can be slippery so check locally. Train to Wengen, walk thru town to the gondola up to Männlichen, take the walk, then train down to Lauterbrunnen.

• North Face Trail out of Mürren although as mentioned above, with the Allmendhubel lift out of service that becomes more challenging so it depends on what you are up for.

If it rains:

• Stechelberg Hotel to Lauterbrunnen, taking the Post Bus to the last stop to start your walk. Much of the trail is along the river.

• Along Lake Brienz from Iseltwald to Giessbach where there is a funicular and a fabulous old hotel. You can get to Iseltwald by bus or boat but must return to Interlaken OST at least part way by boat.

• the Aare Gorge near Meiringen

If you just want a short walk to add to your hiking day, look at Wengen for the Staubbachbänkii and Mönchblick walks, each about an hour round trip. Great views!

Have you looked into a Berner Oberland Regional Pass? It will cover all transportation I have mentioned and more.

What level of hiker are you (or the persons in your party)? There are way over 100 hikes in the area, with varying levels of difficulty. For your normal hikes, how many miles (kilometers) on average, how long, and what is the average and maximum elevation change that you prefer? For example, I'm 70 years old and prefer hikes that are between 3 and 4 hours long and less than 10 miles long, with elevation gain (or loss) less than 1500 feet.