I will be traveling in Switzerland this June with a stay in Gimmelwald for 4 days from June 17-20. On one of our days in the region we were hoping to complete the hike from Schynige Platte to First as all of the books I have read about the region single this particular hike out as especially spectacular. Does anyone know what the condition of the trail currently is and if it should be in good shape when we are due to visit? I'm also looking for a recommended time to depart from the Gimmelwald gondola station in the morning to be able to complete this hike in 1 day at a reasonable pace and leaving some time to stop for lunch along the way. It appears the gondola from First at the end of the hike stops running at a relatively early 4:30pm. The time estimates I've read for this particular route vary from as little as 4.5 hours to as much as 6.5 hours, and I'm not sure if that includes any breaks/lunch etc. Are the any recommendations for other hikes with similar views that may be easier to access in the event that our timing just doesn't work or that the trail is impassible? Thanks.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
"Does anyone know what the condition of the trail currently is and if it should be in good shape when we are due to visit?" You have about two weeks, but you might be out of luck. Look at the webcam for Männlichen. The link defaults to the Jungfraujoch cam, but if you hit the "additional cams" icon, you can see the current conditions at Männlichen. Unfortunately, this spring was much colder than normal, so the snow pack didn't melt on schedule. I think First is even higher than Männlichen, and at least in the winter, it's definitely colder up there. So, I doubt you'll have ideal conditions... the trail may not even be open.