Fantastic Hike from Grindelwald First to Schwarzwaldalp in the Reichenbach Valley

Sunday, June 23 -- Another well-planned and executed excursion to Grindelwald on this superlative day! Grindelwald is a favourite destination of Asian tour groups, and we feel like a minority there at any time of year, but the hope was to run into fewer tourists up at Grindelwald First, the start of the popular hike to Lake Bachsee. (Here at the restaurant is also a newly completed cliff walk which we also had to try out... didn't make it out to the end of the platform, though, because it was a regular traffic jam out there...  And there is also a popular zipline up here). 

Our plan was to walk in the opposite direction from the lake, i.e. toward the Reichenbach Valley which connects Meiringen in the North (near the Brünig Pass) to Grindelwald in the South. There were definitely fewer people on this trail, although still surprisingly many. And more snow than we had expected, with a couple of spots of slow-melting avalanche snow. But to say the view was magnificent (with the towering rock walls of the Eiger North Face and Mount Wetterhorn) is an understatement, and the thousands of blue gentians along the trail were a real treat, as were the crocuses where the snow had just melted, and the meadows of yellow globeflowers (apparently poisonous). We even saw a few rare white gentians, and marmots playing on the hillside. 

We got to our destination at Schwarzwaldalp earlier than expected because we took a shorter route than originally planned, but because the day was so wonderful we decided to skip a bus and continue northward along the river for another 3 km... that is, after having our standard icecream dessert and purchasing cheese.


FIRST: The ride up in the cable car:

On the way up by Cable Car to Grindelwald First: You get a good look into the valley of the Lower Grindelwald Glacier. Thirty years ago the glacier came all the way down, and there was an ice cave you could visit. No longer...

To the left, the valley of the upper Grindelwald Glacier. In the back is one of my favourite peaks, Mount Schrekhorn

Zoomed view of the beautiful peak called Mount Schreckhorn

It is a 20-minute cable car ride from Grindelwald to First, from where most people walk to Lake Bachsee (currently still lots of snow up there). We walked to the right across Alp Grindel

Second: The Cliff Walk, opened in 2015 (The crazy Swiss... imagine the work it took to build this -- and an investment of 1.5 Mio SFr --, just so the tourists have something more to do...) 

The suspension bridge, first section of the Cliff Walk. In the background, the stunning Eiger North Face (popular with rock climbers)

The observation point: We didn't even bother trying to get out there

Everyone wants their photo taken at the very end of the look-out

There is even a suspension bridge

A couple of tight spots for a big guy. At the back is the popular trail up to Lake Bachsee. Still a lot of snow up there.

Stunning geology and a view down to Grindelwald in the valley below

This photo I took in October 2017 when I was up here last. From here you can see the entire cliff walk. 

THIRD: The hike from Grindelwald First to Schwarzwaldalp, especially the flowers!

Our original plan was to stay at altitude for longer before descending to Schwarzwaldalp, but we weren't sure about the snow. So we descended sooner, which was great because the trail was better and the flowers were fabulous. Instead of catching the bus at Schwarzwaldalp, we decided to continue the next 3 km along the river.

Near Grindelwald First, at the start of our hike, there are still several large snow patches to cross

My favourite kind of trails

The weather was absolutely perfect for this hike: Warm with a slight breeze, and clear skies. 

The entire hillsides were covered in gentians. 

These white gentians are very rare: For every 5000 blue ones, there might be one white one. They are actually albino gentians. Folklore has it that there was treasure buried beneath these flowers.

The beautiful panorama of the Central Bernese Alps

Random hikers also walking this beautiful trail

Behind Urs, the mighty Mount Wetterhorn.

Way up high on the hill the marmots are coming out.

This was also way up the hill

Under this large patch of snow (probably from an avalanche) is a bridge crossing a stream. 

The mighty North Face of Mount Eiger

The crocuses are just peeking out where the snow has just melted. And everywhere else a magnificence of alpine blooms.

Shortly before Grosse Scheidegg we turned a corner and headed North into the Reichenbach Valley. The valley opens up at the town of Meiringen in the Haslital Valley.

A beautiful field of crocuses. The snow only just recently melted here. 

This is an avalanche couloir. If there hadn't been a collection of alpine farms at the end of this road, there surely would not have been a passage cut out of here

Still lots of avalanche snow up here. Local farmers cut the path through the snow to access their farm.

As we descended into the Reichenbach Valley, we had a glimpse of the peaks of Mounts Eiger and Mönch.

Incomparably beautiful weather for this hike.

There were so many of these globe flowers everywhere (apparently they are poisonous)

Meadows and meadows of globe flowers

Mount Wetterhorn on the right, Mount Wellhorn on the left. Descent to Schwarzwaldalp

A look North into the Gental Valley, northeast of Meiringen. There the weather isn't as great as it is here!

FOURTH: We could have caught the bus to Meiringen when we were at Schwarzwaldalp (after our ice cream) but the day was so beautiful, we continued 3 km down the river, past the entrance to the Rosenlaui Glacier Gorge (an outing for another day), past the historical Rosenlaui Hotel, and on to Gschwantenmad, from where the trail continues along the paved road, so a good place to stop anyway...

We bought a large chunk of cheese here. In the back is the Schwarzwaldalp restaurant.

Ice cream sundaes, our treat after long hikes!

From here a final view of Mount Wetterhorn

As we continued down river, this strange looking mountain is Mount Wellhorn

Historical Hotel Rosenlaui. Had a very nice garden with tables. We will stop there another time.

Pleasant final 3 km along the Rychenbach River

Across the river at this wide flat alpine meadow is the bus stop where we ended our hike.

The cows are waiting for unsuspecting hikers like us to open the gate so they can rush out!

Such an unusual-looking mountain. There is a gorge below that mountain which we will visit on a separate trip. Apparently you can also hike up closer to the Rosenlaui Glacier.

The alp at Gschwantenmad, the end of our 13-km hike

The common way to get to Grindelwald is by train from Interlaken to the West, but there is also a bus that connects Grindelwald with Meiringen along a one-lane road through the beautiful Reichenbach Valley. Also, most of the tourists that come to Grindelwald walk to Lake Bachsee

Our 13-km hike from Grindelwald First to Schwarzwaldalp and further.