High Alpine Hike to Albert-Heim Hostel to Realp near the Furka Pass

Sunday June 29, 2025 -- On the second day that the buses are running to the mountain passes, we headed in the direction of the Furka Pass this time, another of our favourite hiking regions. A year earlier on August 28th we had done a three-hour circular hike to a Swiss Alpine Club mountain hostel called Albert-Heim Hütte, but because buses don't run often to and from the pass, we had to rush to catch a bus four hours later. 

Urs would very much have liked to spend more time up there, so we worked out a way we could hike up to the hostel, and then walk all the way down to the bottom of the Urseren Valley, and that way we could take all the time needed and not be dependent on the bus. According to my map, this should have been a 3½-hour hike, but for high alpine regions, the maps don't take into consideration the difficult terrain. Plus, on the spur of the moment, we decided to take a detour to a glacier lake, which was an hour detour. So in all it was a five-hour hike, but perfect weather (pleasant compared to the heat at lower elevations), great visibility, and we really enjoyed it, even though we had to descend another 1100 meters to Realp train station. (Still less than what we did the day before!)

PART I -- Trip toward the Furka Pass

We left home again at just after 6 a.m. and caught the bus in Andermatt at the east end of the Urseren Valley at 8:30 for the 30-minute trip to the start of our hike at the Tiefenbach Hotel on the Furka Pass Road. 

As the bus reaches Realp (the end of our hike) we see the winding road which the bus takes up toward the Furka Pass. 

Not the best photo (reflection of the sun on the bus window), but it shows the winding pass road below us and a nice view down the Urseren Valley past the town of Realp where we ended out hike. The last part of our hike was down through the forest on the left called Bannwald, a forest planted especially to provide avalanche protection for the town.

Here at the bus stop across from the Tiefenbach Hotel, we can look all the way up the Furkareuss Valley toward the Furka Pass (the bus continues along the road on the right). At the valley bottom is the old railway line which was the only way to get from here to Canton Valais through a tunnel below the Furka Pass. The train could not run in winter, so a deeper base tunnel was built, and this line is now used for tourist trips with the steam locomotives in summer. (Also, we hiked down this valley next to the railway line in July 2023).  

Below us is the Tiefenbach Hotel and where we got off the bus to start on our hike. 

Lovely colorful lupines decorate the roadside below us. 

PART II -- Hike to the Albert Heim Hostel

There are three different trails to the Albert Heim Hostel, two of which we followed last time when we did the loop from and back to the Tiefenbach Hotel (August 2024). Usually we like to walk trails we haven't done before, but the third trail is actually a mountain road, and therefore somewhat monotonous. So we hiked up the lower mountain trail again, but going up, where last time we walked DOWN this trail on the second part of our walk. This was very pleasant with lots of waterfalls and following the Tiefenbach River.

Starting on our uphill hike at about 9:15, with the Furka Pass Road in the background. 

First of several waterfalls

VIDEO:

Beautiful waterfall and rushing water

Following the Tiefenbach river. 

More waterfalls

High up above we can already see the Albert-Heim Hostel. It is a 90-minute hike from the main road. 

Close-up of the Albert-Heim Hostel with a magnificent backdrop of the Uri Alps. 

I did a quick detour to the river to cool off my head! (Up on the little hill in the background is the hostel). 

Far below us at the back of the Furkareuss Valley we catch sight of the Furka Train disappearing into the tunnel below the pass. 

More waterfalls

Heading up to the next waterfall.

There is much more water this time than when we walked down here in August 2024

VIDEO:

Another waterfall on the Tiefenbach River 

in the Alpine landscape near Furka Pass

In this barren and rocky landscape, we passed several bunches of pretty flowers. Amazing that they grow here. 

After crossing the lovely upper plain where the river flows, we did have to join the "road" trail for the last uphill stretch to the hostel building. 

This last section was a bit tough, and somewhat slippery due to the gravel. We didn't come down this path last time we were here (took a longer route via the glacier river), good thing. 

Behind me now is the Tiefen Glacier, from where the Tiefenbach river has its source

There is beauty for us in the barren, high alpine landscape. 

PART III -- The Albert Heim Hostel

Urs loves all Swiss Alpine Hostels, and it was actually our plan to spend a bit of time up here enjoying refreshments and something to eat while drinking in the views. We were surprised, though, at the large number of people when we got here at 11 a.m., even families with babies and small children, who must have done the climb earlier than we did, probably along the road, as we saw no one else on our trail. Also, they weren't starting to cook (we had wanted Rösti) until 11:30, which was too long for us to wait. Also for me, too many people. So Urs had something to drink and then we sat away from the people behind the hostel, admiring the Tiefen Glacier, and then deciding, short notice, to do an hour's detour to the glacier lake. 

You approach the building from below

There are lots of tables on the south side of the building, but most were taken. We did find one here in the shade where Urs enjoyed a beverage, but then we withdrew to the back of the building because there were very small children making a lot of noise, and really not a lot of view from here. 

The view from here was so much better! Far to the west we could see the glacier lake and part of the glacier which still remained behind it, so calculating on my map that it would take us just over 20 minutes to walk there, we decided on the spur of the moment to make the detour there. 

Urs topping up on sunscreen and letting his sweat-soaked T-shirt dry!

From here on the north side of the hostel we look way down at the trail we are going to walk after we get back from the lakes. 

Heading back down now from the hostel at 11:45 (we decided not to lose time now eating Rösti), we pass the sign that says 2 hours 20 minutes to Realp, which wasn't quite accurate! (It took us quite a bit longer because of the rocky terrain). 

Wow, those three kids look exactly like the three that passed us on last Sunday's hike at the Melchsee Plateau --> Photos HERE

PART IV -- The Tiefen Glacier Lake

Picking our way via a small trail through rocks and over side streams, we made it to the back of the lake near the glacier caves at about 12:15. It was stunning and beautiful, and even though we had no shade, we sat there for a while and ate our sandwiches (which we brought along just in case, good thing). At about 12:45 we started on the way back to the main trail near the hostel. We took a lot of photos!

A splash of colour in an otherwise pretty barren landscape!

Finding our way to the little glacier lake. 

Once we got to the river end of the lake, we continued along the lakeshore toward the glacier. The caves at the back of the lake are inside glacier ice, although that part of the glacier is cut off from the "mother" glacier (Tiefen Glacier) higher up, the ice on the slopes having melted faster. 

Panorama view along the north side of the lake. 

This is as far as we wanted to go. That huge pile of ice is part of what used to be the tongue of the glacier.

Here's Urs having found just the tiniest bit of shade to sit and eat his sandwich!

Totally awed by this beautiful landscape that we were able to access within two hours of walking. 

At 12:45 we started heading back. A look behind us shows a large rock where someone had written: "End of the glacier in 2009". That's how far the glacier has receded since then. 

I found an item on the Internet, of a fellow who did a hike near the Tiefen Glacier in 2008. At that time the glacier definitely came way out, basically exactly where the lake now is. In 2008, there was no lake. The website with more photos from 2008 is: https://www.hikr.org/tour/post8249.html  (User name Neutrino)

Look at the lovely bunches of flowers growing among this rocky landscape!

Ahead of us again is the Albert-Heim Hostel, and on the left the couloir on its north side where we are now going to descend to Realp.

Close-up of the hostel and the trail you have to take to get up there (from the other side). It was up there just to the left of the building where we sat for a while earlier.  

We have to find our way over several little streams!

Finding our way over several little streams on our way back to the junction.

PART V -- Heading down the Couloir

According to the sign just below the hostel, we should now have two hours and 20 minutes to get to Realp. We got back to the junction at 1:15 p.m. The descent was a bit tricky at first with lots of rocks and a narrow trail, but it was a really good walk to the point where we joined the popular Urseren High Trail. 

Here is the junction where we start down the couloir toward Realp, another about 2½ hours of walking.  

It takes longer to make your way through this kind of landscape than regular trails. As the trail is not really visible, red/white symbols are painted on the rocks every few meters, so you know where to walk. 

Looking down the couloir toward the Urseren Valley.

Gorgeous gentians.

To this point we have seen the hostel from all sides!

We found it unusual that the trodden path is higher up at the base of a cliff, instead of down the center of the couloir. Possibly because the snow melts faster up here. 

Admiring the beautiful view into the Gotthard Massif to the south. 

A large marsh area below

The last look at the hostel way up on the hill. 

A lot of water!

Up ahead is the Urseren Valley and the Gotthard Massif

Behind us is a saddle called the Lochberglücke, where there is a trail down to Lake Göscheneralp in the next valley to the north. It is a more difficult alpine trail which we probably would not try. 

At 2:25 p.m. we reached the junction of Trail no.51: "Furka High Trail" (the part called the Urschnen High Trail), a trail we walked back in September 2014 also starting at the Tiefenbach Hotel but following the Urseren Valley, and then descending further in the direction of Andermatt. 

PART VI -- The final descent to Realp

It took another hour to walk down to the town of Realp, another three kilometers and 475 meters of descent. A large part was through the cool forest called Bannwald, a forest planted here to help stop avalanches rushing down the mountain. 

We had to walk for one kilometer along the Urschnen High Trail before starting on our descent to Realp. 

Here also the hillsides are starting to flower with the alpine roses. 

Leaving the high trail for the descent to Realp. We got here at about 3 p.m. 

Way down below we can see the town of Realp, which is the end of our hike. This is a descent of about 500 meters. 

A close-up look at the town of Realp

At the end of this trail is the Bannwald forest, a large "artificial" forest planted to help prevent avalanches from damaging the town of Realp. The trail through the forest is the last part of our hike. Straight to the south is a valley called Witenwasseren Valley, and at the very back is a pass called Passo di Cavanna, which we crossed into the Bedretto Valley on a two-day hike in July 2022. 

Watching the red train from the Gotthard Matterhorn Railway entering a tunnel on its way from Realp to Andermatt. 

As we enter the forest, we can see down the Urseren Valley toward the Oberalp Pass.

On the edges of the forested section were high meadow grasses with lots of yarrow plants (Schafsgarbe). In some places the path was quite overgrown!

We were glad for the shady forested section, about 35 minutes to walk through the Bannwald. 

Beautiful meadows full of yarrow flowers. 

Here was a bench in the shade where we sat for about 10 minutes before the final descent to the train station in Realp. 

From our bench above Realp, the lovely landscape just to the south of the town. 

We arrived in Realp at 16:20, and the bus leaves at 16:31 for the two-hour trip home. So plenty of time this time!

Heading back to Andermatt (and then directly to Göschenen with the same train) with the newer Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn. I prefer the old trains where you can open the windows!

What our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. A total of 12 km, and 1100 meters of descent. 

All the hikes we have done around the Furka and Gotthard Pass region.

PART VII -- Train trip back via Urseren Valley and Reuss Valley 

It's always a very nice panorama ride along the Urseren Valley, down the Schöllenen Gorge, and then north along the Reuss Valley. 

This little hamlet (Zumdorf) between Realp and Andermatt claims to be the smallest village in Switzerland. 

This is a look back toward the west end of the Urseren Valley where the road winds its way up toward the Furka Pass

Heading down the Schöllenen Gorge before the train enters a tunnel. 

This weird locomotive was parked at the Göschenen train station. Urs said it was once the strongest locomotive in Europe. It left the station at the same time that our train did, running exactly next to us all the way to Wassen, blocking our view, before changing to our track. Train aficionados wait along the line to track to photograph this. 

Passing by Wassen just north of Göschenen and the Gotthard Tunnel, as our train heads north. 

Location of the Furka Pass and Urseren Valley within Switzerland

Side note: This is what the Bannwald Forest above Realp looks like from the Witerwasseren Valley to the south, on the hike we did in July 2022.