Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
main trail (there's no other way out) and continue to Obersteinberg. You'll eventually hit
the Mountain Hotel Obersteinberg (see “Sleeping in Obersteinberg,” later; American expat
Vickie will serve you a meal or drink).
From there, the trail leads to Mountain Hotel Tschingelhorn (see “Sleeping in Oberstein-
berg,” later). About an hour later, you hit a fork in the trail and choose where you'd like
your hike to end: back to Gimmelwald (2 hours total) or Stechelberg (near the bottom of the
Schilthornbahn cable car, 1.5 hours total).
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Sprutz Waterfall (moderately dificult)
The forest above Gimmelwald hides a powerful waterfall with a trail snaking behind it,
offering a fun gorge experience. While the waterfall itself is not well-signed, it's on the
Gimmelwald-Spielbodenalp trail. It's steep, through a forest, and can be very slippery when
wet, but the actual crossing under the waterfall is just misty.
ThehikeuptoSprutzfromGimmelwaldisn'tworththetripinitself,butit'shandywhen
combined with the hike down from Birg and Brünli (described earlier) or the North Face
Trail (see next listing). As you descend on either of these two hikes, the trail down to Gim-
melwald splits at Spielbodenalp—to the right for the forest and the waterfall; to the left for
more meadows, the hamlet of Gimmeln, and more gracefully back into Gimmelwald.
Hikes from Mürren/Allmendhubel
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North Face Trail from Allmendhubel (easy and family-friendly)
For a pleasant two-hour hike, head out along this four-mile trail, starting at 6,385 feet and
finishing at 5,375 feet (some stretches can be challenging if you're not in shape). To reach
the trail, ride the Allmendhubel funicular up from Mürren (much cheaper than Schilthorn,
terclockwise around to Mürren (or cut off at Spielbodenalp, near the end, and descend into
Gimmelwald via the Sprutz Waterfall). As this trail doesn't technically begin at Allmendhu-
bel, you'll start by following signs to
Sonnenberg
. Then just follow the blue signs. You'll
enjoy great views, flowery meadows, mountain huts, and a dozen information boards along
the way, describing the fascinating climbing history of the great peaks around you.
Along the trail, you'll pass four farms (technically “alps,” as they are only open in the
summer) that serve meals and drinks. Sonnenberg was allowed to break the all-wood build-
ingcodewithconcreteforprotectionagainstavalanches.Suppenalpisquainter.Leanagainst
thehousewithasalad,soup,orsandwichandenjoytheview.JustbelowSuppenalpisalittle
adventure park with zip lines and other kid-pleasing activities.
Notice how older huts are built into the protected side of rocks and outcroppings, in an-
ticipation of avalanches. Above Suppenalp, Blumental (“Flower Valley”) is hopping with
