In the land of waterfalls and glaciers: Berghaus Bäregg in Grindelwald

All of Switzerland is gorgeous, but some places are more gorgeous than others. In my book, it's Grindelwald and Zermatt. However, to my dismay, tourists from all over the globe share that opinion, and flock to these villages to enjoy the views. I can't blame them! Though I can try to escape them. And the best strategy to do that is to find hikes off the beaten track, to find views that aren't available by cable car or train. This hike is one of them.

Declared as a favourite hike by a friend who lives in Grindelwald, I was eager to give it a go. The first opportunity came one late August weekend when I was staying in the village with a friend and the absymal morning weather suddenly took a turn for the better, so we decided fairly last minute to hike up to Schreckhornhütte, passing by Bäregg on the way there. I loved it so much I returned there several times after (just for the Bäregg part, not Schreckhornhütte - as much as I loved it, doing it in one day - after two days of climbing beforehand - left a bit of trauma, so next time I'm going to that hut, I'm definitely staying the night...). 

What I love most about the Bäregg hike is that it has so much variety. You start with views of the valley and Grindelwald below, and as soon as you turn a corner, you enter a world of steep drop offs, washed out sections, waterfalls, jagged peaks, glaciers, and silky green pastures. It's wild and dramatic. And a lot less busy than other hikes in Grindelwald (I don't expect it to get busier after this blog post either 😉), so you get to enjoy a rösti and a beer on the gorgeous sun-soaked terrace of Berghaus Bäregg in the company of only a few people who decide to venture there.

For more experienced (and fit!) hikers that aren't afraid of heights and want to to prolong the hike, I recommend going to Schreckhornhütte (see here the description of the full hike). The photos below are from that part of the hike.