cow – David Kotz

Grindelwald – Schwarzwaldalp

A gentle hike from Gross Scheidegg down to Schwarzwaldalp.

On our final day in Grindelwald, we chose a milder hike. It began with a bus ride up the steep and winding road to a mountain pass, Gross Scheidegg – the taller (eastern) counterpart to Kleine Scheidegg on the western side of Grindelwald. Here we stumbled into a local community festival, which appeared to be an amateur wrestling contest! We stopped to watch for a while, then ambled up the road and along the trail to take us down the other side of the pass. Our goal was the tiny village of Schwarzwaldalp, which we understood to be the site of a historic, water-powered sawmill. Read on!

A community wrestling competition at Gross Scheidegg.

Grindelwald – Männlichen

An afternoon jaunt to a promontory overlooking Grindelwald.

Our fourth day in Grindelwald allowed for a second hike. (In the morning, most of us took the train up to Jungfraujoch, where three of us walked through the sunshine across the snowfields to a hut for tea and cakes.) On return to Kleine Scheidegg, we met up with others in our group for lunch at a cheerful little berghaus nearby. We then struck out along the ridgeline, with the Eiger’s north face dominating the landscape behind us. Read on!

The Eiger’s north face looms over the pleasant meadows and shops around Kleine Scheidegg.

Grindelwald – Faulhorn

Hiking a classic alpine route, on a gorgeous day.

On the third day of our week in Grindelwald we decided to hike one of the most classic routes in the area, from Schynige Platte to First – although in the opposite direction. My hike there in 2019 was one of the most moving hikes I’ve ever experienced, as the Alps emerged out of an undercast sky like so many islands in an endless sea. Today, I was thrilled to share it with friends!

Today, we hiked from First (reached by gondola from downtown Grindelwald) to Schynige Platte (reached by a historic cog railway that climbs into the mountains from a valley close to Interlochen). The weather was perfect, so we were treated to a day full of stunning vistas as we hiked the high country above Grindelwald, over the pointy peak of Faulhorn (with lunch at its summit hotel!), along the rocky ridgeline, through alpine meadows brimming with wildflowers, across a couple of stubborn snowfields, and past another hut at Männdlenen (with a stop for apfel strudel, of course!). Read on, and check out the gallery.

The Faulhorn traverse offers amazing views of the Alps from meadows filled with wildflowers.

Grindelwald: Bussalp to Waldspitz

Our first hike above Grindelwald brought us out of the clouds and into spectacular scenery.

Our first hike out of Grindelwald was a relatively low-altitude stroll across the high terrain above town, from the end of the bus line at Bussalp to the end of another bus line at Waldspitz. The sky was cloudy as the bus wound up the steep and twisty road from Grindelwald, past the holiday homes and into the farm country high above town. Still, the clouds looked like they were struggling to hold form as the daylight grew stronger, so we headed up the trail in high spirits. Soon we were following a narrow track that meandered among the cows, across streams, and through meadows strewn with wildflowers. The clouds began to dissipate and the incredible peaks of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peeked out from across the valley. Read on, and check out the photos!