In late June we are going to have 9 days in the Berner Oberland, three in Ringgenberg,3 in Lauterbrunnen, & 3 in Kandersteg. We like relatively easy walks, small villages and the like. There are far too many possibilities to cover, even with this time, so, looking for recommendations re the very best walks in the region. Now that I think of it, we'll have a week near Sion in Wallis. Any suggestions for there?<BR><BR>Bill Daniel

One of the best and easiest in the Berner Oberland is Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. It is about an hour and has great views of the highest peaks. You can take the long cable car ride up from Grindelwald (and I believe from Wengen as well) and then walk downhill to Kleine Scheidegg, from which the railway to the Jungfraujoch begins. <BR><BR>Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen is another longer but easy walk, and Wengen itself is nice. <BR><BR>The easiest walk is the Lauterbrunnen Valley, which is surrounded by gorgeous peaks and waterfalls. <BR><BR>You can also take the cable car up to Gimmelwald (which Rick Steves promotes so heavily), once you reach Stechelberg in the valley, and walk to Murren and on to the funicular back down to Lauterbrunnen. The Gimmelwald to Murren part is fairly steep but not difficult and offers tremendous views.

I can add three more, or even more!1<BR>The classic blockbuster is the walk from the First gondola station (place name) to the top of the Faulhorn.<BR>A little long, perhaps, but the rewards are without parallel.<BR>Another one is to take the lift up to Pfingstegg and then walk to the cafe at Stieregg. The terrace there looks right into the glaciers. Going beyond there is doubtful because you have to use a cable to get across a gully.<BR>I don't think the view gets much better anyhow if you do. <BR>A third one, one that penetrates deep into the mountains is from Gimmelwald to the Kilchbalm. The walk ends dead against vertical mountain walls in a glacial cirque where you are surrounded by steep cliffs, waterfalls, snow, and cows.<BR>From Kandersteg, take the chairlift up to the Oeschinensee and walk from the lift station to the lake itself. The view is mind boggling.<BR>And I guess the final one, if you are near Sion, go up to Lac de Moiry.<BR>The hike up to the Canbane de Moiry night be too tough, but the view of the glacier from the road end is great.<BR>I did that one when I was 66 and it was a bit of a grind. The trail goes up<BR>about 1,500 feet in about a mile.<BR>

I cannot resist tell you about one more classic hike in the Berner Oberland.<BR>From Interlaken, head east to Innertkirchen. From Innertkirchen, drive to near the crest of the Grimsel Pass. The route up is spectacular in its own way. At the hotel/hostel at or near the top, a trail originates that leads out into a rocky, almost Himalayan landscape. You may not want to go all the way to the hut at the end of the marked trail, but the views are of the giants of the Berner Oberland.<BR><BR>From Sion, drive a little east.<BR>And take the road up to Leukerbad.<BR>From there take the lift up to the Daubensee. If you have read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories, it was this route that Holmes took with Watson when he was being pursued by Moriarty.<BR>(He went from there to Meiringen where he was supposed to have met his demise in the Reichenbach Falls, which he did until public outcry forced Doyle to bring Holmes back to Baker Street from the south of France.)<BR><BR>And you are not too far from Zermatt in Sion. Take a run down the road to Visp and turn south. Bear right at Stalden; park at T&auml;sch, and take the train to Zermatt. (No private cars allowed in Zermatt; at least not tourist vehicles.)<BR>From Zermatt the opportunities are boundless.<BR><BR><BR>I forgot to add earlier, all of those hikes suggested by Dan are very good indeed. I have taken all of them, and they are quite spectacular and so very rewarding.<BR>

Bob (and others) - I will be in this area the last week of April. Do you think it will be possible to do any of these walks at that time(without snowshoes)?

Thanks for the suggestions. We have our work cut out for us. Has anyone walked the bisses near Haute Nendaz, or from Haute Nendaz Village to Iserables?

I have never been in Switzerland during April, so I don't really know what the trail conditions will be. <BR>The various cable systems will be in operation. I am sure you can get to the top of the Schilthorn. <BR>The First - Grindelwald Gondola will be open. You can at least sit in the cafe and drink in the beauty. It is enclosed.<BR>There has not been an abundance of snow this year in the Berner Oberland, so I am told. The trail from M&uuml;rren to Grutschalp is probably open.<BR>It is no more than 4,500 feet in elevation, so by the end of April, much of the snow should be gone. You will have to ask at the local tourist offices, or go there and see. <BR>I wish I could be of more help, but April is not the time of year I visit Switzerland. <BR>

I've actually copied a couple of your postings just in case I can't resist the quest for those spectacular views you folks describe. But when you say 'easy walk', is that easy for hikers? Can you tell me which would be easy for 58-year-old wimpy flatlanders? If there is no reply, I'll assume the answer is none. Thanks, J.

The walks I described are easy. These are not paved city sidewalks, but trails in the mountains. The walk from the First gondola station to the Faulhorn is the longest and most difficult of the bunch. I did it ok at age 67. The others, Grutscalp = M&uuml;rren, Stieregg, and the Oeschinensee are relatively flat. (Afterall, you must consider that you are in an area where a 4,000 foot vertical climb is commonplace.) The Cabana de Moiry is perched up on a high ledge overlooking the Moiry Glacier, so it is steep in places. The Schilthorn is an observation installation. There are viewing platforms and an enclosed, revolving restaurant.<BR>

Some corrections:<BR><BR>The cable car Stechelberg-Murren-Schilthorn does not operate April 22 to 26<BR><BR>The First gondola does not operate April 8 to May 9<BR><BR>The Mannlichen gondola does not operate April 15 to June 1<BR><BR>End April is a very bad time for hiking in the Alps, especially in such skiing resorts like the mountains around Grindelwald, Wengen, Murren.<BR><BR>You should better go to the lakes. Lake Thun, Lake Lucerne or, still better, Lake Geneva. There you will find hikes and walks at lower altitudes with beautiful views of the snow covered mountains.<BR><BR>Ingo

All the walks I described are pretty easy, especially the Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg and Lauterbrunnen Valley ones.

Thanks for asking this question Bill. I'll be in Kandersteg in June and will be taking the hike to the lake. If anyone has any suggestions for hikes from Chateau D'Oex I'd like to hear them. Nothing terribly difficult though.

Bill, we were in Wengen last year in mid June. It was my fourth visit to the Berner Oberland and I can tell you that there is no way of knowing what the weather will be like until you get there. <BR><BR>The "easy" walk from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg turned out not to be as easy as I remembered from other trips. There was still a lot of snow and ice with very narrow, slippery pathways at certain points. I had my walking stick but not much in the way of traction on my sneakers (hiking boots would have been much better) and I held up a long line of people as I made my way v-e-r-y carefully along a slippery precipice. <BR><BR>Check with the tourist office in Lauterbrunnen before you attempt any high level walks as the weather can still be uncooperative in June. Stick to low level walks if the weather is bad. Be sure to take the walk from Lauterbrunnen to Trummelbach Falls, a wonderful excursion.Also, check the Lipton book, Easy Walking in Switzerland for some good suggestions.<BR><BR>Have fun. The Berner Oberland (and expecially Wengen) is one of my favorite places in the world.

This is getting to be more fun by the hour . I have the Walking Easy Bok, and that is what inspired this querry. They list more walks in the Jungfrau and Kandersteg area than one could possibly do in the time we have. The same is true for Zermatt. Lake Moiry sounds nice too, and from the literature I have, walking the bisses near Haute Nendaz sounds like just what the Doctor, especialist in Orthopedics would order. Still looking for "must do" walks in the Valais.<BR><BR>Bill

topping

Bill, are you out there? Have I missed your comments?