I am planning a 10-day trip to Switzerland in mid-June. I'm going to be traveling alone, and want to know of some safe backpacking/hikings towns to visit. I was thinking Grindelwald, Interlaken and Zernez. I'm hoping to visit places with other young travelers, but not too crazy of a party scene-- I'm more into the outdoors. I'd like to be away from the really touristy areas for the most part. It would be great if there were cheap huts or tents I could stay in on longer trips (as I won't be bringing a tent with me). I have done a good deal of hiking and backpacking, and think of myself as fairly advanced. Any help would be much appreciated!

I think you'll be fine in any of those towns as long as you don't stay out at night alone. When I was in Interlaken, there were lots of young travelers. It was summer, and we stayed at Balmer's Herberge. My impression of it was a big American frat home-away-from-frat home. (I'm 24 now, this was a couple yrs. ago) Not somewhere I'd want to stay alone personally, but then maybe I'm paranoid. So if you don't want a party scene, don't go there. But I wouldn't want to stay in a camping place by myself either. I would look for a less rowdy hostel, like Alps Backpackers' Lodge, which we found decent and calmer. (Stayed there the 2nd night.) Also at the Alp Lodge, the guy who ran it, an Australian, was very helpful in telling us about cool places to day-trip to and good hiking places. I would let someone at the place you stay know where you're going and what you're doing, just so someone knows, too!

You need to get two great guidebooks for Switzerland hiking:

1. Swiss Bernese Oberland: A Travel Guide with Specific Trips to the Mountains, Lakes and Villages, Third Edition
by Philip Alspach, Loretta Alspach

2. Walking Switzerland-The Swiss Way-: From Vacation Apartments, Hotels, Mountain Inns, and Huts
by Marcia Lieberman, Philip Lieberman

Both these books are great. I've read both of them in preparation for my trip in a few weeks. The second book identifies a whole series of huts high in the Alps. They're supposed to be spaced a day's hike apart so a serious hiker could stay in such a hut and get a bed and a meal every night.

Also, Interlaken and Grindlewald are very touristy. While you're in the Berner Oberland, then best place to stay if you want to avoid mobs of tourists is Gimmelwald. It has a fantastic hostel. See
http://www.mountainhostel.com/

I see no problem with hiking solo in those hills, as long as you are not trying to ascend the north face of the Eiger, or traverse one of the glaciers length wise.

I suggest that you look first at the website for Lauterbrunnen:
http://www.lauterbrunnen.ch/

Interlaken is NOT a hiking center. It is actually quite a distance from hiking territory except for ascending Schynige Platte from Wilderswil, which is quite a steep, long climb.

There is a youth hostel in Interlaken known as Balmers, which is popular with the packing crowd.

Lauterbrunnen also has a youth hostel located just off the main street. You can find more details in the website listing.

There is also a place in Lauterbrunnen known as Camping Jungfrau located about 2 K south of the train station. I do not know if this place provides tents or not.

Gimmelwald is one location where there is budget sleeping -- so called sleep in the straw, where you curl up in a barn.

Grindelwald is a busy place. I am not sure going there would help achieve your objective of avoiding touristy places.

Grindelwald is a base for going higher and farther, but only a few trails leading to the heights originate in Grindelwald.

I suggest you get a copy of The Berner Oberland, A Walking Guide, by Kev Reynolds. You will need to search for it, but copies are still around. It is a very good, if not excellent, comprehensive guide to the area.

At higher elevations there are several hiker shelters that are staffed during the hiking season. These shelters are often called "huts" but that can be something of a misnomer because the so-called huts are in some cases 3 story buildings.

There are a few sleeping places of the low cost variety near Grindelwald. Unfortunately, I looked at the website for Grindelwald, and I saw not one youth hostel listed.

You can also find a reference to some of the mountain huts, such as the Rostock Hut. But even these mountain shelters are not cheap, like 29 chf per night.

the Rostockhütte is attended. I learned a little more about it. The first fee I cited is not current. Here is what the current website says:
menus on request)

Simple lodging in 4 dormitories (8, 10, 12 and 20 beds) Prices including evening meal, overnight and breakfast

* Simple hut menu: SFr. 49.- (34 € selon cours)
* Gourmet menu: SFr. 59.- (42 € selon cours)

The hut is attended from beginning of june till end september

http://www.rotstockhutte.ch/ang/offre.html

If you read German, here is where you can find a complete list of mountain facilities. Bear in mind, some of these are hard to reach. the Rostock Hut is fairly easy to reach.

http://www.vs-wallis.ch/bern/huetverz/main-be.html