and Gspaltenhorn, and the middle ground is fussed with green hills, bare slabs and black shadowed pines.
Much of this backdrop forms part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, the first in the Alps to be granted this status, in recognition of the extraordinary beauty of its landscape.
The Tour of the Jungfrau Region (TJR) makes a journey of around 111km through this area, in a constant adoration of mountain and valley, of lake, river and feathery cascade. And by choosing the most scenic trails and some of the most atmospheric places for an overnight stay, it has all the ingredients to ensure a memorable nine or ten-day trek.
With such an array of iconic mountains as a background, it is no surprise that the Jungfrau Region counts among the most popular of any in the Alps. Since the birth of Alpine tourism in the 18th century, Grindelwald, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen and Mürren have been attracting visitors summer after summer to gaze on this backdrop, to climb its summits or to wander its trails. Over the decades hundreds of kilometres of new footpaths have been created, to join the timeless trails previously known only to local farmers, hunters, traders and crystal gatherers.
To service increasing numbers of visitors, hotels of all grades of luxury have added a kind of sophistication to the busiest of resorts, while more modest (but by no means less welcoming) inns, gasthofs and berghotels continue to provide accommodation and refreshment, often in remote and idyllic locations. Add to these the mountain huts and simple matratzenlagers (dormitories) created to meet the demands of the outdoor fraternity, and it will be clear that the region has a lot going for it!
The route
Beginning at Schynige Platte, the first stage of the TJR follows the classic Faulhornweg by way of the Sägistal, Faulhorn and glorious Bachsee as far as First, the upper station of Europe’s longest gondola lift which links Grindelwald with some of the region’s finest walking opportunities. Practically every step of this first stage enjoys a constantly evolving panorama of bewitching mountain splendour, an introduction upon which it would be impossible to improve.
The route then takes an undulating trail across pastureland to Grosse Scheidegg in the lap of the Wetterhorn, before cutting down the slope towards Grindelwald, but without actually going that far. It is here that the way divides, with one option taking a side trail climbing high above the Upper Grindelwald glacier’s gorge in order to visit the Gleckstein Hut at 2317m, while the original second stage ends at Hotel Wetterhorn midway between Grosse Scheidegg and Grindelwald.
The continuing route retains an ambition to stay high wherever possible, so it cuts across the mouth of the gorge and climbs to a balcony trail easing along the steep flank of the Mattenberg with a bird’s-eye view across to Grindelwald’s hotels. On reaching the end of this balcony, the way divides once more, with one branch striking through the gorge of the Lower Grindelwald glacier and climbing to Berghaus Bäregg, another exciting place in which to spend a night with magnificent views into a vast glacier basin backed by the Fiescherwand. Next day, you leave Bäregg’s lofty eyrie and return downvalley to rejoin the standard route, which crosses the mouth of the gorge, then rises steeply on the south side to gain another balcony path, this time on the lower slopes of the Eiger. Once again, views are impressive and far-reaching.
With Alpiglen within easy reach, the balcony path links up with the popular – and immensely scenic – Eiger Trail, which rises below the mountain’s notorious North Face and continues towards Eigergletscher, where the Jungfraujoch railway burrows into the mountainside. A path climbs onto the right bank lateral moraine of this glacier, and accompanies its drainage below the Jungfrau all the way down to the bed of the Lauterbrunnen Valley in an excessively long and steep – but inspiring – descent that emerges beside the well-known Trümmelbach Falls.
Flanked by towering walls of rock, down which numerous waterfalls spill their rainbows of spray, the Lauterbrunnen Valley is the finest example of a U-shaped, glacier-carved valley in all the Alps, and it marks the midway point of the Tour of the Jungfrau Region.
Of the many visual highlights on the trek to First, the Bachsee is one of the most memorable (Stage 1)
The TJR now wanders past some of these waterfalls on its way to Stechelberg, before entering the secretive upper reaches of the valley. Yet again the trekker is faced with two choices: a long and fairly demanding hike up the east flank towards the unmanned Schmadri Hut, or a much shorter bad weather alternative on the west side of the valley. The two options rejoin at Obersteinberg, after which the TJR climbs over a ridge extending from the Gspaltenhorn which forms the south wall of the deep Sefinental. On one of the toughest stages of the route, the trail continues by ascending the north wall of this tributary valley to finish at the Rotstock Hut, a pleasant manned refuge set among pastures below the Schilthorn.
The west ridge of the Schilthorn (Stage 8)
Known to thousands of tourists who visit the summit each year by cable-car from Mürren, the Schilthorn is a marvellous vantage point from which to study the Jungfrau and its neighbours that flank the Lauterbrunnen Valley. The TJR also visits the summit, but by a ‘sporting route’ along the mountain’s airy west ridge, before descending its east ridge, then dropping to a beautiful jade-green tarn and continuing the descent into the gentle basin of the Blumental, a few minutes’ walk above Mürren. (Should the weather demand you keep off exposed ridges, a much shorter and less demanding alternative avoids the Schilthorn traverse by taking a direct cross-country route to the Blumental.)
The penultimate stage crosses out of the Blumental basin and follows a north-bound trail across rumpled pastures to the Soustal, then continues to the Sulsalp and the little Suls-Lobhorn Hut, with its uninterrupted view of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau turning bronze with the evening alpenglow.
The final section of this scenic trek teeters along a narrow path above the deep Sylertal, crosses a grassy ridge near the Bällehöchst viewpoint, then makes a long winding descent of cattle-grazed pastures into the Saxettal, a lonely valley that drains out at Wilderswil below the Schynige Platte.
Accommodation
There’s no shortage of accommodation on this route, and practically every stage presents several options (see Appendix B). There are hotels, gasthofs, mountain huts and matratzenlagers, mehrbettzimmer(n) (communal dormitories). There are wonderfully romantic berghotels and atmospheric pensions with creaking floors, candlelit dining rooms, gingham curtains and pitchers of water and a basin in the bedrooms reminiscent of Victorian ‘en suite’ facilities! On practically every stage modestly priced dormitories are available and, as meals are provided everywhere, walkers can trek unencumbered by heavy rucksacks.
Accommodation details are given throughout the descriptive text that follows this Introduction, with standard bedrooms and dormitories noted, along with contact telephone numbers and email and website addresses where known. Advance booking is advised, particulary in the height of the summer and at weekends, when accommodation tends to be very busy.
Suggested itineraries
The following itineraries are offered as a planning aid, although a flexible approach is recommended on the actual trek to take account of current conditions. Note that times given do not include rests or photographic delays, for which you should add another 25–50 per cent.
HUT CONVENTIONS
On
