Bern Canton, Kandersteg
Distance: 9.80 km.
Walking time: 2h 20 min, but other sites suggest 3h.
Elevation gain: 70 m.
Access: Car or bus.
Parking OPTION 1: Drive through the mountain road up to the start of the hike in Gasterntal. Parking is at 46.467549, 7.662074 or at 46.464118, 7.661807. The road can be accessed only at specific times every hour. The timetable for opening the road in either direction is available here. There is a payment for accessing this road, you can check the up-to-date fares here.
Parking OPTION 2: Drive until the mountain road and park at 46.474674, 7.660648 in Kandersteg. Take the bus until the start of the walk. Bus timetable is available here and the up-to-date fares are here. Booking the bus is mandatory.
Mountain road:
A dirt road, which is a single lane without an opportunity for passing a car from an opposite direction. This is the reason for the time schedule for accessing it. There is a cliff on both sides of the road and it may seem like a crazy or a little scary road to drive on. The road is fully closed for a large part of the year and in 2020 it reopened in mid-May until mid-November.
What a beautiful day trip it was! We didn't know what to expect from the mountain road up to the valley and it was quite a nice surprise to see how beautiful and crazy it was. Nearby Gasterntal parking, there is a restaurant and hotel Berghotel Waldhaus with stunning views at the valley and the surrounding mountains. Our son had fun playing at their playground and making friends with the cows next to the chalet; while we enjoyed some craft beer from Adelboden. The river bank (mainly stones) seems easily accessible and many people would stop there for a picnic (including us!). There are also a few points with picnic benches and BBQ spots. We came across a number of dog walkers, lots of kids, a few prams and babies in their carriers.
There are a few options for walking routes around the valley. We started with the hiking route (yellow) and later followed the road back (green). The road is a dirt / gravel road and the hiking path is mainly made of small gravel and at one section it is a softer, forest way. Before starting this walk, we struggled to find hiking maps for this area online. There is an information board with maps located at the main Gasterntal parking, but you can also refer to the pictures in the gallery below:
Left: Gasterntal valley routes.
Right: Links to multi-day hiking routes.
Majority of the pathway we took was flat and the small ascent started before the return way. The route started on quite a wide gravel, dirt path between meadows and trees. Shortly, it started following the river until reaching a bigger (second) bridge with stunning views. However, once we passed the bridge, there was a small section where we struggled driving the pram because of the tree roots and large stones. The section didn't last long but you should be aware of it if you would like to take your pram along. From there, the forest path was at the edge of the river bank and forest on the other side. Around the third bridge, the way turned back into a dirt road with access for cars. It followed close by the river bank and between the trees. The views were slightly different than from the road we started with. Different sections of the road open up to views, which were covered by trees on the other path; and vice versa. Later, the road changed from full dirt road to partial tarmac. The annoying part of walking on the road was that some cars would pass by creating some flying dust around.
There is a possibility of not leaving your car at the main parking, driving through the dirt road and parking off the road at multiple places. We came across a number of families doing that - taking a lot of picnic equipment, parking off the road and settling in at the river bank close to their car.
This hike is a part of large multi-day hiking pathway, which could also be fun for adults and kids! Please refer to the maps above for more details.
Kandersteg valley offers many beautiful walks and spots to visit. You can read about our hike to Oeschinensee lake here.
Our GPS was at fault with elevation gain when tracking our route, therefore the GPX file and elevation profile are not available for this walk.
More information about this hike can be found on SchweizMobil website here.
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