Hiking From Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee Alpine Lake

From Mid June to Mid October

Easy Lakeside Hike

Many of you have been asking about Lake Hikes and Easy Hikes – so this one from Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee fits both criteria. It’s very easy but supremely scenic and you can quite easily do it as a day trip. It takes just over 2 hours to get to Grindelwald First from Zurich by car (and almost 3 hours by train) so if you can make a weekend break in the area, even better.

Cable Car from Grindelwald to the Top

From the car park at the First Cable Car Station take the cable car to the top.

Go all the way to the top station and this is where you will find the Peak Walk by Tissot (you can read about it here). It is definitely worth walking along this cliff hugging platform if you have time.

Peak Walk by Tissot at Grindelwald First Viewing Point

Scenic Path

For the hike itself you simply follow the signposts to Bachalpsee. To begin with it is uphill but most of the time the paths are wide and flat and it is very scenic.

When you arrive at the lake you will find lots of people stopping for picnics and if you’re feeling a bit crowded in, then walk a little further to the second lake where you get even better views and there are fewer people.

Picnic at the Lake

After enjoying a lakeside picnic you have the choice of two main options and we have tried both. You can either hike back to Grindelwald First (and go walking on the Peak Walk by Tissot if you didn’t earlier) and take the cable car back down.

If you have time you could also go for a ride on the First Flieger 800m zipline which goes at speeds of up to 84km per hour! Unfortunately the last time I went it was very windy and it wasn’t open – but I’m definitely trying it out next time.

Options From Bort Middle Stage To The Bottom

Alternatively you can hike from Bachalpsee to Bort middle station and either take the cable car down from Bort or do what we did and hire a Trotti down which is great fun.

To get to Bort you need to follow the signs for Bort (path number 4). Please note that the path here is narrower and can be a bit muddy and bumpy – so make sure you have hiking shoes which are ideally waterproof and have a good grip and afterwards you will be going down though the woods where it can be steep in places.

Once you get to Bort you will find a well equipped playground (see photo below) for children to play on and you can decide whether to take the cable car down or to choose the trotti.

Whichever option you choose it makes for a great day out.