To the Niederhorn and Beyond
🗺️ Overview
Location: Niederhorn, above Lake Thun, near Interlaken
Start Point: Beatenberg (1,150 m)
End Point: Niederhorn summit (1,963 m), optional extension to Burgfeldstand (2,063 m)
Ascent: 970m meters (if hiking from Beatenberg to Burgfeldstand
Duration:
Beatenberg to Niederhorn: ~2 hours
Niederhorn to Burgfeldstand: ~30 minutes (one way)
Return options:
Take the lift down (Magic Pass accepted)
Hike back (~2 hours)
This time, I bring you to the Niederhorn, a mountain towering above Lake Thun, not far from Interlaken.
The hike starts in Beatenberg (1,150 m), right at the base of the lift that takes you up to the Niederhorn. You can get there by car—there’s parking available—but a more scenic option is to start at the lake shore and take the funicular up to Beatenberg. If you choose this route, make sure to stop by the St. Beatus Hölen, located near the funicular parking lot. These caves, with a river flowing through them, are absolutely worth a visit.
From Beatenberg, you have several route options to hike up the mountain. The most direct path, recommended by my app, runs to the right of the lift, but I chose the more scenic ridge path to the left. You begin on a paved road, and after about five minutes, you'll see signs pointing to the Niederhorn. The trail is well-marked and climbs steadily.
The highlight of the hike came early on: a steinbok (ibex) stood right in the middle of the path as I arrived! I followed it for about five magical minutes—I've never been so close to one before.
The first part of the trail winds through a forest and after 1h30 it brings you up to around 1,750 meters. From there, you start to emerge from the trees and catch glimpses of the lake below the cliffs on the mountain’s far side. After another 15 minutes, you’ll reach the mountain restaurant at the top of the lift. Not far from there is the Niederhorn summit (1,963 m), equipped with benches and picnic tables.
But that wasn’t enough for me—I continued towards Burgfeldstand, a nearby peak about 1 km away. The trail follows a broad ridge that undulates gently. While it’s usually a simple walk, there was still snow on the trail when I went, which made it a bit tricky in places. After about 30 minutes, I arrived at Burgfeldstand (2,063 m).
From there, the view opens up completely: you can see both Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, as well as some of the most famous Alpine peaks—the Eiger, Jungfrau, and even the Finsteraarhorn (4,274 m), the highest peak in the canton of Bern.
I returned to Niederhorn in about half an hour and took the lift back down to the parking lot, making good use of my Magic Pass. Another option would be to hike down on foot from the other side of the mountain, which takes about 2 hours.
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