Are these Jungfrau Region hikes accessible in April/May time?
A traveler named shabu is planning hikes in the Jungfrau region from May 5 to May 16, 2025. They want to know if specific trails and cable car rides will be possible during this time, especially given concerns about rain, snow, and muddy conditions. They will appreciate localized advice for their itinerary.
- Hikes from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg and to Trümmelbach Falls are likely fine, but Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg and Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee may be closed due to snow.
- The Swiss Travel Pass is a great option for unlimited travel on the trains and cable cars, but check maintenance schedules as some may not operate in early May.
- It's smart to stick to well-paved paths during wet conditions, and you can still enjoy scenic walks like the Lauterbrunnen Valley trail.
AI-generated summary-
Hi,
We are planning to do the following hikes in the month of either April or May 2025. We are just normal middle age people. Just want to check whether these hikes are possible in this period. We are mainly concerned about rain, snow and mud.
Thank you
-
Hi shabu,
Would you mind sharing any particular regions or places you are interested in for your hikes. This will help us guide you further.
In the meantime, we have a dedicated hiking section that is full of useful tips and information. Here is the link:
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Hi shabu,
>>> We are planning to do the following hikes in the month of either April or May 2025.
April is generally the tail end of the ski season and May is off-season in the mountains, so many mountain transport services will be closed for maintenance, and many hiking trails will be closed due to unsuitable or unsafe hiking conditions.
There will be some easy hikes and mountain trips you can do, but you will get the best advice if you can be specific about your travel dates and locations so we can guide you towards those that will be open/operating while you are actually there.
Happy planning!
Alpenrose
Hi,
I am really sorry, I have forgotten to paste my travel details here. Please go through it and let us guide whether this is possible in the month of April/May. We are normal middle aged couples.
- Lauterbrunnen to Trummelbach Fall hike
- Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg hike
- Mürren to Gimmelwald hike
- Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg hike
- Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee
and the cable rides we planned are
- Schilthornbahn cable car up to Mürren from Stechelberg
- Wengen to Männlichen
- Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen
- Grindelwald to Grindelwald First
- Brienz Rothorn Bahn
- Zermatt to Gornergrat
Thank you
Hi shabu,
Thank you for providing additional information.
These are the walks you will be able to do, as they are mostly on paved paths.
- Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg
- Lauterbrunnen to Trümmelbach Falls (the same path as the above, but part way)
- Mürren to Gimmelwald
The following hikes will be closed due to snow cover. They typically open for summer hiking around mid-June.
- Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg
- Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee
Cable car rides
- Cable car up to Mürren and the Schilthorn from Stechelberg – Yes
- Wengen to Männlichen cable car – maybe, depending on your dates. The cable car is generally closed for maintenance from early April until late May. The 2024 maintenance dates were 7 April until 24 May and next year will be similar.
- Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen – This is a train, and will be operating
- Grindelwald to Grindelwald First – yes
- Brienz Rothorn Bahn – no. The Brienzer Rothorn train typically reopens after the winter closure in the 2nd week of June.
- Zermatt to Gornergrat – yes, this cogwheel railway will be operating.
Hope this clarifies things for you!
Alpenrose
Hi shabu,
Further to Alpenrose’s very helpful reply.
I attach some trail links that you may find useful too:
- https://www.myswissalps.com/blog/hike-lauterbrunnen-stechelberg/
- https://www.myswissalps.com/blog/hike-grutschalp-murren/
Nearer the time you can also visit our website where you will find the updated operation dates for the cable car rides.
For example for Männlichen, if you nagivate to Operation dates, schedules and timetable, all the necessary information will be displayed.
You can also use the Swiss timetable to research your journeys too.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Yolanda, sorry to cut in on someone else’s question but it is relevant.
We are interested in the Grutschalf to Murren hike in early October. We are definitely beginner hikers, we do lots and lots of walking, but not so much hiking up and down mountains.
From my research this looks “relatively” easy and doable for us, but should we go up from Gruschalp to Murren, or go the other way. Is the scenery best in one direction? I imagine downhill could be tough on knees, but uphill is tough on hearts and lungs!
Thank you, Alpenrose & Yolanda, for the useful information. If you can answer the following questions too, it would be a great help.
Visiting Männlichen is not possible during this time. Am I right?
As the Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg hike is not possible, can you recommend other possible activities in the Wengen area? So far, the only activity planned by us for the day is exploring Wengen village.
As the Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee hike is not possible, can you recommend other activities around Grindelwald for the day?
From the link pasted by Yolanda, I can see hiking trail from Grütschalp to Mürren. Is this gives different scenery to Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg hike? I understand both hikes are nearby route.
Thank you
Hi Deb
>>> We are interested in the Grutschalf to Murren hike in early October. We are definitely beginner hikers, we do lots and lots of walking, but not so much hiking up and down mountains.From my research this looks “relatively” easy and doable for us
There are two hiking paths between Grütschalp and Mürren. One has only gentle inclines. I have done that one in early September, and have attached some pictures to show the views and trail conditions. There is a restaurant with fabulous views at the halfway mark (Winteregg), which is worth a stop for refreshments. You could also decide to hop on the train there for the rest of the way to Mürren.
The other has some steep ascents/descents and is called the Mountain View trail. I haven’t done that one myself, but there is a good description of it here, with pictures. I think good hiking shoes would be needed for that one. It involves an ascent of 492 m over a distance of 5.1 km, so perhaps not quite what you are looking for.
https://swissfamilyfun.com/murren-mountain-view-trail/
>>> should we go up from Gruschalp to Murren, or go the other way. Is the scenery best in one direction?
The scenery is much more majestic in the direction Grütschalp-Mürren, with the mountains in front of you. In either direction though, you get the lovely view across to Wengen perched on its terrace below the incredible Männlichen. I have attached a couple of photos showing the view from the trail when facing towards Grütschalp.
Hope this helps!
Alpenrose
These photos were taken looking back towards Grütschalp.
Hi shabu,
>>> Visiting Männlichen is not possible during this time. Am I right?
Yes, if you are not there while the cable car is operating, you won’t be able to visit the Männlichen.
>>> As the Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg hike is not possible, can you recommend other possible activities in the Wengen area? So far, the only activity planned by us for the day is exploring Wengen village.
There are lots of walks that start from the village of Wengen. Call in to the tourist office (which is located at the valley station of the cable car, just off the main street) and they will give you a map and advice about trail conditions and which walks might suit you.
>>> As the Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee hike is not possible, can you recommend other activities around Grindelwald for the day?
You can go up to First in the gondola and do the cliff walk. Spending some time in the mountain restaurant (or on the terrace enjoying the fabulous views if the weather is suitable) would also be pleasant. You might also like to get off at one or both of the the intermediate stops Bort and Schreckfeld for a bit of a look around. There are also restaurants there.
The Grindelwald Glacier Gorge might also interest you if you are there after it opens. In 2024 that was 1 May.
https://outdoor.ch/en/outdoor-activities/glacier-canyon-grindelwald/#
For a wonderful panoramic trip I can recommend the 34-minute bus up to Bussalp. The views on the way up are phenomenal, and there is a restaurant at the top. You haven’t said specfically when you will be there, but this bus operates from 18 May until 20 October 2024 and next year will be similar.
https://www.grindelwaldbus.ch/en/summer/bussalp
I previously posted some photos here:
https://www.myswissalps.com/community/thread/trip-to-wilderswil-in-september/#post-1199373
>>> From the link pasted by Yolanda, I can see hiking trail from Grütschalp to Mürren. Is this gives different scenery to Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg hike? I understand both hikes are nearby route.
Yes, although both the Grütschalp-Mürren and Lauterbrunnen-Stechelberg walks are more or less parallel to each other, the experience and views are totally different on each walk.
I hope this helps with your planning!
Alpenrose
Hi DebH and shabu,
Very helpful replies and the added extra of the super photos from Alpenrose. Trust all is clarified 🙂
DebH, the walk to visit Trümmelbach Falls is relatively flat, so this an additional option if it is not already on your agenda. Do note, if visiting the actual falls, there are stairs inside that you will need to navigate even there is also a lift at hand.
Shabu, you will find some more ideas in the attached link: https://www.myswissalps.com/region/jungfrau-region/
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thanks so much Alpenrose and Yolanda.
Alpenrose, you mention a gentler route from Grütschalp-Mürren. What is that one called please? I don’t want to take the harder one by mistake. Thanks also for the photos, they are magnificent.
Yolanda, yes we are hoping to walk the Lauterbrunnen valley too, and visit Trümmelbach Falls.
So much to do and only one week to do it!
Hi Deb,
>>> Alpenrose, you mention a gentler route from Grütschalp-Mürren. What is that one called please? I don’t want to take the harder one by mistake.
The gentle trail doesn’t have a name. It’s just signposted “Mürren”, on a plain yellow sign. (Signs with red and white on them signify mountain trails, plain yellow ones signify easy walking trails). Both the gentle trail and the Mountain View trail start off along the same path from Grütschalp station. See the first photo below.
After a short distance, the Mountain View Trail leads off to the right. You just continue walking straight ahead. See the second photo below.
There’s only one track junction that isn’t 100% clear, and it’s just past the Winteregg restaurant and ski lift. There’s a fork in the track, and you take the lower trail (left fork), not the upper trail (right fork). When I did the walk, there were yellow arrows painted on the path, but they won’t necessarily still be there now! See the last photo below.
Hope this helps!
Alpenrose
Hi Alpenrose & Yolanda,
Thank you very much for your detailed replies.
Our travel dates are 5th May 2025 to 16th May 2025.
Regarding Grütschalp to Mürren hike, I checked the photos uploaded by Alpenrose. The root seems muddy at certain areas. Is it a difficult one in our travel time? We don’t wanna carry hiking shoes with us.
Thanks
Hi shabu,
>>> The root seems muddy at certain areas. Is it a difficult one in our travel time? We don’t wanna carry hiking shoes with us
I don’t know what the trail condition will be like in May. I did that walk in early September, and it had probably been raining in the previous few days (before I arrived in the Jungfrau Region (https://www.myswissalps.com/region/jungfrau-region/)).
There were only one or two muddy patches that I remember. Most of the trail has a gravel surface that holds up pretty well after rain.
You can’t rule out rain at any time of the year of course! If it has been raining recently, you can always stick to paved trails e.g. the Lauterbrunnen Valley trail and village paths in Wengen and Mürren.
Alpenrose
Hi Shabu
the information Yolanda and Alpenrose posted is very accurate. I would add this about the Mountain View trail which is one of my favorites and very scenic. Yes it is more difficult than the yellow trail Alpenrose mentioned but it is in my opinion moderately easy to moderate. My wife and I are in our early 70s and had no trouble hiking it. Most all of the elevation gain is at the very beginning and you climb a moderately uphill section for 30- 40 minutes then it is mostly level to gentley rolling. The scenery is spectacular the rest of the way. You state you are used to walking but hesitant about mud and rocks. I will include a photo of the trail and you can see it is well maintained and not rocky. Of course if there is a lot of rain there could be some mud but that will be true of most all trails. I don’t think you need any special hiking shoes as we wore Hoka running shoes and I think any comfortable walking shoe would be fine unless it is very rainy. Attached are 4 photos of the views you can expect.
Mark
Thanks once again Alpenrose. I have saved your information, and we will see how we are feeling on the day as to which one we take.
Thank you Alpenrose, Yolanda, & Mark for your wonderful suggestions. I have made my itinerary for Jungfrau region based on your suggestions and will share it with you in another thread for more discussions.
Meantime, how can I refer this thread easily after few months?
Hi shabu,
If you are wanting to include this thread in another thread, you can find it within your public profile in “started threads”. You can then copy the link and paste.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
- The thread ‘Are these Jungfrau Region hikes accessible in April/May time?’ is closed to new replies.
