Bachalpsee Sunrise Hike, Switzerland

The hike to Bachalpsee is probably one of the most classic sunrise hikes in the Bernese Alps. On windless they, you can enjoy a perfect mirror-like refection of the Bernese Alps in the waters of the lake, bathing in the warm morning light.

Bachalpsee.

Located at an altitude of 2,265 meters, Bachalpsee offers fantastic panoramic views of some of the major peaks in the Bernese Olberland. Above all, the Schreckhorn, Wetterhorn and the Finisteraarhorn.

As a day-hike, you can easily reach Bachalpsee from the mountain station of the Grindelwald-First cable car station. From there, it’s an easy 3.4 km hike to Bachalpsse, with minimal elevation gain.

Mount Schreckhorn reflecting in Bachalpsee at Sunrise.

However, the cable car does not open until well past sunrise, so if you want to catch sunrise at Bachalpsee, you either need to hike from Grindelwald or book one of the two huts up on the mountain (Wildcamping is prohibited).

While the hike from Grindelwald to Bachalpsee is quite long with a considerable elevation gain, the trails are well-maintained, so it is easily doable with a good headlamp if you are used to hiking similar distances.

Table of Contents

Overview of the Bachalpsee Sunrise Hike, Map & GPX

There actually are two ways to hike to Bachalpsee for Sunrise.

• Directly from Grindelwald, which is what I did
• Book a night at one of the huts in the mountains near the lake, at either the First Berggasthaus or at the Berghotel Faulhorn.

From Grindelwald it’s a 3/4 hours hike, 20+km, with more than 1,200 meters of elevation gain just to get to the lake. Best to leave 4 hours before sunrise. The hike isn’t really difficult, but it’s constantly steep, so it’s quite heavy on the legs.

From either the First Berggasthaus or at the Berghotel Faulhorn, it’s a much shorter hike with negligible elevation gain. Account for about an hour. A little more or a little less, depending on pace.

So what’s the benefit of hiking the 10 km one way from Grindelwald vs staying up on the mountain? Flexibility. By that I mean if you are in the area for a few days, you can spontaneously do the hike the day the weather looks best. If you book a night up the mountain, you might get lucky, or you may not.

And, if you do not feel like walking back down, you can still take the First cable car back to Grindelwald.

Here is the map of the hike. You can also download the GPX file for free from the activity linked below.

How to Get to the Bachalpsee Trailhead and Parking

While the hike is relatively long, it’s doable for sunrise even from a nearby town. For instance, I drove from Lucerne, which is about 1.5 hours of driving, and drove back after the hike.

The benefit of driving to Grindelwald in the middle of the night is that you won’t have issues finding a parking spot.

• Driving Directions: If you are driving by car, you will initially have to drive toward Interlaken, which is where the nearest highway is. From Interlaken, follow the exit for Lauterbrunnen/Wengen/Grindelwald. From the exit, it takes about 25-30 minutes to reach Grindelwald. It’s a normal two-lane road, so not one of those narrow, sketchy single-lane mountain roads.
• Parking: There are several parking areas in Grindelwald. I parked a the Pfingstegg parking area, which is quite close to the trailhead. You can also try the Grindelwald Firstbahn parking if you can find a spot there. Otherwise, you can follow the signs for other parking areas in town.
• Public Transport: You can easily reach Grindelwald by train from nearby towns, i.e., Interlaken. Realistically, however, public transport is an option only if you are planning to do this as a day hike.

From Grindelwald, the trail meanders through typical houses and farms.

Hiking from Grindelwald to Bachalpsee – at Night and During the Day

I did this hike at night on the way up and in the morning on the way down, so I’ll describe what to expect for both.

Hiking to Bachalpsee at Night

If you are doing the hike for sunrise from Grindelwald, you’ll reach the lake around first twilight. That means you’ll pretty much see only the light from your headlamp for most of the 3–4 hour push up the mountain.

Hiking to Bachalpsee at night – around 4:30 AM.

However, if the sky is clear and there is no moon, you will enjoy views of an incredible starry sky. While the area isn’t totally free of light pollution—Grindelwald is a relatively big mountain village—the night sky can be incredible. I stopped multiple times and turned my headlamp off just to watch the stars.

Without a moon, it is a long, steady climb in the dark. If the moon is out, on the other hand, you will likely be able to enjoy views of the Schreckhorn, Wetterhorn, and Eiger bathed in moonlight.

In case you are wondering, I saw no wild animals at night. While there will be some foxes and birds making noises, it is a relatively built-up area for the mountains, so wildlife density probably isn’t as high as in places with less human activity.

The first light should hit as you approach the lake, giving you enough time to find your spot before sunrise. And, of course, Watch the first light hit.

Schrerckhorn and Bachalpsee at Sunrise.

Bachalpsee from Grindelwald during the day

From Grindelwald, it takes a while to walk out of town, following paved roads between old houses and farms. The road is steep right from the start, but the views of the massive north faces behind you are impressive.

For the most part, it’s a hike through pastures, past private mountain huts, and high above Grindelwald. Chances are, the slopes will be active with farmers working in their fields, cutting wood, or carrying out regular day-to-day work on the mountain.

As you hike up, you’ll want to turn back often to soak in the views of the peaks and glacier behind you. Once you reach the Alpinhotel Bort, you’ll have some of the best views of the valley with the mountains towering above it.

To be fair, though, the views are even better on the way down, because the whole valley opens up right in front of you. The last part of the hike after the Alpinhotel Bort is a little easier on the legs. From there, it should take less than two hours to reach the lake.

The very last stretch is a much easier, mostly flat walk. you can follow a narrow road to the north side of the lake, where the best viewpoints are. A place with such views is also a great place to rest for a while and just enjoy the landscape. I did spend a good hour too sitting on a bench near the lake before heading back down.

Bachalpsee Photos and Photography Tips

Sunrise can be a bit of a hit and miss depending on the season. In my case, it was a bit of a miss. I was hoping for clouds with some color to come in by sunrise, but the low-pressure area was late. So no clouds and no color, apart from the golden morning light.

The morning golden hour, however, is ideal for such conditions. With the warm morning light flooding the landscape from the east, and with the breeze calming down before the midday and afternoon winds pick up. Sunset is also a great option if you want to capture the alpenglow on the Schreckhorn and Wetterhorn reflecting in the lake.

The best place to catch some reflections is right by the shores of the lake. You will see some trails leading in that direction; there is plenty of space. I’d recommend continuing up the trail above the lake for a bit, as there are plenty of great viewpoints where you can capture the whole lake and some reflections.

The main and most popular viewpoint is located a little north and higher up, on a dirt road that leads to the Berghotel Faulhorn. The coordinates are: 46.6713, 8.0173.

Since I mentioned starry skies earlier, and if the season and weather allow it, you may want to try to catch the Milky Way from the lake, if you are staying at one of the huts in the area, and if conditions allow it. That was originally my plan for the week prior to my visit, but the weather turned bad, so I had to give that up. But I am mentioning this as something you may want to look into if you’re planning a visit to Bachalpsee. I’ll definitely try that again.

In terms of lenses, you do not need to go very wide; 24mm is too wide already for my tastes, as the mountains and their reflection will look tiny. Most of the photos in this post were actually taken between 28mm and 35-40, full frame. A Longer lens, will allow you to capture a better “portrait of the mountains, especially the Schreckhorn.

Mt. Schreckhorn

Where to Stay

Wildcamping/Bivouacking at Bachalpsee is forbidden. Fines can go up to the thousands, so if you want to spend the night in the mountains, you can do so either at the First Berggasthaus or at the Berghotel Faulhorn.

Alternatively, there is another hotel halfway up the mountain, Alpinhotel Bort. If you stay there, you’d have both fantastic views and a good chunk of the elevation gain already behind you.

And of course, Grindelwald has no shortage of accommodations, and it’s a good place to spend a few days at to do other hikes in the area.

Additional Resources

• For a more challenging hike in Grindelwald, I can recommend the Upper Grindelwald Glacier Hike.
• For a comprehensive overview of Hikes in Switzerland, check out my main Switzerland page.