1 hour from Grindelwald First lies a beautiful, alpine lake. The trail to Lake Bachalpsee is a popular one so if you want to avoid the crowds, start the hike early to have the lake all to yourself. It's about 4.4 miles out and back and about 700 feet elevation gain. The roads are all gravel so bring some good hiking shoes.
AllTrails rates this hike as moderate and I think I agree. It's not hard but the elevation gain paired with already being at a high altitude had me out of breath. But if you're just strolling and enjoying the views, this hike should be a piece of cake.
It starts off at the First gondola station and I'd recommend buying a couple of drinks and snacks from the restaurant before beginning the hike. From there, the views of the meadows and snow-capped mountains were incredible. I kept stopping to take pictures of the same view but from different angles. There are a couple of benches that face the mountains but when we were hiking around noon, most of those were already taken.
When we finally arrived at the lake, there were a lot of others either taking pictures, picnicking around the lake, or dipping their feet in the water. We lucked out and the skies were clear and the blue waters looked so beautiful. And if the waters are still, the reflection of the mountains is gorgeous. This is such a great spot to just chill and relax.
Would highly recommend doing this hike if you're in the area! It would've been nice if we were staying up in the mountains to spread out all of our activities but we had to rush through the hike. I would love to come back and just enjoy the entire area. read more