The Hasliberg Panorama Trail, in the Bernese Oberland, offers wonderful views of the high, rugged mountains of the area and the upper Aare Valley. Mostly wooded in the first part of the hike, the second part proceeds, slightly uphill, along villages and residential areas. This allows to interrupt the excursion at any time by taking the bus line that runs along the path and crosses it in several points. Therefore, it's an excursion suitable for everyone that can be done both in winter and in summer. We were there on a sunny Saturday morning and this is the report of our excursion.
We love... Hasliberg!
Located in the heart of Switzerland, between the Brünig, Grosse Scheidegg, Susten and Grimsel passes, Haslital offers many fun and relaxing opportunities for winter sports and outdoor enthusiasts. During the winter, many cable cars and lifts take sports enthusiasts up and down the high plateau, between an altitude of 600 and 2200 meters. Here you can find numerous cross-country skiing and sledding trails and plenty of well-prepared and marked hiking routes, ideal with and without snowshoes.
For this winter hike, we chose to stay a little lower in altitude and hike the Hasliberg Panoramaweg, from Brünig to Hasliberg Reuti. There we found a little less snow than expected but, nevertheless, a fascinating and impressive panorama. So here is our route and some useful tips for you! And for a safe and risk-free winter hike, remember to read our tips at this link!
Hike overview & map
The route we propose is a linear route that starts from the Brünig-Hasliberg train station and, following a prepared path, offers a magnificent view of the imposing mountains surrounding Meiringen. It is an easy route of about 9 km that can be covered in about two hours and forty-five minutes. The trail is well-marked all along the route and runs on well-maintained snowy roads, so just wear good waterproof winter hiking shoes and, if you have an unsteady step, ice crampons to increase grip and decrease the risk of slipping. No picnic areas are available along the route, but you will find plenty of benches for stopping and relaxing. Toilets are available at the beginning of the trail, at the Brünig-Hasliberg train station, and at the end at the ski lifts or the Hotel-restaurant Reuti, where you can also have a good lunch or snack. The path can also be walked in the opposite direction, from Hasliberg Reuti to Brünig-Hasliberg. This is the best solution if you decide to arrive here by car. In this case, to reach Hasliberg Reuti from Meiringen you will have to take the cable car. At this link, finally, you can access some webcams, for a more detailed check of the weather conditions and the state of snow.
- Bernese O.
- Winter
- Easy
- 2:40 h
- 8.7 Km
- 333 m
- Bernese O.
- Winter
- Easy
- 2:40 h
- 8.7 Km
- 333 m
From Brünig, along the forest trail
We reach Brünig on a sunny day at the end of January. The air is fresh and the snow is still soft underfoot. The Brünig-Hasliberg station is small but well organized. If necessary, here you will find the toilets before starting the route and also from here starts the Postbus that leads to Hasliberg Reuti, useful for those who decide to follow the route in the opposite direction. Leaving the station, we follow the road to the left and, just two hundred meters later, we turn left and cross the bridge over the railway. From here, just two hundred meters later, the hiking trail begins. You can’t miss it: the beginning is clearly marked by a wooden sign! The first part of the path, about 1.5 km in slight ascent, develops along charming woods and on snowy and, sometimes, icy paths. We suggest caution and taking your time, stopping from time to time to listen to the silence and peace of the snowy woods. From time to time, if you want to take a break, you will find some benches at the edge of the path. We took the opportunity to take some really fascinating photos, thanks to the peculiar light of the day. In the last two hundred meters, the forest becomes thinner and the horizon opens on some snowy valleys. Here you will find, on your left, a small refrigerator for the purchase of fresh products such as sausages and mountain cheeses, payable in self-service with cash or Twint. A little further on a driveway will cross your path. You will need to cross carefully to pick up the trail on the opposite side of the road. The postbus runs along this driveway to Hasliberg Reuti. We will cross it several times throughout the trail, allowing you easily shorten and interrupt your hike at any time.
Towards the Badesee Hasliberg
On the other side of the road, the trail dives back into the forest for another 800 meters. This section of the trail is also lined with huge rocks left here by the Aare glacier more than 10,000 years ago! Some of them have been decorated with inscriptions and drawings. About one kilometer later, we leave the forest behind us and follow a paved road that crosses the valley. The road is almost completely free of snow, while the panorama around is completely snow-covered and fascinating. Along the path we meet very few people, which makes the whole experience even more fascinating. In the meantime, the sun gets higher and stronger, so we start to remove some clothes. Always remember to wear layers, so that you can easily cover or uncover yourself depending on the climate that you will find in the different moments of the excursion.
We continue along the well-marked road with the usual pink poles for about a kilometer. Here we take a slightly uphill path that, in about 200 meters, leads us to the small village of Hasliberg Hohfluh. Here we cross the road again, where the post bus to Hasliberg Reuti passes.
We take a short break on a bench with a panoramic view and then continue on our way. Starting from here, the trail begins to climb again along roads, some of which are vehicular, that wind along the sides of the mountain. The panorama becomes even more open and fascinating, but the greater exposure to the sun has partly melted the snow along the path. A few more kilometers and we reach the Badesee Hasliberg, a small lake that is swimmable during the summer but that is almost completely frozen in this season. It remains, however, charming.
From Badesee Hasliberg to Reuti
Shortly after the Badesee, the road crosses the village of Hasliberg Wasserwendi. We follow the asphalt road for about 200 meters and turn right onto a narrow side road. The path here is well marked, but be careful because a little further on you will have to cross a ski slope in operation, so be sure to check carefully that there is no one coming before you cross to the other side!
The short section of trail that follows, just 250 meters, requires some caution. It is a narrow and exposed path that runs in the woods. In itself, it doesn’t present any great difficulty, but being rather narrow and exposed and, most importantly, icy in this season, it requires you to pay attention to avoid slipping risks. The path is also slightly downhill, so we suggest, if you brought them with you, to wear ice crampons.
After this short stretch you will quickly return to an easier road path. This way, we start the last section of the hike, which proceeds slightly downhill to Reuti, where we arrive in about thirty minutes.
Return to the valley and to Meiringen
From Hasliberg Reuti the cable cars go up to the higher altitudes of the Haslital. This is also the starting point for the cable car that takes you down into the valley to the center of Meiringen. In Reuti we have a snack at the Hotel Restaurant Reuti and enjoy the sunshine for a while on this unexpectedly warm January day. A little later we take the cable car to the valley.
In Meiringen, while waiting for the time to take the train back home, we enjoy a short walk in the center and a visit to the St Michael Church, an ancient church of the 17th century really fascinating because of its simplicity. As interesting is the high bell tower, which impressed us particularly because of its curious roof. So if you have some free time, we suggest you to visit it just before going back home.
How to get there
Arriving by public transport
Getting to Brünig by public transport is extremely easy: the station Brünig-Hasliberg is served by the Zentralbahn trains that go from Lucerne to Interlaken and vice versa. The arrival station is located along the road that goes through the Brünig Pass. A curious fact: the tracks leading to the station on both sides of the pass are quite steep, which is why all trains arriving here can operate either in a traditional or a cogwheel mode. You will notice this at some point during the trip! We strongly suggest you choose public transportation, because the train ride from Lucerne, which crosses one of the most beautiful alpine landscapes in Switzerland, is an experience in itself. Generally, the trains run every hour in both directions. However, it is possible to check the purchase options and buy tickets through the SBB website or the SBB App, which we recommend you use anyway to check timetables and operation of the lines.
Arriving by car
The route is easily accessible also by car. If you choose to drive, we suggest you follow the signs to Lucerne from Zurich and Basel and then continue to Meiringen and the Brunig Pass. The trip takes about an hour and ten minutes from Zurich (from Lucerne 35 minutes) and an hour and a half from Basel. From Geneva, the fastest way is by Bern, and then on to Thun, Interlaken and Meiringen. The journey takes about two hours and fifty. Finally, from Lugano, we suggest following the A2 to Stans and then continue in the direction of Interlaken. In this case, the journey takes about two hours and a half.
In Brünig-Hasliberg there are not many parking options available, except for a small P+Rail parking area of the Zentralbahn. Then if you really can’t do without a car, we suggest you take this route in the opposite direction and start from Meiringen, where there are plenty of parking options. You can find a map and all the informations at this link (only in german).
Tips
1
The proposed route can easily be done in the opposite direction, a solution that we suggest if you intend to get here by car. In this case, you can park in Meiringen and take the cable car to Hasliberg Reuti. From here you can start your hike to Brünig-Hasliberg, where you will take the train back to Meiringen.
2
The route is also accessible during the summer and is equally fascinating, so take note for the warm season! If you like, you can also have a refreshing swim with a view at the Badesee Hasliberg!
3
In Reuti, at the end of the trail, the Hotel-Restaurant Reuti offers drinks, cakes, ice cream and coffee as well as lunch dishes.
4
Are you planning a hike here and have doubts or questions about this route? Let us know by leaving a comment below and we will get back to you as soon as possible!
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