Bachalpsee or Lake Bachalp is a 6 km or 4-mile roundtrip hike to a stunning alpine lake above Grindelwald Village in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland, Jungfrau Region.
This trail is an easy hike with only 100 meters (330 feet) of elevation gain and it’s definitely one of the best hikes in Grindelwald. The hiking trail is best used from May to October before the trail is covered in deep snow during winter.
We did the Bachalpsee hike in early October and the trail was already covered in snow and the lake was frozen over.
In this post, I’m going to share how to hike Bachalpsee Lake in Switzerland, including a trail summary, how to get to Lake Balchalp, and how to check current weather conditions.
Hike Lake Bachalp in Switzerland
Distance: 4 miles (6 km) roundtrip
Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Elevation Gain: 330 feet (100m)
Difficulty: Easy
NOTE: Sometimes the Bachalp Lake trail is closed. Check to see the latest trail status here.
Grindelwald Hiking Map
Take a look at the Grindelwald hiking map to help you plan your Bachalpsee Lake hike.
Bachalpsee Weather & Webcam
Before heading out, check the current Bachalpsee weather. You can also view the Bachalpsee webcam at the top of Grindelwald First. This will help you decide when to go.
How to get to Lake Bachalp from Grindelwald
Bachalp Lake is located at the top of Grindelwald Village in the Swiss Alps. In order to get to the trailhead from Grindelwald you will have to take the gondola up. You could also hike from Grindelwald if you wanted to add some additional miles.
Grindelwald to Grindelwald First
To reach Grindelwald First from Grindelwald, you will have to ride the 25-minute Firstbahn gondola from the Grindelwald gondola lift station. It costs 64 CHF before any discounts.
Interlaken to Grindelwald
To get to Grindelwald from Interlaken, you’ll want to take the train from Interlaken Ost and get off at the Grindelwald Village stop. The train ride takes less than 35 minutes and costs 19.60 CHF roundtrip with an Interlaken Guest Card.
Plan your trip to Interlaken: 3 Day Interlaken Switzerland Itinerary
Lake Bachalp Trailhead
The Lake Bachalp Trailhead starts from Grindelwald First. The trail is a wide gravel path and easy to follow all of the way.
Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee
The Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee hike follows a well-maintained trail for 3km (2 miles) to reach Lake Bachalp or Bachalpsee. It will take you less than an hour to reach this beautiful alpine lake.
If you hike on a clear day, you will be rewarded with a lovely mirror reflection on the lake with the incredible Swiss mountains in the distance.
Unfortunately, the weather was wet, snowy, and cloudy for us. But, it was still stunning. We hiked to the lake in early October and I didn’t expect to be hiking in the snow! We got to experience Bachalpsee in winter.
The trail starts as an uphill climb but quickly levels out. It was partially covered and it was actually a bit slippery in some areas that froze over. I recommend being prepared by wearing shoes with good traction.
First to Bachalpsee Mountain Huts
After hiking a short distance, we made it to a mountain hut. The Gummi Hütte is one of the shelters on the First-Bachalpsee-Faulhorn trail in the Swiss Alps. It sits at an elevation of 2262 meters.
We continued hiking along Bachalpsee Lake Trail until we reached the Bachalpsee Hutte (not actually sure if this is the correct name). This hut sits at the base of the lake at an elevation of 2,265 meters.
Reaching Bachalpsee (Lake Bachalp)
After reaching Lake Bachalp in less than an hour, we decided to continue along the trail around the lake to get to a higher vantage point that overlooks the lake.
It ended up adding 0.5 miles and 150 feet in elevation gain to our hike. I’m glad we did this because the views of the lake were much more appreciated up here while the weather was socked in.
We finished the hike in 2 hours and 15 minutes. My app tracked 4.67 miles distance and 1,099 feet in elevation.
After we hiked, we decided to follow the First Cliff Walk and ended up inside Berggasthaus First to warm up and dry off.
We ordered burgers and beer inside the First Mountain Restaurant. Everything was delicious, especially after hiking in the cold, wet snow.
Bachalpsee Connecting Hikes
If you want to go on a longer hike, you can continue hiking from Bachalpsee to Faulhorn Mountain (2,681 meters). It’s 11.1 km roundtrip from Grindelwald First with 530 meters in elevation. You can also tour the Jungfrau Region and hike to Schynige Platte from First.
Happy hiking!
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Do you have any questions about hiking Bachalpsee Lake in Switzerland? Let me know in the comments.
