Explore Gantrisch Nature Park: 5 hikes for the whole family

In this post, I have put together a selection of 5 trails in Naturpark Gantrisch that are worth a trip. Whether you have a beginner hiker in the family, you want to go with a stroller or you are tempted by a more challenging hike, these 5 trails will definitely give you something to choose from.

Gantrisch Nature Park

Gantrisch is not only a mountain in the Bernese Oberland but also the name of a regional nature park. The Gantrisch Nature Park covers an area of 400m2 in an imaginary triangle formed by the towns of Bern, Thun, and Fribourg and includes 19 municipalities from the canton of Bern and one from the canton of Fribourg. In 2012, the park was certified as a regional nature park of national importance. The entire area around Gantrisch and Gurnigel is a popular hiking, walking, and skiing area.

NOTE: all headings are “clickable” so you can click on them to get a detailed description of the trip.

Häxewääg Schwarzsee

The most famous water body of the Gantrisch Nature Park is the Schwarzsee, aka the Black Lake. The Häxewääg, or Witch’s Trail, runs around it. During the walk around the lake, children will meet several fairy-tale inhabitants of the place (dragon, monk, night rider, Muggi the elf, etc.) and they will also reach the witch’s cottage.

Route length: 5.3 km

Loop trail: YES

Suitable for strollers: YES (but you can’t get to the waterfall with a stroller).

Lake Schwarzsee from a different perspective

We will stay at the Schwarzsee lake for a while, but a more difficult hike along the forested ridge awaits us, up to the top of Fuchses Schwyberg. From here you will have a beautiful view of the 1.4km long and 500m wide lake.

Route length: 9.7 km

Loop trail: YES

Suitable for strollers: NO

Family theme trail over the Gäggersteg

In the middle of the Gantrisch Nature Park, you can take your children on the three-kilometer-long Wind, Wald und Wurzeln (Wind, forest and roots) theme trail, which is guided by a guy called “Wild Türst”. The route also leads over the wooden footbridge Gäggersteg, which runs through and over the landscape that was devastated by Storm Lothar in 1999.

Route length: 3 km

Loop trail: YES

Suitable for strollers: NO

Along the nature trail to the Grasburg ruin

From the village of Schwarzenburg, you can go to the castle ruins, on the way you will also go through a nature trail about the local nature. The original wooden castle stood on a promontory above the river Sense as early as the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. It was then rebuilt in stone and gradually expanded. You can see its appearance in the 1500s and its current state on the plaque.

Route length: 6 km

Loop trail: YES

Suitable for strollers: YES (you can manage with an all-terrain pushchair across the meadow, but you have to leave it parked under the castle as there are steps up).

On the Gantrisch Loop Trail

The best (and probably the most challenging) at the end. A route for those who like to climb a big hill. This loop hike leads from the Gurnigel (1,584 m) along a route over two mountain passes, the Leiterenpass and the Morgetenpass, past the 2,175 m high Gantrisch peak.

Route length: 8.8 km

Loop trail: YES

Suitable for strollers: NO

I hope you enjoyed my list of hikes in Naturpark Gantrisch. If you have a favorite, let me know in the comments! And don’t forget to share this article with others or save it on Pinterest!

Categories: hiking, The best of canton Bern
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Hana Hurábová

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