Bernese Oberland

Arrive in Switzerland, and transfer by train and then Swiss Post bus to Schwarzwaldalp Inn. We’ll have the option of a short trail run after arriving. We’ll then meet for a drink and briefing, and enjoy our first dinner together. Waterfalls and imposing mountains watch over us in this relaxing corner of the Alps. We’ll stay in a friendly, rustic inn with private rooms and shared bathrooms.

After a hearty breakfast, we’ll complete the run over high Grosse Scheidegg pass and enjoy our first views of the Eiger and of the Grindelwald valley. With 10,000 vertical feet separating valley from peak, Grindelwald sits at the base of one of the most impressive vertical mountain walls in the world. After reaching the pass, we’ll traverse the upper reaches of the valley to the postcard-perfect Bachsee Lake before winding down on quiet trails to the glacier village of Grindelwald and our lovely three-star hotel in town.

We’ll kick things off with a trail run high above Grindelwald. We’ll contour along the scenic ridge opposite the Eiger, where huge mountain views to the south are balanced by stunning views down to the Thun and Brienz lakes just north of us. Return to Grindelwald for a second night. Dinner will be on our own tonight, giving each of us a chance to roam the town and explore.

On our tour starting on July 30th, today will be Swiss National Day- Switzerland’s annual patriotic day of celebration, and we’ll enjoy the festivities throughout the day!

From Grindelwald, we’ll run up to the Kleine Scheidegg pass, directly under the Eiger itself. The Eiger’s massive North Face dominates a landscape that includes many stunning peaks and glaciers. We’ll take lesser-known trails through meadows and quiet alp farms as we run to the quaint car-free mountain village of Wengen.

Trail running above the village of Mürren in Switzerland’s Berner Oberland. Mürren is famous for being a village without cars, and only accessible by tram above the Lauterbrunnen Valley. (Photo courtesy of Patitucci Photo.)

Our day features a run between two of the most famous mountain villages in Europe, through one of its most dramatic valleys, and lunch at a high, working alp farm! Starting high in Wengen, we’ll choose our route down to the end of Lauterbrunnen valley, running some of the Jungfrau Marathon route, and taking in the 10 glacier-fed waterfalls that make up Trümmelbach Falls. We’ll drop in at the quiet Stechelberg Alpenhof at the end of the valley, as we watch parapenters descend from the cliffs above. From there, we’ll run up to the working alp farm of Obersteinberg, one of our favorite spots in all the Alps. Then we’ll have the option of a run through woods and past waterfalls, or you can descend to a cable car that takes us up to our comfortable three-star hotel in Mürren.

We’ll take a day to enjoy our perch high above the Lauterbrunnen valley, in the car-free mountain town of Mürren. The trail running possibilities here are practically endless—run high pastures with views over our shoulder of the Jungfrau, to lunch at the classic Rotstockhütte, or enjoy the tram to the top of the Schilthorn and a run back to village, or simply relax with a day with Mürren’s unparalleled cliffside views of the surrounding mountains! In the evening, we’ll enjoy a final celebratory dinner together.

Today we say good-bye to the Bernese Oberland and depart for our post-tour destinations.