Hiking the Via Alpina: Griesalp to Blüemlisalphütte

Overview

Hike from Griesalp – Hohtürli – Blüemlisalphütte

Griesalp (1408m) – Obere Bundalp (1840m) – Hohtürli – Blüemlisalphütte (2774m)

The hike from Griesalp to Blüemlisalphütte is suited for expert hikers only as it’s very steep. The hike is 6 km long and takes you 1462 meters uphill and 25 meters downhill. It took us about 5 hours to complete. It starts on the Griesalp and ends in the Blüemlisalphütte. This hike is considered the “kings leg” of the Via Alpina as it offers amazing views over the Swiss Alps.

5h

6km

+1470m
-25m

Expert

Map

GPX

No

4/5

Best view from Hohtürli - Blüemlisalphütte over the Swiss Alps
Best view from Hohtürli – Blüemlisalphütte over the Swiss Alps

Free interactive Map of the hike from Griesalp to Blüemlisalphütte

If you click on the icons above you can look at a free map of the hike from Griesalp to Blüemlisalphütte. You can also download a GPX file of the hike that you can then use with your phone or smartwatch. Find here an interactive map of the hike to Blüemlisalphütte.

Our experience hiking the Via Alpina from Griesalp to Blüemlisalphütte

We hiked on the Via Alpina from Griesalp to Blüemlisalphütte in July 2021. We had to leave this leg out due to bad weather when we hiked the Via Alpina back in 2020. The hike to Blüemlisalphütte is the so-called “King’s leg” of the Via Alpina in Switzerland. While we liked the views, read in the paragraphs below what we missed on this hike

Out of the Forrest: View to the valley on the way to Blüemlisalphütte
Out of the Forrest: View to the valley on the way to Blüemlisalphütte

Leaving Griesalp early for Blüemslisalphütte

We spent the night at Hotel Waldrand on Pochtenalp and got up. We planed to avoid the tourists arriving on Griesalp with the “post auto” (a bus) from 9 am onwards and left at around 8 am. We walked by the Griesalp hotels. The signpost directed us uphill. 10 minutes later we walked through a beautiful forest. It was a very nice morning, we were the only people. We heard birds chirping and the sun shone through the woods.

Hiking uphill to Obere Bundalp

After a while, we left the forest. To our feet lay a beautiful alp. On the left, we saw the hiking path from Sefinenfurgge to Griesalp. Our path took us more uphill, through another forest along a small river. Unfortunately, the weather changes, and where we saw blue skies were suddenly dark clouds. A hill later we arrived at the restaurant Obere Bundalp where we took a break.

Hohtürli hiking …is climbing

From Obere Bundalp to Hohtürli it’s all uphill. For the first hour, we walked on a Zick-zack trail uphill on a rocky path. Surrounded by clouds, we lost every sense of height. We really didn’t like this path and were quite disappointed, to be honest. It’s not a “nice” hike, but it’s more of an exercise almost every Swiss does once in a lifetime – so did we.

Matthias is stretching during the hike from Griesalp to Hohtürli - Blüemlisalphütte
Matthias is stretching during the hike from Griesalp to Hohtürli – Blüemlisalphütte

When we thought that the worst was over, we stood in front of a snowfield. Cautiously, we walked over it. Luckily, we were not the first people that they and followed the tracks that other people left. We finally got some ground and the weather was changing, too. We could look back down to Griesalp and realized how far up we have come. But the worst was still ahead – we just did not know.

Hiking stairs to Hohtürli

For a moment the small path took us along a rock. We enjoyed the amazing views to our left. At times, the path got really steep so there were chains we held on to. And then we saw stairs ahead. Many. Checking the GPX on our phone we realized that we had about. 45 minutes of stair walking ahead. We closed our eyes and hiked on.

Arriving on Hohtürli

For the last 15 minutes, we had to hold onto a rope and walked along a snowfield. It wasn’t easy. The air up here was thin and we were both breathing as we were running a marathon. After 5 hours, we stood on Hohtürli! What a great feeling!! We looked back at the stairs on the one side and got a first look at what’s coming next. Not for us though – we booked a bunk bed at Blüemlisalphütte.

We made it to Hohtürli - Blüemlisalphütte
We made it to Hohtürli – Blüemlisalphütte

Blüemlisalphütte, here we are!

From Hohtürli it’s another 10 minutes to Blüemlisalphütte. The Blüemlisalphütte thrones on a rocky hill surrounded by many mountain peaks. It looks impressive indeed. When we arrived, we immediately checked in and put the towels on our bunk beds. After that, we sat on the terrace. Miracle-like, the bad weather disappeared and the sun came back. While we sipped on red wine, we looked out over the mountain peaks of the Swiss Alps.

Cloud lifting, seen from Blüemlisalphütte
Clouds lifting, seen from Blüemlisalphütte

Blüemlisalphütte sunset

We did not move. Instead, we just enjoyed the amazing panoramic view. The clouds flew by and slowly but surely disappear. Dinner time! We sat at one of the tables and ate with other hikers and climbers. Immediately after diner, we went outside and watched the most beautiful sunset over the Swiss Alps ever. Schilthorn, Niesen, and other Swiss mountains light up when the last sunbeams kissed them – and suddenly, it was all worth it!

Sunset from Blüemlisalphütte over the Swiss Alps
Sunset from Blüemlisalphütte over the Swiss Alps

Conclusion: What we think about the hike to Blüemlisalphütte

“I always wanted to do the hike to Blüemlisalphütte and I knew the moment has come. I still underestimated how steep the hike actually is.”

Matthias Meyer

Co-Founder of
Hike&Dine

Co-Founder Hike&Dine

“This hike to Blümlisalphütte was super intense. It was just uphill. Watching the sunset from Blüemlisalphütte made up for the strenuous effort”

Solène Stucker

Co-Founder of
Hike&Dine

Co-Founder Hike&Dine


Hike&Dine Tip

Tip: Hiking Blüemslisalphütte

We know it’s most likely THE Swiss classic hike and we should be full of praise. Don’t get us wrong: we do think it’s worth it. Just be aware that this hike is not a “nice” hike, it’s a strenuous and intense -5 hours uphill hike. We saw many people turn around as they were not in good enough shape. Reasonable! Don’t push yourself. Prepare for this hike weeks before. Don’t let this be your first hike. Also, you have to be swindle-free. Then allocate enough time, bring water and a picnic, book a night at Blüemlisalphütte, and you are set. We recommend not to do the full via Alpina leg from Griesalp to Kandersteg in one day. There is too much to see and also, it’s just way too stressful. Take it easy.

Practical Information

Prepare your hike to Blüemlisalphütte

Get to Griesalp by train and cable car from anywhere in Switzerland. Look up trains and cable cars directly on the site of the Swiss National Railway (SBB) by typing in the starting point and Griesalp as the destination.


Spend a night in Blüemlisalphütte and enjoy a magical night in the Swiss mountains with most likely one of the best views over the Swiss Alps. Pricing and more information can be found here. You can make a reservation on that site as well.

This hike is though and only suited for expert hikers. You must be in great shape.

If all the hotels on Griesalp and Pochtenalp are booked, you can try your luck at Berghaus Obere Bundalp. They have small rooms which are totally ok for a night.

Pack your bags wisely. Bring food and enough water.

As always, check the weather conditions. Make sure if there is no snow on Hohtürli. You can check out the Hohtürli webcam here.

More images from our hike to Blüemlisalphütte

Find here more pictures from our hike from Griesalp to Blüemlisalphütte.

Solène and Matthias in front of the Blüemlisalphütte
Solène and Matthias in front of the Blüemlisalphütte watching the sunset
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