The hike on the Via Alpina from Adelboden over Hahnenmoospass to Lenk is only suited for advanced hikers. It is 14km long and takes you 700 meters uphill and 920 meters downhill. It took us about 5 hours to complete. On this hike you will cross Hahnenmoospass, one of Via Alpina’s 14 mountain passes. Enjoy fantastic views of Wildstrubel mountain and the Plaine Morte glacier.
+700m -920m
5:00 hours
14km
Advanced
Matthias looking at Wildstrubel mountain from Flowertrail in Adelboden, Switzerland. Below him Gleis and the Via Alpina trail.
Our experience hiking the Via Alpina from Adelboden over Hahnenmoospass to Lenk
We hiked on the Via Alpina from Adelboden over Hahnenmoos mountain pass to Lenk in June 2020. The hike offers stunning views to Wildstrubel mountain and Plaine Morte glacier. We watched model airplanes hover in the sky on Hahnenmoospass; had lunch with a view at restaurant Bühlberg; and fell in love with the village of Lenk. Below we will also tell you about an alternative route which we liked better then the official Via Alpina trail. Read more about our hike on the Via Alpina from Adelboden to Lenk below.
Hiking on the Via Alpina from Adelboden to Hahnenmoospass
We relaxed for 2 days in Adelboden. Unfortunately, I caught a sunburn while relaxing in the sun and felt pretty exhausted. Luckily, this hike on the Via Alpina is relatively easy. For the first hour we walked along a small river called Allebach. From Bergläger (1486m) the hike gets more interesting. The path turns into a natural trail that brings you through a forrest to Geils (1707m).
Swiss farm on the Via Alpina. Wildstrubel mountain on the left and views to Plaine Morte Glacier.
The best views of Wildstrubel mountain and the Plaine Morte glacier
From Geils another asphalt road leads through a moorland landscape to Hahnemoospass. Watch out: Downhill scootering is the thing tourists do here, so better walk on the right side of the road. On the pass we got impressive views of Wildstrubel and south to the Plaine Morte Glacier.
Solène’s Dine Pairing
Lunch at restaurant Bühlberg by Lenkerhof in Lenk
“The desserts at and the view from restaurant Bühlberg are unforgettable. Dining with a view must have been invented here.”
Hahnenmoospass: Model airplanes hovering in the sky
The Hahnemoospass is the place to be if you are into model airplanes. When we were there the après ski hut was converted into a storage room for model airplanes. We took a break and watched the mostly older men fly their model airplanes in the sky.
Model airplanes on Hahnenmoospass, Adelboden, Switzerland
A lunch with a view in restaurant Bühlberg
The walk from Hahnenmoospass to Bühlberg is lovely. Right before Bühl, we reached Restaurant Bühlberg. From it’s terrace we soaked in the full panoramic view: Wildstrubel and Plaine Morte glacier on the left; Simmental valley on the right. We could also spot our next goal on the Via Alpina: the Trüttlisbergpass. No thinking of tomorrow though: we relaxed in the shade, had a big dessert and soaked in the views. What a nice place!
Great views to the Swiss Alps from restaurant Bühlberg in Lenk, Switzerland.
A traditional Swiss village called Lenk
The last part of this hike is all downhill to the village of Lenk. For those who don’t like to walk downhill, you can skip this leg and take the bus from Bühlberg. The trail lead us along holiday houses on the sunny side of the valley to the village of Lenk, where we finally checked into our hotel.
Fondue pots in a cheese store in Lenk village.
Hiking from Lenk to Adelboden
Obviously, this hike can also be done the other way around. Here your starting point is the village of Lenk. From Lenk, hike up to Bühlberg. If you want a shortcut, take the bus from Lenk train station to Bühlberg. From Bühlberg you hike up to Hahnenmospass. From Hahnenmoospass, hike to Gleis. If you want to avoid the hike on the asphalt road from the pass to Gleis, take the cable car or a downhill scooter. For hikers who want to call it a day, take the bus from Gleis to Adelboden. For everyone else, continue your hike downhill through a beautiful forest to Bettlägern. From there, you can either take the cable car to Adelboden Oye or hike to the village. Congratulations, you just hiked from Lenk to Adelboden!
Hike-Tip in Adelboden
Flowertrail: Sillerenbuehl to Hahnenmoospass
Some asphalt roads in the first part of this hike tempered our enthusiasm. With the following tip, you can spice up the hiking experience.
Hike from Adelboden to Berglägern on the Via Alpina. From Berglägern take the cable car to Sillerebuehl. A mountain path leads to from Sillerebuehl to Hahnenmosspass. The trail is called the “flower trail” (in German: Blumenweg). It offers scenic views of Wildstrubel mountain and you don’t have to walk on paved roads.
Practical information
Prepare your hike on the Via Alpina from Adelboden to Lenk
Get to Adelboden by train and bus from anywhere in Switzerland. Look up connections directly on the site of Swiss National Railway (SBB) by typing in the starting point Adelboden as the destination.
On the site of SwitzerlandMobility you can download an altitude profile and find a map of the hike.
We stayed 2 nights in Adelboden to try out 2 different hotels. Hotel Revier in Adelboden just opened the week before we were there. It offers simple rooms with huge windows and hipster vibe in the Alps.
We also stayed a night at the Cambrian . It’s well known for the outdoor pool. We loved the food and the beds. We never slept better on the Via Alpina!
In Lenk we stayed at the Hotel Sternen. While the house looks old from the outside the owner refurbished the rooms. The apartment-like rooms come with modern design furniture and a big TV. One of the rooms even has a bathtube with bubbles. Solène loved it.
Matthias bezeichnet sich selbst als Gourmet-Wanderer: Seiner Meinung nach geht nichts über ein feines Essen nach einem Wandertag. Auf Hike&Dine möchte er seine schönsten Erlebnisse in den Schweizer Alpen mit Ihnen teilen.
Matthias calls himself a gourmet hiker: in his opinion, nothing beats a delicious meal after a day of hiking. On Hike&Dine he wants to share his favourite experiences in the Swiss Alps with you.
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