--- title: "Steam romance at Brienzer Rothorn" url: "https://www.interlaken.swiss/en/experiences/tour/steam-romance-at-brienzer-rothorn" description: "From Brienz station, one walks briefly westward to the Trachtbach, which devastated part of the village after heavy rainfalls in summer 2005. By the Catholic church, the path follows alongside the stream and ascends uphill. At the Wellenberg bridge, it passes under the track of the Brienz-Rothorn Railway and continues to climb steeply. It winds upwards through many switchbacks—mostly in the forest—quickly ascending. Larger rock blocks testify to landslides that have strongly shaped the landscape. Views of the lake and the opposite mountain ranges delight along the way.At Gäldried, the railway track is crossed. While the rails soon disappear into tunnels, the alpine road leads again through the forest up to Egg. At the height of the former Planalp spa (now a holiday home), the tree line is reached.At the beginning of the 14th century, a Walser colony from the Lötschental was established on Planalp; its origin is attributed to the same resettlement under Johann von Thurn that later settled Lötscher in the rear Lauterbrunnen valley. This is also where the Abplanalp family originates.The path now follows the Mühlibach for a longer stretch. From Greesgi, the path becomes a trail leading along the slope into the Ober Stafel basin. On the ridge, the mountain station of the Rothorn Railway is already visible. The ascent continues in large switchbacks. The newly built (1991) terminal station of the railway, relocated to the mountain ridge for landscape protection reasons, is bypassed eastward, reaching the ridge height by Hotel Rothorn Kulm. Another 15 minutes are needed to the Brienzer Rothorn summit. At the Dreiländerstein, the cantons Bern, Lucerne, and Obwalden meet. The Brienzer Rothorn is also the highest peak on Lucerne soil. The wide panoramic view is one of the most magnificent in the Alpine region and includes, besides the mountains of the Bernese Oberland, large parts of Central Switzerland." language: "en" type: "SportsActivityLocation" image: "https://img.oastatic.com/img2/611410218/max/variant.jpg" breadcrumb: "Root > www.interlaken.swiss/en/ > Experiences > Tour" --- GPX Share Steam romance at Brienzer Rothorn ================================= - 10.59 km long - Difficulty: difficult - Condition: difficult - Hiking Trail - 5:20 h - 10.59 km - 1,778 m - 92 m - 567 m - 2,344 m - 1,777 m - - Start: Brienz - Destination: Brienzer Rothorn **Ascent over meadows, through forest and alpine pastures from one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the Bernese Oberland. Along the way, many points of contact with the Brienz-Rothorn Railway, the last – at least for the most part – still steam-operated cog railway in Switzerland. Constantly changing views of the carver village Brienz, Lake Brienz, the Bödeli near Interlaken, the Haslital valley, and the peaks of the Bernese high Alps. Hard surface only at the end of the hike.** From Brienz station, one walks briefly westward to the Trachtbach, which devastated part of the village after heavy rainfalls in summer 2005. By the Catholic church, the path follows alongside the stream and ascends uphill. At the Wellenberg bridge, it passes under the track of the Brienz-Rothorn Railway and continues to climb steeply. It winds upwards through many switchbacks—mostly in the forest—quickly ascending. Larger rock blocks testify to landslides that have strongly shaped the landscape. Views of the lake and the opposite mountain ranges delight along the way. At Gäldried, the railway track is crossed. While the rails soon disappear into tunnels, the alpine road leads again through the forest up to Egg. At the height of the former Planalp spa (now a holiday home), the tree line is reached. At the beginning of the 14th century, a Walser colony from the Lötschental was established on Planalp; its origin is attributed to the same resettlement under Johann von Thurn that later settled Lötscher in the rear Lauterbrunnen valley. This is also where the Abplanalp family originates. The path now follows the Mühlibach for a longer stretch. From Greesgi, the path becomes a trail leading along the slope into the Ober Stafel basin. On the ridge, the mountain station of the Rothorn Railway is already visible. The ascent continues in large switchbacks. The newly built (1991) terminal station of the railway, relocated to the mountain ridge for landscape protection reasons, is bypassed eastward, reaching the ridge height by Hotel Rothorn Kulm. Another 15 minutes are needed to the Brienzer Rothorn summit. At the Dreiländerstein, the cantons Bern, Lucerne, and Obwalden meet. The Brienzer Rothorn is also the highest peak on Lucerne soil. The wide panoramic view is one of the most magnificent in the Alpine region and includes, besides the mountains of the Bernese Oberland, large parts of Central Switzerland. Read more Berner Wanderwege Good to know ------------ Pavements Street (2%) Asphalt (6%) Path (66%) Trail (26%) Best to visit suitable Depends on weather - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec Directions Brienz - Gäldried - Planalp - Greesgi - Brienzer Rothorn Read more Equipment We recommend the following equipment: sturdy mountain boots, medium-sized backpack with hip belt, sun protection, rainwear, hiking poles, pocket first aid kit, picnic, sufficient fluids, mobile phone. Read more Directions & Parking facilities **Public transportation** Outbound journey: By Zentralbahn from Interlaken Ost or Lucerne to Brienz. Return journey: By Brienz Rothorn Railway to Brienz. Continue with the Zentralbahn. Read more Additional information Bern Hiking Association, Bern, Tel.: 031 340 01 01, E-Mail: info@beww.ch, Homepage: www.bernerwanderwege.ch Read more Literature Hiking suggestion from the Jungfrau Region Brienzersee - Oberhasli hiking book, hiking book series of the Bernese Hiking Trails Read more License (master data) Safety guidelines This route runs wholly or partly on marked paths of the mountain hiking trail category Read more Map Swisstopo hiking map 1:50,000 254T Interlaken Read more Nearby ------ View on map - Event - Gastronomy - Gastronomy - Customs, Market - Place of interest - children's / water playground - Tourist Information - historic buildings - Tours 10.87 km - Hiking Trail 8.57 km - Hiking Trail 18.20 km - Hiking Trail - Webcams - Media - Media **outdooractive** Download GPX file - - - -