Hiking in
the Jungfrau region Mountain View Trail

World-class hiking in the Jungfrau region! The “Mountain View Trail” offers you a one-of-a-kind hiking experience with spectacular views of the three famous Swiss mountains: Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

Lauterbrunnen | One of the most idyllic places on the planet?

The story of this wonderful trail begins in Lauterbrunnen.

The first time I ever noticed Lauterbrunnen was when I saw it on the cover page of my “lonely planet”. Any place that makes it to a cover page must be worth a visit, right?

I started digging a little deeper and by the second or third article I read, it was clear: We have to go. As soon as possible!

Lauterbrunnen, literally meaning “many fountains” already suggests the glory of this place.

There are in total 72 waterfalls in the valley, the most famous being the “Staubbach Fall”. With almost 300 metre free-fall, the roaring waterfall belongs to one of the highest in Europe.

Furthermore, the Lauterbrunnen valley is nestled between massive rock faces and surrounded by snow-covered mountain peaks. A place of inspiration!

A place where Goethe and Tolkien got their inspiration

Not only for us, but also slightly more famous chaps like Goethe, for example. He visited the valley and subsequently was inspired to write the poem “Spirit song over the waters”.

JRR Tolkien based “The Lord of the rings” mighty, elegant elven kingdom of Rivendell on the landscape.

Some people actually go as far, as to say that visiting Lauterbrunnen might ruin the rest of the vacation for you. Why? Because it can really only get worse after that. Ouch.

However, it can hardly get any better…

We don´t agree, but in all fairness, it can hardly get any better from our point of view either.

Lauterbrunnen is part of the Jungfrau region, more on that later, and makes the starting point for some of the greatest excursions. One of them being the “Mountain View Trail”.

On the occasion of a family visit, we felt that we had to show off this trail. As part of a four-day programme in Switzerland, this hike could not be left out, under no circumstances!

Since we had done it before, it was now time for us show our guests the incredible landscape.  In addition, we could simply enjoy this wonderful hike once again.

Showing off | The Mountain View Trail

Firstly, we packed up everyone on the cable car which took us up from Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp at 1,487 m.

Secondly, we lost everybody due to the first rush of fanatic picture taking.

Thirdly, we gathered all family members again to show them the first “proper” view point.

Having said that, the entire trail seemed like a never-ending view point.

The mighty three mountains | Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau

You don`t have to walk for long in order to get a glimpse of the three mighty mountains. The outstanding views accompany you all the way!

You will get endless opportunities to take wonderful pictures from all sorts of different angles. And promise, you will not get enough!

Here come a few facts about the famous Swiss icons:

• The Jungfrau (“virgin” in English – the beauty on the right) is at 4,157 metres the highest of the three
• Mönch (“monk” in English – in the middle) at 4,107 metres and Eiger (on the left) at 3,967 metres complete the famous mountain trio
• Together they form a gigantic mountain massif – one of the most popular and characteristic sights of the Swiss Alps
• The Jungfrau railway takes you to the highest railway station in Europe at “Jungfraujoch” located at 3,454 metres. Another great adventure for another occasion.

The trail and another TOTALLY different view point

To begin with, the ascending high trail (“Höhenweg” in German) took us through a cool mountain forest. The shade, as always, was welcome on another beautifully warm and sunny day.

After roughly an hour, we emerged on a flower-filled Alpine meadow, high above the Lauterbrunnen valley. Guess what we found there? That’s right, another incredible, unique and TOTALLY different picture spot!

Subsequently, another couple of photos were taken.

The excessive amount of picture-taking ultimately led to an extension of the usual two hours estimated hiking time. Honestly, make sure that you give yourself at least another hour. Take it easy, feel and enjoy the beautiful nature around you!

Hiking in the Jungfrau region at its best!

This top-class panoramic hike truthfully is about delight and enjoyment. Furthermore, it is simply and unmistakably dominated by views of the famous Three. Hiking in the Jungfrau region at its best! Don´t think twice! Take as many pictures of the mountains as you possibly can! Here is a small collection of ours:

As you might have noticed by now, this article will be stronger on the visuals than on the words J

A picture is worth a thousand words

How does the saying go? A picture is worth a thousand words. Hence, I have just made up for 5000 words, which technically means this story is already far too long.

The views are just too spectacular to even try and describe them. Hence, I will keep it short.

The Mountain View Trail led us though moorland scenery, over alpine meadows and through mountain forests to Allmendhubel.

Total relaxation at Allmendhubel

After almost three and a half hours we happily arrived at Allmendhubel, a hill at 1,907 metres above sea level. There, we hungrily ate our sandwiches, followed by letting ourselves fall into a state of total relaxation.

The way back | A superb mix of cool transport methods!

The way back of this extraordinary trail is another lovely experience. Not only hiking in the Jungfrau region is fantastic, but also taking the trains.

From Allmendhubel, we first took the funicular (Allmendhubelbahn) down to the charming village of Mürren. Then we crossed the town and boarded the mountain railway back to Grütschalp.

The BLM (Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren) train took us back to our starting point offering final scenic views along the way. Back in Grütschalp the cable car finally brought us back down to Lauterbrunnen. A superb mix of cool transport methods!

Amazing Staubbach Fall

We walked back to the car exhausted but elated from a great day in the mountains. On our way, we passed by the famous Staubbach Fall once again.

After rain, and early in the season when fed by the melting snows, the force of the Staubbach Fall is enormous. During a dry summer, when the water supply is reduced, the effect is comparatively less forceful.

However, in the summer, warm winds swirl the waters around, so that the fall sprays in all directions. This natural event gave the brook and the waterfall its name (Staub meaning “dust” in English).

A wet experience at the end of a beautiful day

The final touch to a beautiful day was our experience behind the Staubbachfall.

In the summer, one can peak behind the waterfall by climbing up a narrow path which leads on a rock balcony. What a treat! Information panels offer further historic and scientific background knowledge on these natural wonders.

The refreshing sprinkles of water provided a wonderful end to a wonderful day.

We took a long breath in and a full breath out. We will be back again!