Trails in the Canton of Bern

Bern is more than its federal capital and its bears. The canton offers a playground made for trail running 🏔️, from the Aare plain to the three peaks that tower over Grindelwald: the Eiger, the Mönch and the Jungfrau. For a trail in the canton of Bern, you just have to pick your valley, each one has its own character.

The terrain changes its face within a few kilometers. In the Emmental, the wooded ridges of the Napf alternate with meadows and farms with enormous roofs. Around Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, the paths run along the water before heading off to the high pastures. Higher up, in the Bernese Oberland, the moraines and passes exceed 2,500 m 🌄. The season opens in June when the snow frees the paths, peaks in summer, then stretches into October, under a golden light that makes photo breaks unavoidable.

The Bernese trail calendar kicks off in June with RunThrough Trails Interlaken, between the two lakes. July sets the bar very high with the Eiger Ultra-Trail by UTMB® in Grindelwald, a landmark of Alpine ultra running 🦅. In September, the Swiss Highlands Trail sets up in Gstaad, while the Swiss Trail Tour enlivens Lenk. Fans of pure climbing wait until October for the Berglauf Rinderberg. To extend the season, a detour to the trails in Valais is still within reach by train.

Albert Einstein wrote his great 1905 papers while working at the Bern patent office, but on the climbs of the Oberland, time stretches more than his theory ever predicted 😄. After the effort, the Emmental offers its cheeses with holes 🧀 to help you recover. From a first introductory trail to the ultra facing the Eiger, all that remains is to choose your race according to your level, your desire for vertical gain and the weather of the day. The other trails in Switzerland are waiting for you next.