At the end of our weekend in Leukerbad, I said I would like to return here someday to hike the Gemmipass. What I didn’t think about was that “someday” would be three weeks later! But when you get a call from a friend asking if you have a free Saturday to go hiking, you can’t say no, especially when that Saturday is one of the easier ones for organizing all of our kids’ sports activities. So, with Day Passes in our pockets, we could head off towards Kandersteg in the Berner Oberland, only to end up in the canton of Wallis a few hours later.
Bergbahn Sunnbüel
The starting point of our hike was the mountain station of the Sunnbüel cable car. You take the train to Kandersteg, then head to the stop in front of the station building, where you take bus 241 toward Talstation Sunnbüel. This will take you to the valley cable car station in ten minutes. Of course, you can also walk here, it’s less than three kilometres.
Gemmi Pass Hiking Options
Shorter route: 8.3 km from the Sunnbüel cable car’s mountain station to the Gemmi-Bahn’s mountain station.
Longer route: 13.6 km. It runs from the Sunnbüel cable car’s mountain station to the Gemmi-Bahn’s mountain station and continues 4.6 km down the Gemmiweg to Leukerbad. However, this section is very steep.
Of course, you can take the route in either direction. Other slight variations exist (e.g., depending on which side you go past Lake Daubensee, etc.). Check here.
Fares
If you only want to hike the short section, buy a “Combi-Ticket“. It includes both the Sunnbüel and Gemmi cable cars. With the Tageskarte or Halb-Tax it costs CHF 26. You can buy your ticket easily via the SBB app to avoid waiting in line.
The cable car to the Sunnbüel mountain station runs in the summer season from 12 August to 15 September 2024: 08:30 – 17:00 (last ride to the valley at 17:30), from 16 September to 27 October 2024: 09:00 – 16:30 (last ride to the valley at 17:00).
The cable car usually departs every half hour at xx:00 and xx:30. In case of a high or very low number of guests, it runs as needed regardless of the regular schedule.
Gemmi Pass Hiking Trail
The Gemmi pass was known to the ancient Romans and was once a trade route. It was the busiest pass in the Alps! The starting point of the hike is the Sunnbüel mountain station. If you want to refresh yourself before the hike, you can go to the Bergrestaurant Sunnbüel, which has a large terrace. There are also children’s swings and wooden deck chairs nearby.
The trail after the beginning leads slightly downhill to Spittelmatte. Here, there is a wooden self-service kiosk where you can buy Alpine cheese.
The route continues slightly uphill until you reach a rock marking the border of two cantons – Bern and Wallis. Then, the climb continues.
Berghotel Schwarenbach
Halfway along the route, in the middle of the pass at 2,061 metres above sea level, stands one of the oldest guesthouses in the Wallis Alps: the Berghotel Schwarenbach. It was built in 1742. As I found out, it used to be a customs house on the route between Bern and Wallis.
Lake Daubensee
Almost at the end of your hike, the mountain lake Daubensee awaits you. It is one of the few large natural lakes in the canton of Wallis. On the last Sunday in July, the Schäferfest (shepherd’s festival) takes place on the lake’s eastern shore, where about 800 sheep gather. Since the mountain wind was blowing quite fresh (my hair speaks for itself), we disdained the opportunity to soak our tired feet in the lake and continued. I believe that when the lake is calm and the temperatures are higher, swimming in it is a welcome refreshment. We then walked along the left shore of the lake.
Gemmilodge & Spa 2350
We stopped for a good meal at the Gemmilodge Hotel & Spa 2350 self-service restaurant. As I wrote last time, there is a viewing platform on the terrace of their restaurant.
Grand Tour of Switzerland Photo Spot
You can enjoy another viewpoint at the Grand Tour of Switzerland photo spot or at the metal heart, where you can hang a small padlock as a souvenir.
Summary
- Plan on about 3.5 hours for this hike (although we did it in under 3 hours). You can find its coordinates here.
- The trail can be done with an all-terrain stroller (although you’ll have to push it uphill on some sections if you’re going in the direction of Sunnbüel).
- The trail can be beautiful in autumn, when the larch trees along the trail turn yellow and rust.
- There are no places to barbecue along the trail.
- The trail can also be done in winter.
