Doldenhornhütte

If there is a prime example of how alpine huts in Switzerland do not have to be so remote and high in the peaks that only skilled hikers can reach them it is Doldenhornhütte. At 1910m elevation, Doldenhornhütte is the hut to cut your teeth hiking in the Swiss Alps with a rewarding pay-off. It is one where you can bring the kids to splice the Alps into their DNA. From Kandersteg, it is a 10km loop, and it was the perfect hike to do on Day 3 of Bernese Oberland Season 7.

On the morning of Day 3, I moved from my hotel in Griesalp to the Chalet Hotel Adler in Kandersteg. I had originally foreseen this as a rest day, convincing myself during the planning phase of this trip that I would be able to lounge on my hotel room terrace reading and mosey around the village browsing the shops. But the moment I was told that I couldn’t check-in until 4pm, I realized my fatal planning error. The stench of throwaway day rose from the cries of sorrow and angst out of the deepest pits of Hell. As I wrote in my Reichenbach Falls post, I just don’t do throwaway well. I am no good at it. I stowed my bags, changed out of my moseying about town duds, grabbed my hiking sticks and headed to the Doldenhornhütte.

Starting/Ending Point	Kandersteg (Chalet Hotel Adler)
Distance	10 km
My Moving Time	2h 52m
Elevation Change	750 m

The majority of this hike stays below the treeline. There are plenty of fairytale trail shots.

Along the way up, you start to get a good birds-eye view of Kandersteg.

When you reach this intersection, you will start to move out onto a plateau towards the hut. The blue sign indicates a route which is labelled as an alpine route (probably rated T4 or higher) and will be more challenging. If you are scared of heights (like me!) then it is best that you do some research before attempting. But in this case, Doldenhornhütte is not that direction.

Shortly after reaching this plateau, the Doldenhornhütte comes into view. What a great place to wile away the afternoon reading, drinking, and having a bite to eat! They have their own house beer as well.

I spent about an hour nursing my soup and cheese lunch and my beer before deciding to head back down. The way down is pleasant but uneventful. Only one section of note which looks like a steep exposed trail with a falling rock risk. But it is no problem.

There was not a lot of butterfly activity until near the end where thanks to a ripe Greater Masterwort flower, a Large Wall Brown remained still long enough for me to capture her glory.

At the bottom, you can follow a trail back to Kandersteg without crossing over the river. The river level is automatically controlled and can change without warning. This view is a preview of the beginning of the Day 4 hike.

Final Words

After three evenings of over-priced and unexciting food at my hotel in Griesalp, I sat in salivatory anticipation for my pizza at the pizzeria in Kandersteg while looking into a distant field as a farmer baled hay. Layers of mountains provided an uncanny audience to his honorable labors. The way they overlap tested all of the capabilities of my depth perception. They looked unpassable, never surrendering their true shape and terrain from such a distance; ready to only bless those who approach humbly. My soul was still buzzing from the satisfaction of the hike to Doldenhornhütte. The butterfly was further proof of good karma. And the pizza could not have tasted better had it come directly from the ovens of Naples. I devoured it with gusto. Meanwhile, the tractor finished another bale. Hikers passed by on the street peering curiously, contemplating their own dinner plans. I could already feel the energy I would need for Day 4. And I would need every last ounce. Despite their elusive topography, there was mercy in those distant peaks. But I knew that on Day 4 I was going to have to earn it.