Via Alpina (Bernese section)
✓ Verified against the agency · SLFFour stages of the Via Alpina Green Trail from Meiringen to Kandersteg: Grosse Scheidegg (1,962m), Kleine Scheidegg (2,061m) beneath the Eiger, Sefinenfurgge (2,612m), and Hohtürli (2,778m) past the Blüemlisalp glacier to Oeschinensee. T2-T3 mountain hiking. SAC huts and Berghotels provide accommodation.
Safety classification
July to late September for the full Bernese section. Switzerland Tourism lists June-September for the Hohtuerli stage (13) and May-September for the Kleine Scheidegg stage (11); the 2612 m Sefinenfurgge and 2778 m Hohtuerli passes carry snowfields into early July and can get fresh snow from late September. Outside the window the passes are snowbound — do not attempt.
- ▲Steep descent over steps and gravel off Sefinenfurgge (2612 m) and ~300 m of steep steps at Hohtuerli (2778 m) — agency stage descriptions
- ▲Long committing stages: 22 km / 2000 m ascent / 9 h (stage 12) with the agency's own warning to plan overnight stops at Muerren or the Rotstock Hut
- ▲Active rockfall-zone diversion at Spitze Stei above Oeschinensee: trail to Kandersteg rerouted via Adolf Ogi Weg, validated closure 08.05.2023-30.11.2026 (Swiss Hiking Federation data)
- ▲Early- and late-season snowfields on the high passes
Stages 10-15 of SwitzerlandMobility national route 1 (Meiringen-Grindelwald-Lauterbrunnen-Griesalp-Kandersteg-Adelboden-Lenk), graded 'medium (mountain hiking trail)' with fitness 'difficult'. Signposting is managed by Berner Wanderwege on behalf of Canton Bern, and SwitzerlandMobility publishes validated live obstructions — check the stage pages before each stage. Non-technical but serious: poles and, early season, microspikes for pass snowfields. Huts and cableways offer bailouts on most but not all sections.