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Hard Hiking Trails in Bern

The directory currently contains 84 quality-checked routes matching this guide in Bern. Their average mapped distance is 23.0 km and average recorded ascent is 1,080 m (3,543 ft); the longest route in the set is 115 km.

This subset represents 7% of the 1,122 quality-checked routes in Bern. Its average distance is 23.0 km, compared with 3.8 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 1,080 m (3,543 ft), versus 186 m (610 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

This set contains routes rated hard or expert from their available distance and elevation measurements. Within this set, 0 routes (0%) are rated easy, 84 (100%) are rated hard or expert, and 3 (4%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

15.7 km

Alpine Panorama Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

256 m

Alpine Panorama Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Landscape panorama at Hergiswil near Willisau, canton Lucerne, Switzerland.
Hard

Alpine Panorama Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
16.9 km
/ 10.5 mi
Elevation gain
256 m
Typical duration
3 hr 58 min
  • Mountain
  • Alpine meadow
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Hard

Via Alpina

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
22.1 km
/ 13.8 mi
Elevation gain
531 m
Typical duration
5 hr 38 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Via Alpina

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
17.1 km
/ 10.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,699 m
Typical duration
6 hr 10 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Alpina

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
22.4 km
/ 13.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,901 m
Typical duration
7 hr 45 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Alpine Panorama Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
15.7 km
/ 9.8 mi
Elevation gain
665 m
Typical duration
4 hr 18 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Alpine Panorama Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
17.3 km
/ 10.7 mi
Elevation gain
713 m
Typical duration
4 hr 44 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Alpine Panorama Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
18.8 km
/ 11.7 mi
Elevation gain
756 m
Typical duration
5 hr 9 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Alpine Panorama Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
19.4 km
/ 12.1 mi
Elevation gain
887 m
Typical duration
5 hr 31 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Alpine Panorama Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
16.1 km
/ 10.0 mi
Elevation gain
629 m
Typical duration
4 hr 19 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Via Alpina

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
22.7 km
/ 14.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,371 m
Typical duration
7 hr 1 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Via Alpina

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
19.4 km
/ 12.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,150 m
Typical duration
5 hr 54 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Via Alpina

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
12.3 km
/ 7.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,371 m
Typical duration
4 hr 37 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Via Alpina

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
16.4 km
/ 10.2 mi
Elevation gain
1,302 m
Typical duration
5 hr 24 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Via Alpina Red R104

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
20.2 km
/ 12.5 mi
Elevation gain
1,238 m
Typical duration
6 hr 13 min
  • Mountain
Hard

Via Alpina

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
22.0 km
/ 13.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,032 m
Typical duration
6 hr 21 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Jura Crest Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
24.0 km
/ 14.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,288 m
Typical duration
7 hr 12 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Via Alpina

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
16.0 km
/ 9.9 mi
Elevation gain
999 m
Typical duration
4 hr 51 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Via Alpina

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
13.8 km
/ 8.6 mi
Elevation gain
923 m
Typical duration
4 hr 16 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Jura Crest Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
20.4 km
/ 12.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,228 m
Typical duration
6 hr 15 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

03-Lötschberg Panoramaweg

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
11.1 km
/ 6.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,208 m
Typical duration
4 hr 8 min
  • Mountain
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Jura Crest Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
19.8 km
/ 12.3 mi
Elevation gain
922 m
Typical duration
5 hr 39 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

ViaJacobi

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
29.6 km
/ 18.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,136 m
Typical duration
8 hr 19 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Moonlight over Spiez and Lake Thun. Månsken över Spiez och Thunsjön. Location: Spiez, Thunersee, Canton Bern, Switzerland, Suisse, Schweiz Photograph by: Berit Wallenberg Date: Taken on 19 June 1921 Format: Film Persistent URL: kmb.raa.se/c
Expert

Panorama Rundweg Thunersee

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
60.1 km
/ 37.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,239 m
Typical duration
15 hr
  • Mountain
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Trans Swiss Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
21.7 km
/ 13.5 mi
Elevation gain
348 m
Typical duration
5 hr 14 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Grenzpfad Napfbergland

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
115 km
/ 71.5 mi
Elevation gain
3,219 m
Typical duration
31 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Via Sbrinz

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
111 km
/ 69.2 mi
Elevation gain
4,333 m
Typical duration
32 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Nidwaldner Höhenweg

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
93.3 km
/ 57.9 mi
Elevation gain
4,646 m
Typical duration
28 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Obwaldner Höhenweg

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
98.3 km
/ 61.1 mi
Elevation gain
4,088 m
Typical duration
29 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Lac de Derborence's sight toward "Sanetsch" on fall
Expert

Sanetsch-Muveran-Weg

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
39.9 km
/ 24.8 mi
Elevation gain
2,521 m
Typical duration
12 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

ViaBerna Etappe 14

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
10.3 km
/ 6.4 mi
Elevation gain
1,383 m
Typical duration
4 hr 14 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

ViaBerna Etappe 18

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
18.6 km
/ 11.6 mi
Elevation gain
619 m
Typical duration
4 hr 55 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Trans Swiss Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
19.1 km
/ 11.9 mi
Elevation gain
467 m
Typical duration
4 hr 48 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

ViaJacobi

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
23.3 km
/ 14.5 mi
Elevation gain
1,025 m
Typical duration
6 hr 39 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

ViaJacobi

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
21.9 km
/ 13.6 mi
Elevation gain
393 m
Typical duration
5 hr 21 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

9 Seen-Weg

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
17.5 km
/ 10.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,701 m
Typical duration
6 hr 16 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

ViaBerna Etappe 20

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
9.9 km
/ 6.2 mi
Elevation gain
1,134 m
Typical duration
3 hr 46 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

ViaBerna Etappe 12

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
17.0 km
/ 10.5 mi
Elevation gain
798 m
Typical duration
4 hr 47 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

ViaBerna Etappe 13

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
13.1 km
/ 8.2 mi
Elevation gain
1,121 m
Typical duration
4 hr 25 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Trans Swiss Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
19.4 km
/ 12.1 mi
Elevation gain
633 m
Typical duration
5 hr 8 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Trans Swiss Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
15.2 km
/ 9.5 mi
Elevation gain
596 m
Typical duration
4 hr 4 min
  • Waymarked route
Swiss Hiking Network – Guidepost – Schlattacher
Hard

Trans Swiss Trail

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
17.8 km
/ 11.1 mi
Elevation gain
567 m
Typical duration
4 hr 39 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

ViaJacobi

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
21.0 km
/ 13.1 mi
Elevation gain
569 m
Typical duration
5 hr 25 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

ViaJacobi

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
23.4 km
/ 14.5 mi
Elevation gain
548 m
Typical duration
5 hr 57 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

ViaJacobi

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
29.5 km
/ 18.3 mi
Elevation gain
921 m
Typical duration
7 hr 58 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

ViaJacobi

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
21.0 km
/ 13.0 mi
Elevation gain
387 m
Typical duration
5 hr 8 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

ViaJura - Etappe 4

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
26.2 km
/ 16.3 mi
Elevation gain
985 m
Typical duration
7 hr 16 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Alpine Panorama TrailBern16.9 km256 m3 hr 58 minHardApril to October
Via AlpinaBern22.1 km531 m5 hr 38 minHardJune to October
Via AlpinaBern17.1 km1,699 m6 hr 10 minHardJuly to September
Via AlpinaBern22.4 km1,901 m7 hr 45 minExpertJuly to September
Alpine Panorama TrailBern15.7 km665 m4 hr 18 minHardApril to October
Alpine Panorama TrailBern17.3 km713 m4 hr 44 minHardApril to October
Alpine Panorama TrailBern18.8 km756 m5 hr 9 minHardApril to October
Alpine Panorama TrailBern19.4 km887 m5 hr 31 minHardApril to October
Alpine Panorama TrailBern16.1 km629 m4 hr 19 minHardApril to October
Via AlpinaBern22.7 km1,371 m7 hr 1 minHardJune to October

Alpine Panorama Trail, Via Alpina, Via Alpina currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

Frequently asked questions

Plan with more confidence

All planning articles →

Choosing a route

How to choose a hike beyond the difficulty label

Compare distance, climbing, route shape and missing information to build a shortlist that fits your day.

Read article →

Understanding the map

Read an elevation profile without misreading the climb

Understand total ascent, net height change, profile scale and the section breakdown on each mapped route.

Read article →

Planning your day

Build a hiking time plan with room for your own pace

Separate moving time, climbing allowance and stops, then explore how changing your assumptions changes the plan.

Read article →

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