Alpine Panorama Trail
Overview
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Distance 17 km
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Duration 5 h 15 min
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Ascent 820 m
Intro
From the wide Aaretal over the Belpberg, standing in the landscape like a huge island, into Gürbetal vegetable country and up the Längenberg to the impressive ruins of Rüeggisberg Monastery. Repeated spectacular views of the Bernese Alps.
Description
Rüeggisberg is located in the middle of the Gantrisch Nature Park, which is about 400 km2 in size and heavily influenced by agriculture and forestry management. In addition to regional products, tourism is an important factor here, especially in the upper municipalities and in the Schwarzsee area. In the Middle Ages, Rüeggisberg Priory belonged to the most important monastery buildings in Switzerland and was a major stop on the Way of St. James. After the beginning of the reformation in 1528, Bern permanently closed the priory’s church. The abandoned building was then dismantled. The material was used for new construction and the remainder for a barn. It might be worth taking a little detour to see the ruin before you continue on the way to Schwarzenburg.
On an asphalt road with magnificent views of the Alpine range you climb up to Riedstettwald forest. Some farm houses, nestled between hills and the Rossgraben ravine, which was carved by the Schwarzwasser River, seem to exist in a world of their own. Rossgraben is reached through a lovely piece of forest, past charming Weidligraben ravine and Schwandbach bridge. Later, you cross the Sense river over the Rossgraben bridge. Both bridges were designed by engineer Robert Maillart and admitted to the list of art antiquities as early as 1984. The concrete bridges are considered to be masterpieces, even today.
After about two hours hiking time, you get to Elisried via a gravel road. The Alpine Panorama Trail and Via Jacobi share this same path until Schwarzenburg, the regional centre of the pre-alpine Gantrisch area, located in the triangle formed by the cities of Bern, Thun and Fribourg. The path follows an asphalt road for approximately 3 km and leads to Schiltberg. Then comes the steepest part of the hike: During the next two hours or so, you will ascend more than 500 altitude meters, alternating between forest and meadows, until you get to Guggershorn. The last part, once you reach the col, is a steep wooden staircase leading to the rocky spur at the top. Here at 1283 m, you have an amazing view of the surrounding mountains, such as Eiger, Mönch and Vanil Noir. On the north side, the Chasseral and Mont Racine are visible. The last descent on a well maintained path ends in Guggisberg, the destination of today’s 5-hour hike.
An enjoyable tour includes the careful planning of the same. Please inform yourself in advance at the local information center about the route and weather conditions. Depending on the season and weather conditions, this route may be blocked or interrupted
| Start location |
Rüeggisberg
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|---|---|
| Destination |
Guggisberg
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| Direction |
One way
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| Ascent |
820 m
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| Descent |
620 m
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| Distance |
17 km
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| Duration |
5 h 15 min
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| Duration back |
5 h
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| Technical requirements |
Easy
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| Physical requirements |
Difficult
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| Season |
All year
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Quick Facts
Route number
