Schwarzwasser-Sense-Schluchtenweg

Not far from the city of Bern lies the Sense-Schwarzwasser nature reserve. With its free-flowing waters, forest shade and preserved riverbanks, it is a popular recreational area. Until the construction of the road and rail high bridges, the Schwarzenburgerland was all but isolated from the rest of country. Starting at the rail station «Schwarzwasserbrücke» and descending to the Schwarzwasser gorge, the track follows the river path upstream through typical alluvial forests.

After the ascent of the Bütschelbach gorge towards Hinterfultigen, the majestic mountain ridges of the Gantrisch and the Jura suddenly open to view. Back into the gorge, the path leads to Schwarzenburg, which is reached via the high plateau and the church hill Wahlern. Worth seeing here is the Schwarzenburg Castle, which corresponds in its design to a manor house of the 16th and 17th centuries.

North of Schwarzenburg, past the ruins of Grasburg Castle, the path dives back into the canyons of the Sense. Crossing a bridge and after an ascent to the farming village of Albligen, you pass numerous individual farmsteads and reach the plateau between the riverbeds. Just below the Schwarzwasser Bridge, the route joins the riverbank. The Sense flows here through the gorges as one of the longest pristinely preserved river sections in Switzerland. Many BBQ and bathing spots invite you to linger before the final ascent to the Schwarzwasserbrücke station.