The first sight of it
The gondola from Kandersteg lifts you to 1,689 metres, and a wide path drops to the shore in twenty to thirty minutes. The lake arrives all at once: turquoise water under a wall of rock, the Blüemlisalp closing the far end. It earns its reputation, and it draws the crowds that come with one. Go in the morning — but not at first light, when the bowl often holds fog and you will see none of it.
The loop around the lake
The circuit is the reason to give this a whole morning rather than an hour. The path follows the shoreline, then lifts onto the slope above it, and the view keeps changing the whole way round: the water shifts from green to deep blue depending on where the light falls, and every rise hands you the amphitheatre again from a new angle. Allow about three hours at a walking pace with stops. The southern shore has been closed for rockfall at times, so check before counting on the full circuit.
Up to the Blüemlisalphütte
Above the lake the trail climbs past Underbärgli and Oberbärgli to the Hohtürli pass, the hut five minutes beyond it at 2,840 metres. From the lake it is roughly 17 km and 1,300 metres of ascent — a serious outing for walkers with endurance, but a single day rather than a two-day trip. Start early and you will be back down. This stretch is part of the Via Alpina.
Sleeping up there, or just the tart
A bed at the hut has to be booked ahead. If you are only walking up, you can stop for a slice of tart and the view from the terrace before turning round. Dogs are welcome on the mountain; they need a gondola ticket of their own, around CHF 5, and the SBB dog pass is valid.
