Chistihubel - Gamchi
I did this hike on the 28th of September, 2026. I was working at Naturfreundehaus Gorneren for a month and on my first day off, I decided to explore the valley. I had been in the area just a few weeks before while hiking the Via Alpina, but there was still a lot to see. The hike below is quite varied and takes you to beautiful viewpoints, down through valleys and past glaciers.
Full route: Swisstopo
I started my hike right from Naturfreundehaus Gorneren and from there walked to Griesalp hotel, where the bus from Reicehnbach and Kiental also stops. Passing by the hotel, the first and longest ascent of the day began. After about half an hour walking through slightly autumn colored forest, I made it above the tree line and could see the opposite side of the main valley.
The ascent up to Chistihubel takes you through Chüegwindli, which is a really lovely and quiet valley. I did not meet a single person on the way up, and could enjoy the autumn colors and the sun slowly making its way down over the rocks. The views back down in the valley were really great, and as I made my way up, I could also see the Schwalmere and Drättehore peaks above the neighboring valley.
After a couple of hours, I reached the top of Chistihubel. The last part was relatively easy, but I was still glad to be on the top and have a break. The weather was great and with relatively clear views, and I could see far both towards Thunersee and the Jura mountains in the far back, as well as to the glaciers around Jungfrau.
On the descent, I came across more areas covered in autumn colors. Autumn is my favourite season so I was really happy to see how everything had started to turn red, orange and yellow. Down from Chistihubel and all the way past Bundalp, you follow a wide gravel road which makes this part of the hike relatively easy.
After passing by Bundalp, you again turn onto a hiking path, which goes up and down for a while. Here, you also get the first glimpses of Gamchigletscher as you slowly approach and get closer and closer. I had been looking at this glacier down from Naturfreundehaus Gorneren for a week, so it was really great to suddenly be up close.
You walk down over one of the lateral moraines and cross over the foreland in front of the Gamchigletcher and some of the parts that were left behind during retreat. From here, and as you walk up onto the other lateral moraine, you also have great views up to the glaciers coming down from below Blüemlisalp.
The hiking trail follows the moraine ridge down for a short while, before it turns off and onto the bedrock. Here, you have great views down through the valley, to Niesen in the very back as well as over the area around Gamchiboden. The descent was steep with lose material for the first half hour but thereafter flattened more out.
Almost down at Gamchiboden, there is water coming down over the hiking path from the rocks above, but in a very service minded swiss way, there were umbrellas at either end of this part. Down at Gamchiboden, the trail is almost flat, and once you pass by Alphütte Gamchi, you can see some really impressive folds on the opposite rock wall.
From here, there were also amazing views back to Gamchiboden and up towards Gamchigletscher above. I always find it very nice to look back and see the area I just hiked through from a distance, as you get a completely new perspective on the area. The path continues here above the river for a while showing off even more impressive folds.
The last part of the hike is on wider gravel road and normal road, partly in the forest. The views down through the valley with Niesen in the background were stunning, and it was a great end to a great hike. Coming out of the forest, it was just half an hour walk until I arrived back at Naturfreundehaus Gorneren, where I enjoyed a nice post-hike afternoon and evening.
