We walked the  loop hike around Oschininsee with our kids ages 5 and 7. This is the hike for amazing bird eye views of this stunning turquoise lake surrounded by towering mountains.

This is, simply, a breathing hike with stunning views around every corner. The views continue from start to finish, unlike some other hikes where the reward is at the end. Our boys, ages 5 and 7, walked the 8.8 k strenuous alpine hike with us. Read on to find out how we got on…

Essential Info

Distance: 8.8 k / 5.4 miles

Time: My fitness tracker said walking time was 3 hours, but we actually were more like 5.5 hours, with lots of stops for us and the kids and walking at their pace.

Terrain: We found the terrain the most challenging our kids have done yet. They actually coped very well and were very steady footed. It was more me and James that were so nervous at the narrow trail and steep drop-offs! We held their hands tightly over all the steep parts, of which there were many, and they also had to negotiate crossing waterfalls that were very exposed, as well as shale and stone paths that were slippy.

Our youngest son is 5 and a half, listens well, and has some hiking experience. I wouldn’t have wanted to attempt this with him any younger. Although the boys managed brilliantly, I felt this was their maximum ability level when hiking. We did see a handful of other children on the trail, but they were all 5/6 or older. There were also a few babies on the trail in baby carriers.

If your kids are younger or aren’t ready for this type of walk yet, as an alternative, try the Oschininsee Trail in our walking guide of 7 easy hikes for kids in Switzerland.

Another variation to try is the walk from the lake shore to Unterbergli Alpine Cafe and back. This walk has a moderate incline and offers lovely views, without the steep drop offs and exposed parts seen on the main trail.

Route: We walked from the gondola station, taking a left along the trail to follow the loop in a clockwise direction.  We saw a lot of hikers completing the trail the other way (anticlockwise), but we chose this way because

1. You start the loop higher up so less to climb ( the other way heads down to the lake first then back up)

2. You get the steepest climb out of the way first

3. You end going downhill and end at the lake shore – perfect for a swim and an ice cream at the cafe (which is exactly what we did!)

Printed maps are available from the gondola station to help you navigate the trail (see below). It’s an easy to follow, well trodden route and clearly signposted.

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Our hike

We got the first gondola of the day at 8:30am. It was already busy with a queue when we got there at 8:10 am. If you were arriving later in the morning, I think you may struggle to find a parking spot.

We rode the gondola to the top, grabbed a coffee to go, and headed along the service road, which is a wide gravel road that leads straight to the lake shore.

After about 10 minutes, we left the road to the lake and took a left, signposted Oberbergli/ Unterbergli, and started the ascent through forest, across a small waterfall, and continued up through the trees.

As we continued along the path, we crossed more waterfalls and walked along the edge of the cliff with a steep drop off ever present on one side. The mountain views continue to get more spectacular as you head up.

Eventually, we reached a lovely spot where that famous, turquoise blue of Oschininsee can be seen as the lake view starts to open up.

Onwards higher still, we then got to the famous view point of Oschininsee that you probably will have seen in pictures and online with a birds eye view looking down to the lake.

Its very busy here with lots of hikers  taking photos and videos. We were no exception and got our selfies with the famous view in the background and had a nice long rest for the kids before we got back on the trail.

We had been walking about 2 hours by this point, and it was 11 am. We had enjoyed the coolness of the morning and had been walking alot in the forest and shade – it was about to get hot though for the next section.

The trails heads slightly uphill some more, then curves around the mountain – you can see the alpine cafe at Oberbergli in the distance. The trail.gets very narrow here, and there are a couple of waterfalls to cross that look quite sheer, and they are exposed.

However, they are actually pretty simple to negotiate and the kids managed them no problem although they looked a bit scary. We had to keep a good grip on the kids’ hands throughout this section – the path is narrow, on slippy shale, and the drop off is sheer. It could be dangerous if you weren’t paying attention. We took it slow and steady, and as we approached the cafe, the trail became wider and safer, so the boys walked on their own for a bit.

We reached Oberbergli (1978m). We had promised the boys an ice cream at the Oberbergli cafe, but it was cash only, and we didn’t have enough on us! So if you want to stop for a drink, etc, make sure you bring cash (although the main cafe and restaurant at the lake shore does accept card).

We wanted a long stop to eat our picnic here, but it was getting very hot in the sun, and there was no shade, so we ate quickly and carried on.

The next section is all down hill and is pretty safe, so the boys could walk on their own again, although be aware it is the steepest section and is shale, so we found it a little slippy. It was hard in my middle-aged knees coming down here! But, I’m glad I wasn’t hiking up it (had we gone the reverse way round). You can see another alpine cafe at a stop called Unterbergli ( 1793m).

After you pass the cafe at Unterbergli, the trail levels out and heads steadily down hill towards the lake. The views of the lake here and the alpine forest are really lovely. The boys were knackered by this point, and we still had about an hour to go.

We had lots of little stops as we made our way slowly down.

As you reach the forest, there are waterfalls and streams, and the boys loved to stop and play in these.

The path has a few steep drop-offs in this section down towards the lake, but the path is wide and its very manageable. There are some lovely viewpoints along the way, and after that, soon you will be at the shore of the lake.

As soon as we reached the lake, we stripped off and jumped in! It felt baking hot, and the cool water was amazing to swim in. It’s a glacial lake, so it was very cold and we didn’t stay in for very long but the cool off was so refreshing and much needed.

After relaxing on the lake beach for a while, watching the boy playing with stones and paddling, we walked a short way through some trees to the main cafe area and all got a large ice cream!! The kids were over the moon – we had been promising them this the whole way around, and finally, they had their reward!

After our ice cream it was a short walk uphill to the gondola station and then back down to the car.

Final thoughts

We have wanted to complete this hike with the kids for a long time, but u till this year they just haven’t been ready for this type of walk.

It was well worth the wait- the views around every corner just took our breath away. It definitely is one of our very favourite hikes in Switzerland.

This walk was very manageable with kids, although there were some hairy moments that made me and my husband James nervous- I think this was mainly because the path became narrow and exposed, and the kids hadn’t  tackled any terrain like this before and the drop offs around them were steep. To their credit, though, they handled it amazingly well and didn’t put a foot wrong. I would walk this hike with them happily again. 

It is a very busy and popular hike- we were the first walkers of the day on the gondola, and we had to stop to let faster hikers past alot, which did get a bit tiresome. But, it is a beautiful and well known spot and it is to be expected. To minimise crowding and to walk in the coolest part of the day I would recommend getting the first gondola at 830 am.

The weather was perfect, and in our favour. I wouldn’t walk them in rainy or windy conditions on exposed paths like the ones on this hike. The temperature was also 20 degrees – in the afternoon, this rose to about 23 degrees Celsius, and it felt really hot. I wouldn’t walk with the kids in a higher temp than that as I feel it would be really hot on the mountain, and there is not much shade for a lot of the trail.

You will need good hiking shoes or boots, and we saw kids with hiking poles, which I think would be a good idea as well.

All in all, this was an epic hike, and I’m so glad we competed ot as a family – that’s one massive tick in our bucket list!

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