Giessbach See GbB to Giessbachfälle
Summary: This section of the hike takes us from Giessbach See GbB, along the edge of the lake, before ascending the side of the valley to another track that leads us back towards the hotel and waterfall
From the signpost at Giessbach/See, the hike takes behind the boathouse, along a narrow gravel path that can be seen in the last picture on the previous page. This path leads through a small tunnel running under the tracks of the funicular railway.
The other side of the tunnel, the path takes us to a few stone steps, up to the main lakeside path. Here, another signpost directs us to the right towards Iseltwald.
The path here is gravel and stone, and runs along the edge of the lake for about half a kilometer.
After a gentle walk along the edge of the lake, with the views across to the mountains of Augstmatthorn on the other side, we arrive at a stone marker that indicates the boundaries of Brienz and Iseltwald, with a simple signpost beside it.
There is a small clearing on the edge of the lake here, with a simple fire pit, that makes a nice spot for a quick break for coffee or lunch by the lakeside.
If you sit right by the edge of the lake, be aware that when the ferry docks at the hotel, quiet a wake is created, so you may end up with wet feet or equipment.
Just beside the signpost, a small unmarked dirt track can be seen climbing the side of the valley. It is up this path that we make our ascent of the side of the valley.
This small path is not signposted, but does appear on the SwitzerlandMobility website and app.
| Warning – difficult terrain |
| This part of the trail is poorly maintained and in a number of places, blocked by uprooted trees. You will need to scramble over and under obstacles. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR SMALL CHILDREN. |
The small path is just dirt and in many places, disappears into the undergrowth totally as it zig-zags up the side of the valley. In a number of places, the path was blocked by fallen trees that needed to be climbed over or squeezed under and there were also some holes where fallen trees had removed large areas of the track. Eventually, after a lot of effort, we arrive at a larger gravel track that runs from the hotel towards Iseltwald.
This part of the hike takes us along a much wider gravel track that forms part of cycle routes 8 and 9, back towards the hotel.
The hiking here is easy going, with a gentle descent in places, along the well maintained wide gravel track. Eventually, the track arrives at a bridge that crosses the lower levels of the waterfalls. On the other side of the bridge is a signpost that marks the beginning of the next section of the hike.
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