Hike Report – ‘Breccaschlund-Panoramaweg’ (SM 267-M)

Short Description

Breccaschlund Panoramaweg “Panoramic Route of Brecca Gulch” is an easy, medium length hike in the western Foothills of the Swiss alps.

The main attraction is, as you might guess, Brecca Gulch. Formed by a long gone glacier, the protected nature reserve now features steep limestone rock faces and dense, almost primordial vegetation (in the lower areas).

The rest of the route offers lovely views of Schwarzsee (“Black Lake”), and romantic grassy hills littered with dry rock walls and majestic mountain maple trees, as well as the typical cow herds.

The official route as described by Schweizmobil makes use of the local cable car to skip the initial ascent, while my route does not.

Notes

• Snow fields on steep inclines possible in early summer, beware.

Impressions

This is one of those cases where skipping the cable car is not only worth it if you detest using cable cars like I do, because if you took it, you’d also be missing out on a beautiful part of the hike that’s way less populated, thanks to the cable cars (see gallery below).

After the lovely forest road, we passed stunningly beautiful, vast open meadows, crested by limestone rock faces and mountain peaks in the distance, as well as many dry stone walls and majestic mountain maple trees, as promised in the short description.

We chose a bench with a view beside a lovely maple tree for lunch. Jenny made herself comfortable and played her Kalimba (a small instrument) while I tried to take some decent pictures in difficult (for me) light. It was a very peaceful moment that had a dreamy quality to it.

Shortly after, a snow field on a steep slope was blocking the way to the actual Brecca Gulch. It wasn’t iced over or anything but slipping on it was probably not the best idea. We proceeded anyway, figuring we’d manage. We did.

It was worth it, as the view was fantastic.

Finally, we descended down the valley with its beautiful views, cow herds, and primordial-feeling lush vegetation, and walked along the lake shore back to our starting point. This being a rather touristy area, the lakeside was well populated, while we had the mountains almost all to ourselves, presumably because the snow wasn’t gone yet.

Definitely recommended due to the unique feeling of the landscape. Might also make for a great romantic picnic spot.

Would you like to share your own experiences with this hike? Do you have any questions? Something to add? Feel free to leave a comment below 🙂

Route Report / Gallery

This is one of my first hikes with my new camera, so obviously any good pictures are a matter of pure luck. Nonetheless, full size images without watermarks are available for licensing to interested parties. Check romans.pictures, or contact me for details.