The Gantrisch is both a region and a mountain. The mountain is located along the first ridge of the Prealps running north from the Niedersimmental. It is not the highest top in this range, as the Stockhorn and the Ochse are higher, but the special morphology of the Gantrisch summit probably gave its name to the region to the north of this ridge.
The northern part of the Gantrisch region, as well as the neighbouring Rüschegg, was formed during the Tertiary and is made up of molasse and partly conglomerate. This results in a complex morphology of narrow valleys and ridges that are not very suitable for agriculture. This is one of the reasons why Rüschegg was the poorest region in the canton of Bern. The southern part of the Gantrisch region is made up of limestone and forms a contrast to the northern part. The Kalte Sense flows to the west and the Gürbe to the east. The water divide is at the Gurnigelpass.
This hike follows the long ridge running along the northern part of the Gantrisch region. The numbered trail of the panorama trail that follows this ridge starts at Gurnigelbad and ends at Zollhaus. As this would have been too much, we started at the Stierenhütte and followed this trail. However, we did not follow the trail exactly, as we went up to the Selibüel, a small summit with a good view of the Thun region. From this small summit, a trail, not marked but well-identifiable on the ground, leads down along the ridge to the above-mentioned trail.
The viewpoints along this ridge are quite rare, as the ridge is wooded. However, there are a few glimpses of the Swiss Plateau here and there. A little further on, we cross the Gäggersteg, which is a wooden construction that allows one to walk above the forest floor. This construction was built after the hurricane Lothar in December 1999, which caused a lot of damage to the forests. This construction allows the public to see how a forest can recover from such an event.
Continuing along the ridge, one will pass close to the Cheeserehöhle, a peculiar cave that leads deep into the earth and is connected to a legend. It is located just before the descent towards Zollhaus begins. Here, the view opens to the region of the Schwarzsee.
Route: Gurnigel (Stierenhütte) – Selibüel – Schüpfeflue – Schwarzenbühlpass – Gäggersteg – Pfyffe – Horbüelpass – Mittlere Seite – Zollhaus
Distance: 16km
Elevation gain: positive 530m/negative 1270m
Duration: 5h30
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