The Bürgle is one of the peaks of the Gantrisch massif, which is adjacent to the homonymous peak. The summit offers a beautiful view of the entire lower Simmental valley, the Alps and the Swiss plateau. On the north-western side, it has steep rocky slopes, like almost all the surrounding peaks. However, on the Simmental side, there are relatively gentle pastures. There is a project for a photovoltaic power station in the pastures of the Bürgle, which is why it is interesting to climb this summit now, as it may not be as beautiful in the future.
On that day, we had travelled by postal bus to the Untere Gantrischhütte to follow the official path up to the Birehütte. At the hut, we had followed a path to the hollow below the Bire. This hollow has the surprising name of Soldatenläger, which could be translated as soldiers’ rest area. The term rest area is generally used for cattle. The ascent into the hollow is unpleasant in places, as the ideal path is not easy to find. However, one should aim for the passage through the fence to see where one should climb. One then reaches a wide mountain pass between the Bürgle ridge and the Bire. It is above this col that the serious climbing begins.
Above the pass, one can easily spot a good track that crosses a fence and joins the ridge. This one is quite steep and narrow in places but does not present any major difficulties. However, one should be careful, as a fall would be fatal in some places. Just below the summit, the track disappears somewhat, but it seems that the best thing to do is to climb directly towards the large bunker that is there.
From the summit, we descended to the Morgetenpass, where we often meet a lot of people, before descending to Morgeten. There, things are a bit quieter, as this side is not very popular. Following the road down from Morgeten, I noticed that a new path had been created, which allows one to bypass part of the bends in the road. There was no signposting, but it is likely that the hiking trail will eventually pass through this path.
Continuing, we passed by Schönebode, which allows us to avoid the road. We found it again further down to follow it for a good while before we can cross the Morgetebach on a rather spectacular suspension bridge. In doing so, we continue past the old spas. But don’t be fooled: there is still a good way to go to reach the Weissenburg train stop.
Route: Untere Gantrischhütte – Birehütte – Soldatenläger – Bürglegrat – Bürgle – Morgetepass – Morgete – Schönebode – Weissenburgbad – Weissenburg
Distance: 12.5Km
Elevation gain: 730m positive / 1500m negative
Duration: 5h30
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