In this Aerial Postcard we take you on a brief trip to the alpine Iffigsee Lake, near Lenk im Simmental, Switzerland.
In late July we set out from Parhelion HQ and traveled by car into the Swiss Alps to make a hike to the Iffigsee (2065 m), a mountain lake located in the Lenk area of the Berner Oberland. Driving south out of Lenk it is necessary to wait at Poeschenreid village for the correct time to continue on the road, which is steeper, smaller, and only one-way thereafter. Commencing the drive up into the Iffigsee area is permitted for 15 minutes of each hour only. Driving back down is permitted for 15 minutes at the opposite side of the hour. On the way up you will catch a brief glimpse of the impressive Iffigfall waterfall as it thunders down the mountainside.
Having finished the drive we stayed over night at the aptly-named Berghaus Iffigenalp, a rustic hotel and restaurant situated in the Iffigenalp meadow (1584 m) at the entrance to the Iffigtal valley. This small valley runs roughly NE – SW along the northeastern flank of the Wildhorn Massif, and leads directly to the Iffigsee, our goal. From the Iffigenalp it is possible to hike, on a different route than the one taken on this trip, over the Rawil Pass to the south (2429 m). Iffigenalp is therefore a gateway into the high Alps.
A word about the geology of the Iffigsee area:
The Iffigtal is a glacially-carved structure bounded by Cretaceous and Paleocene marly limestones of units of the Wildhorn Nappe, that crop out as cliffs above the valley. Quaternary moraine and scree deposits overlie the country rock on the valley floor.
The Iffigsee is set at the southwestern end of the valley and is tightly bounded by limestone heights, leaving little flat terrain at its perimeter. Indeed, the southern shore of the lake is formed by tall, picturesque limestone cliffs that fall precipitously into the water.
A hike to the Iffigsee goes through the Iffigtal.
After breakfast at the Berghaus we set out, bypassing the tempting turn-off for the Rawil Pass trail, and set a straight course for the Iffigsee. There were no other walkers around as we began our trek.
The walk follows a well-made trail and requires no special equipment beyond decent hiking shoes and what food and water are necessary for the length of the hike. Anyone of even modest ability could walk this trail in summer; we encountered several children who were making the trip with no obvious difficulty.
The hike through the Iffigsee rises through about 500 m of elevation by the time the lake is reached. The trail winds through grassy, flowery meadowlands that lie between the towering limestone heights already mentioned. The occasional picturesque waterfall adds character to the terrain immediately around the trail. Views of moraines and scree deposits at the bases of the dramatic cliffs tempt the visitor to break out the camera….
The path climbs more steeply as you approach the lake. At this point in the walk you will thank yourself for having started out early; latecomers, as we were, were sweating their way up the summertime hillsides. We encountered more hikers the closer we got to the lake, another reason to have begun earlier than the did.
The Iffigsee:
The trail splits in two just prior to the first lake view. The left trail proceeds around the bend down to the lake shore; the right trail climbs the heights above the lake. We wandered around on both. From the heights you can see the entire lake, as well as the scree slopes beyond to the southwest, with the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) Wildhornhutte (2303 m), perched, in its lofty isolation, upon them.
The intense blue of the lake waters is striking to the eye as it first comes into view, as the previous part of the journey has been dominated by the greens of the grasses and the grays of the rocks and cliffs. The nearly circular lake, situated as it is in a deep, rocky depression, looks like a great blue gem set in stone.
The imposing cliffs on the southern shore cast heavy shadows into the water. We watched a fisherman pull a fair-sized fish out of those shadows while we were there.
From the heights above the eastern perimeter of the lake you have great views of the entire area: across the lake as described, back, in the other direction, down the Iffigtal to the Iffigenalp, and, to the north, the high limestone knob of the Iffighorn, which promised still more magnificent views of the Lenk area. The hike to the Iffigsee took us about two and a half hours in all, from starting out at the Berghaus to enjoying an early lunch on the splendid overlook by the lake.
The Mavic 2 Pro that we use for some types of work proved a valuable instrument in documenting the beauty and appeal of the Iffigsee area, and provided us the opportunity of sending you this Parhelion Aerial Postcard. Wish you were here.
Parhelion Aerospace provides drone aerial imagery services that give you that useful “view from above.” Contact us if you need aerial imagery in Switzerland.