Nepali Highway

September 3, 2020 by Pat and Bruno  ‐  3 min read

Difficulty T3+
⇄ Distance 10.8 km
↑ Up 350 m
↓ Down 670 m
Notable Locations Furkapass, Sidelenhütte, Nepali Highway, Albert-Heim Hütte SAC, Schafberg, Tiefenbach
Public Transit Access? Yes

Quick Summary

  • A gorgeous hike near the Furkapass.
  • Parked the car near Tiefenbach, which is close to the top of the Furkapass.
    • Took the PostAuto from “Tiefenbach (Furka)” up to the stop “Furkapass, Hotel Furkablick”.
  • Hiked from the Furkapass to the Sidelenhütte.
  • Took the Blue-White-Blue marked path known as the “Nepali Highway” to the base of the Tiefengletscher.
  • After a stop at the lake at the terminus of the Tiefengletscher, we hiked to the Albert-Heim Hütte SAC.
  • Continued to the top of the Schafberg.
    • Descended down the southern ridge of the Schafberg to Schluechtbiel.
  • Walked back along the gravel road to the parking lot near Tiefenbach.
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Sidelenhütte

The view northward from the top of the Furkapass.

Our first view of the Sidelenhütte — still a ways to go until we get there though.

Looking back towards the Furkapass.

There are a few of these small lakes along the way up to the Sidelenhütte — typical landscape for these sorts of post-glacial landscapes.

The path leading to the Albert-Heim Hütte is the one we took and is locally known as the Nepali Highway.

Nepali Highway

The start of the Nepali Highway shortly after leaving the Sidelenhütte. This is one of a hand-full of scrambling passages.

Another look back up towards some of the scrambling passages. Most of the trickier passages here are secured with a combination of ropes, steel cables, or rebar steps.

This gives a pretty good impression of what most of the Nepali Highway looks like.

Apparently this is area is very beloved by climbers. I've highlighted a few groups that were making their way up this cliff here.

Looking down towards Tiefenbach. The parking lot we parked at can be seen a stones-throw to the left of the restaurant.

The path thus far was pretty well marked and was overall very enjoyable to traverse.

Shortly before the tarn at the base of the Tiefengletscher became visible, there was another short scrambling passage across some boulders. Some of the boulders were pretty unstable so we had to be somewhat mindful of our hand/footholds.

Tiefengletscher and the Albert-Heim Hütte SAC

Our first view of the Tiefengletscher and the tarn at the base of it.

A view towards the Albert-Heim Hütte; the hut can be seen perched up on one of the rock formations in the center of the image.

The landscape here is absolutely incredible.

Nearly at the Albert-Heim Hütte.

The Albert-Heim Hütte SAC with the Tiefengletscher in the background. We stopped here for a drink and then continued to the Schafberg.

Schafberg and Return to Tiefenbach

Shortly before the top of the Schafberg. The Schafberg is only about a 10-15 minute hike from the Albert-Heim Hütte.

At the top of the Schafberg. We didn't stick around long since we had just taken a break at the Albert-Heim Hütte.

The view down the Hospental towards Rehalp and Andermatt (both not visible here).

Looking towards the Furkapass.

← Leglerhütte SAC
Barrhorn →