Freiburger Voralpenweg, Stage 5/5

Setting off from the Chalet du Soldat in its magnificent surroundings, you will head through the first pass into the valley of Les Morteys. Beneath the peak of the Vanil Noir and featuring glorious views of the Vaud mountains, there follows a lengthy and sunny descent to Château-d’Oex.

The long hike begins at Chalet du Soldat, well away from public transport; the nearest stop, Abländschen, Ganderli, is around two kilometres away. The mountain path crosses open terrain along the Gastlosen. The striking rock formations of the Rüdigenspitze and Wandflue accompany the opening section before stretches of forest and alpine pastures begin to alternate.

After a good third of the route, the trail crosses the Jeu-de-Quilles pass. Beyond it, the route remains mostly on white-red-white-marked paths, continuing in a steady succession of climbs and descents. Near the Dent des Bimis, it reaches its highest point at around 1,900 m.

From the highest point, a long descent follows, initially across open pastures and later increasingly through forest. Approaching Château-d’Oex, the path widens and reaches the Café des Bossons by the first houses. A few steps later, the roughly 24-kilometre hike ends at Château-d’Oex railway station, after just under eight hours and with considerably more descent than ascent overall.