Gantrisch Nature Park

The Gantrisch park covers about four hundred square kilometres of the pre-Alps between the Bernese Mittelland and the high mountains, and its character is forest, gorge and rounded limestone ridge rather than glacier and rock. The Gantrisch itself reaches 2,175 metres, and the park's highest point is the Schafberg at 2,239. What has given it a second identity is darkness: the ridge sits far enough from the light of Bern and Fribourg that it has been developed as a stargazing area, with marked observation points, an annual dark-sky event and a certified Sternenpark designation. By day the Schwarzwasser gorge, the Gurnigel ridge road and a long-distance path network are the draws.

The landscape

• A certified dark-sky park - marked observation points on the ridge.
• Forested pre-Alps - gorges and limestone ridges rather than glaciers.
• The Schwarzwasser gorge - the cut through the northern part of the park.
• The Gurnigel road - the ridge road over the park, closed in winter.

When to go

May to October for walking; moonless winter nights for the sky. A day.

What to expect

Public transport reaches the edges, not the ridge - a car helps considerably. The Gurnigel road closes in winter. Stargazing means cold nights and a long wait for full dark in summer. Cloud off the Alps is frequent.

Nearby

Bern is north; Thun and Lake Thun are east.

Key facts