Gaulihütte

Gaulihütte is a mountain hut of the Swiss Alpine Club (Schweizer Alpen-Club, SAC), owned and operated by the club's Section Bern. It stands at 2,204 metres above sea level in the upper Urbachtal valley in the municipality of Innertkirchen, Canton of Bern, Switzerland, about 330 vertical metres above the Mattenalpsee and close to the Gauligletscher. The hut is a classic alpine base for hikers, mountaineers and ski tourers in the Bernese Alps. The original hut was built in 1895 by Carl Ludwig Lory with 32 places and donated in the same year to the SAC Section Bern; it is remembered as the Lory-Hütte and today serves as the winter room of the current building. After a first extension in 1939 by the architect Eduard Merz, the present hut was constructed in 1978. A modernisation and moderate enlargement were carried out up to February 2023. The hut offers 65 sleeping places, all equipped with Nordic duvets, with toilets inside the building and washing facilities; in summer, nearby streams and lakes provide refreshment after a mountain tour. There is no mobile phone reception, and the cosy dining room is intended for conversation, games and reading. Dogs are welcome but sleep in the wooden shed next to the hut and are not allowed in the main building. Access to the Gaulihütte is via the Urbachtal, which branches off the Haslital at Innertkirchen and can be driven in its lower part as far as Mürvorsess. All hut-to-hut transitions are alpine routes: Wetterlimmi to Rosenlaui or the Dossenhütte, Hiendertelltijoch to the Lauteraarhütte, Obri Bächli-Licken to the Bächlitalhütte, and Goleggjoch to the Gruebenhütte. Climbing objectives from the hut include the Hangendgletscherhorn (3,294 m), the Rosenhorn (3,689 m) and the Berglistock (3,655 m). The hut is marked on the Swiss national map 1:25,000, sheet 1230 Guttannen. The hut is run by hosts Katrin and Roger and operates seasonally, with winter opening hours published on its website. It is also associated with the history of alpine rescue: on 19 November 1946 a US transport aircraft of the type C-53 crashed on the Gauligletscher, and although all occupants survived, the rescue operation that followed the discovery of the wreck is regarded as the birth of alpine air rescue. The 80th anniversary of the "Rettung vom Gauligletscher" is to be commemorated on 10 and 11 October 2026 at Meiringen military airfield, and a "Dakota Traumtour 2026" offers a close-up experience of the Dakota along the route of the rescue column.

The Gaulihütte is a mountain hut of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, owned by the club's Section Bern. It lies in the upper Urbachtal, 330 metres above the Mattenalpsee and not far from the Gauligletscher, at an elevation of 2,204 metres above sea level. The first hut, today the winter room of the current building, was built in 1895 by Carl Ludwig Lory as builder with 32 places and was donated in the same year to the Section Bern of the SAC; it is known as the Lory-Hütte. After a first extension in 1939 by the architect Eduard Merz, the present hut was built in 1978. Up to February 2023, a modernisation and moderate enlargement of the hut was carried out. Access is via the Urbachtal, which branches off the Haslital at Innertkirchen and can be driven in its lower part as far as Mürvorsess. All transitions from the hut are alpine: Wetterlimmi to Rosenlaui or the Dossenhütte, Hiendertelltijoch to the Lauteraarhütte, Obri Bächli-Licken to the Bächlitalhütte, and Goleggjoch to the Gruebenhütte. Climbing possibilities include the Hangendgletscherhorn (3,294 m), the Rosenhorn (3,689 m) and the Berglistock (3,655 m). The hut is shown on the Swiss national map 1:25,000, sheet 1230 Guttannen. The hut has 65 sleeping places, all equipped with Nordic duvets. Toilets are inside the hut, and a washbasin is available; in summer the surrounding streams and lakes provide a welcome refreshment after a mountain tour. There is no mobile phone reception, and the cosy dining room invites guests to talk, play and read. Dogs are welcome on the hut but sleep in the wooden shed directly next to the hut and are not allowed in the main hut. Reservations can be changed or cancelled free of charge up to 48 hours before the reserved overnight stay until 18:00 via the online booking system; for no-shows, late cancellations or reductions in the number of participants, the Gaulihütte is entitled to charge the booked value. A no-show fee applies: CHF 75 on weekends and the same day, CHF 45 from Sunday to Friday. If a desired date is fully booked, a reservation can still be made and the guest is placed on a waiting list. The hut is run by hosts Katrin and Roger and operates seasonally; the website lists winter opening hours from 6 March 2027 to 9 May 2027. The site also notes that the hut buys locally and welcomes food brought up by guests, with an unpacked shop in Meiringen (Kirchgasse 8) mentioned as a supply point. The Gaulihütte is linked to a notable event in alpine history: on 19 November 1946 a US transport aircraft of the type C-53 crashed on the Gauligletscher. Miraculously, all occupants survived. The rescue operation that followed the discovery of the wreck went down in history and is regarded as the birth of alpine air rescue. For the 80th anniversary of the 'Rettung vom Gauligletscher', a commemorative event will be held on 10 and 11 October 2026 at Meiringen military airfield, and in summer 2026 a 'Dakota Traumtour' allows the Dakota to be experienced up close along the route of the rescue column to the finds on the Gauligletscher.

• 2026

  80th anniversary commemorative event planned for 10–11 October at Meiringen military airfield; Dakota Traumtour 2026 in summer.

• 2023

  Modernisation and moderate enlargement of the hut completed by February.

• 1978

  The present hut is built.

• 1946

  On 19 November, a US C-53 transport aircraft crashes on the Gauligletscher; all occupants survive, and the rescue is regarded as the birth of alpine air rescue.

• 1939

  First extension of the hut by architect Eduard Merz.

• 1895

  First hut (Lory-Hütte) built by Carl Ludwig Lory with 32 places and donated to the SAC Section Bern.

• Winter opening hours announced from 6 March to 9 May 2027.

A traditional, cosy and unspoilt SAC mountain hut in the Bernese Alps, offering simple alpine accommodation and a base for mountaineering, away from mobile reception and mass tourism.

• Overnight stays in dormitories, double rooms and four-bed rooms

• 65 sleeping places with Nordic duvets

• Winter room (former Lory-Hütte)

• Half-board and hut catering

• Alpine hut-to-hut routes and mountaineering base

1. 1Gaulihütte – SAC Hütte Berneroberlandgaulihuette.ch
2. 2Hütte – Gaulihüttegaulihuette.ch
3. 3Gaulihütte (1895) – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Gaulihütte – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org