★★★☆☆ | Highest point: 2,353 m | Easy to very difficult hiking options |
The Dent de Brenleire is a pretty return day walk. It only gets 3 stars, however, as nearby walks are more interesting and beautiful.
The mountain is part of the Fribourg Prealps, in the Charmey region near Gruyères, Switzerland. The mountain is located within the Vanil Noir Nature Reserve (réserve naturelle du Vanil Noir).
The trail is clear, but not marked or signed. It’s not very difficult, although the ridge part is steep and exposed.
It was windy on the ridge the day we were there – and the wind was strong enough to knock me and the kids off our feet a little. So you need to be careful, especially as there’s a cliff on one side. I also wouldn’t want to be up there in a storm.
Story & photos from our hike up the Dent de Brenleire
Life lessons from hiking 5 August 2016 | Despite being a straightforward hike, the Dent de Brenleire was not our finest moment – with each of us chucking a wobbly along the way. But at the same time, it was one of our greatest accomplishments as a family. Read more »
Hiking trail info – Dent de Brenleire, Fribourg, Switzerland
All options start and end at the Gros Mont parking area (46°33’32.8″N 7°12’05.2″E). There is no public transport, and there are no restaurants or shelters on the hiking trail. We bought cheese from the Brenleire Dessus chalet.
Our (moderate) hike: Gros Mont – Dent de Brenleire – Gros Mont
Dent de Brenleire summit: 2,353 m
Height gain: 1,000 m
Technical details: Steep and exposed in places; short rock scramble near the top
Return distance: approx. 10 km
From the car park at Gros Mont, the hike climbs gently up through pastures past two summer dairy chalets – Brenleire Dessous and Brenleire Dessus. The trail then climbs steeply up to the ridge. This is the exposed part. You stay on the ridge all the way up to the peak. The return walk follows the same route.
Other hiking options
Easy hike: Walk to the dairy chalets.
Very difficult hike: The hike can be made longer and more difficult by climbing the adjacent Dent de Folliéran after the Dent de Brenleire. This involves traversing a cliff on the north side of the Dent de Folliéran before climbing to its summit. This is what we originally planned. However, once we got up the Dent de Brenleire the cliff traverse looked a lot harder than James had thought, so we did the two hikes separately.
Hiking trail map – Dent de Brenleire, Fribourg, Switzerland
(GPX download under the map)