Multi-day Swiss Hikes - Others

The following (like the page on other Swiss day hikes) are some hikes which haven't quite made it into the list of recommendations. However, the information here may help if you're exploring these areas yourself. These haven't been written up in full, either because they require more research, (perhaps at a more suitable time of year), or because some information is missing.

Campo Tencia

Many books recommend this tough circuit walk in Northern Ticino. Starting from Rodi-Fiesso, it climbs up past Lago Tremorgio and on to Passo Venett, with an overnight at Capanna Leit. Unfortunately, in May 2002 the snow was still far too deep to progress higher up, so we had to take the shorter route down to Dalpe from Passo Venett. This will be researched again in more suitable conditions.

Vanil Noir

A fairly tough two-day hike in the French part of Switzerland. Starting from Praz-Jean, near Jaun, it climbs up through Gros Mont to a pair of mountain huts, Cabanas des Marindes and Cabanas Morteys. On the second day it continues to climb out of the cirque and to a ridgetop near the summit of Vanil Noir, but the reason this isn't recommended is that the trail just simply disappears here. From the col, the trail goes down through Bounavaux to Grandvillard, but without that critical section from the ridgetop to the col, the descent can become a little hairy.

Triftgletscher

Between Meiringen and the Sustenpass, the cable car Triftbahn gives access to a wild landscape around the Triftgletscher. The Windegghütte (N 46°41'42.2, E008°20'52.4, 1881m) gives a convenient and very friendly place to stay, which is extremely popular at weekends. A place in the Matratzenlager with basic breakfast costs CHF 32 (less for SAC members), the excellent evening meal another CHF 32. The walk up from the base station (N 46°43'15.4, E008°19'05.9, 1020m) is pleasant but with plenty of up and a steep final ascent from Bosslis Stein. A major attraction in the area is the 100m long hanging bridge 70m above the river, overlooking the spectacular glacier. There are a couple of paths back down to the Trift base station, or a longer hike over the ridgetop of Furtwangsattel and down (a long way!) to Guttannen. See windegghuette.ch and trift.ch for more information and pictures.

Greina

The Greina area is a mountainous region in the centre of the country separating Graubünden from Ticino. There are several route options available, mostly two-day trips or longer. It's popular to start from Vrin or Rabius in Graubünden, climb up to the Terrihütte (terrihuette.ch), and then on the following day descend through the Plaun la Greina to Campo or Olivone in Italian-speaking Ticino.

The Terrihütte can get booked up early, so another option is to stay at the Medelserhütte (medelserhuette.ch) over to the west instead. This allows a (long) route from Rabius (N 46°43'57.5, E 8°57'24.2, 927m), up to the Medelserhütte (N 46°38'25.9, E 8°54'49.5, 2524m) and on the following day a somewhat more challenging blue/white marked route up over the Fuorcla Sura da Lavaz (N 46°37'12.7, E 8°56'38.9, 2703m) and down past the Scalettahütte to the bus stop at Pian Geirett (N 46°36'15.8, E 8°56'04.0, 2012m) or further down to Campo or Olivone. That blue/white section over the pass is rather tricky, however, and care is required.

To get back north from Olivone there is either the bus south to Biasca and the train north through the Gotthard tunnel, or alternatively a bus north over the Lukmanierpass to Disentis with train connections to Chur.

Lukmanierpass

The Lukmanierpass, or Passo del Lucomagno, is an important pass crossing the alps from Graubünden in the north to Ticino in the south. The surrounding area is wild and unspoilt, and ideal for longer, more remote hikes. There are several possibilities, one of which is a 2-day, anticlockwise circuit around Scopi, to the east of the pass. After taking the bus south from Disentis to Lukmanierpass (N 46°33'48.2, E008°48'03.6, 1914m), this route heads south and east downhill to Acquacalda (N 46°32'15.1, E008°50'03.9, 1758m) before breaking left and uphill, traversing to Anveuda, passing over the ridgetop at Passo Cantonilla (N 46°32'50.4, E008°54'41.3, 1937m) and overnighting at the Capanna Boverina (N 46°33'35.6, E008°53'18.6, 1871m). On the following day it's straight up to the Lago Retico at 2372m, a twisty wild descent into the valley to the northwest, and then a straight easy track down to the bus stop on the main road (N 46°37'35.7, E008°50'18.3, 1559m).

Prättigauer Höhenweg

Prättigau is the name of the valley running eastwards from Landquart in the direction of Klosters and Davos. As you pass Schiers on the train, you can see up to the North some intriguing sheer rock cliffs high above the valley. This ridgetop forms the border with Austria, and the Höhenweg passes below the cliffs on the south side. This whole area, including parts of Austria and Liechtenstein is called Rhätikon and you can easily combine bus stops and huts in different countries.

The Prättigauer Höhenweg (signposted as number 72) is often described from West to East, but many options are possible. Starting points could be Landquart itself (requiring a significant climb), the top of the Älplibahn above Malans or Seewis im Prättigau. Or you could start in Malbun (Liechtenstein) and follow the Rhätiker Höhenweg over the Barthumeljoch to join the Prättigauer Höhenweg in Switzerland.

There are several huts along the way, including the Schesaplanahütte (schesaplana-huette.ch) and the very friendly Carschinahütte (myswitzerland.com), or if you go over the ridge into Austria there's the Totalphütte and the Mannheimerhütte.

The options for finishing the route are also varied, you can descend to the south for the train stations along the Swiss valley (either by foot or by Trottinet), or to the north past the Lünersee to Brand in Austria. Or continue on the Höhenweg to Sankt Antönien for the bus down to Küblis. Also here there are options to shorten the boring downhill road section by taking a convenient Trottinet scooter down to Sankt Antönien.

Zürichsee Panoramaweg // Toggenburger Höhenweg // Liechtenstein Panoramaweg // Strada Alta Leventina // Jura Ridgeway // Resources // Route Map // Others