Backpacking/Swiss Alps for Five or Six Days

Hi moderators and forum readers,

I am planning an early to mid June trip to Norway for about four days, but would like to spend the rest of my trip in Switzerland and hiking in the Swiss Alps if at all possible. I will be in Interlaken for a day to go skydiving, and then hope to leave from there for a backpacking trip. I have considered joining a guided backpacking tour but all of them seem to be full 9 to 12 day trips. I will only have five or six days to backpack.

I am open to self-guided tours, however, this will be my first time in Switzerland so I think I would prefer to join a group. I would like to do a hut-to-hut type of trip. Can anyone suggest any guided tours that would offer shorter trips? Or if anyone has any other suggestions for hiking/backpacking the Swiss Alps, I would really appreciate it! I don't really have a set area of the Swiss Alps that I am targeting to backpack, so I am flexible and open to any suggestions.

Thank you for your help!

Hi BrianMc,

Welcome to MySwissAlps and sorry for my late reply. The tour operators we work with can be found here. Indeed I think guided hiking tours are mostly more than 5 days.

Switzerland is easy to explore on your own. Tips to plan are here, and specifically for hiking here. In mid June, the highest trails (over 2000 - 2500 m or so) can still be covered in snow, but you'll have plenty of other options left, especially for day hikes. Hut to hut hikes need to be prepared for more thoroughly, as these trails are higher and huts need to be booked in advance (see the Schweizer Alpen Club website). Be sure to let someone (e.g. hotel staff) know where you're headed for the day if you're walking by yourself.

Apart from our hiking pages, the local tourist office will be able to tell you the trail conditions and offer further suggestions. The Jungfrau region is wonderful for a first time visit. And so is the St. Moritz region and many others.

I hope this gets you started.

Hi Arno,

Thank you so much for your help and information.

Would waiting until early July be better for hiking higher trails?

Thanks again!

Brian

Hi Brian,

The later you go, the better it is. The best season for the highest trails is late July through September.

Thanks again for all of your help!

Brian