Hiking in the Alps in June?

Hi Everybody,

I'm heading to Switzerland (for the first time) on June the 5th and
leaving on the 29th, I'm hoping to do as much hiking as possible, the
more research I'm doing its looking like cable cars etc aren't open till
late in June and the weather might be a bit wet as well. I'm hoping to
check out the Bernese Oberland, Zermatt, Swiss National Park and the
Aletsch Glacier and anywhere else that might have great alpine scenery (Mont Blanc?).

My questions are will it be drier to the east,
should i start my trip in Zermatt or the Swiss National Park then head
to the Bernese Oberland later in the month or will it make no real difference?

Secondly can anyone
suggest some ideas on any cool hikes to do or places I should really
check out? I'm hoping to stay in camp grounds and I have a decent
amount of experience hiking.

Anyway thanks for the help.

Cheers Karl

Hi Karl,

The Southern Alps, particularly the Rhône valley, Ticino and the Engadine, are drier than the Northern Alps. Here is more about weather and climate. Last Winter has been warm, but the Engadine for example, got lots of snow. There has been rain (= snow in higher elevations) recently, so whether or not trails are still snow covered can be very different in each area. Lower is better, South facing slopes are better than North facing ones, and later in June is better than earlier. You'd better check with the local tourist agency or at the cable car stations before heading for high altitude trails. In any case there should still be lots of trails that are accessible. The weather during your stay is what is most important. If that's fine, you'll have a great vacation. The key is to adjust your plans to what is possible once you are there.

Hiking ideas and practical tips can be found here.

Hi Annika,

Many thanks for your reply and info, I have changed my dates I will now be there at the end of August to the middle of September, so hopefully I'll have good weather.

Regards

Karl

That's a perfect time for the higher trails Karl. Have a great time!