[Hughandlisa1]

3 October 2019 at 13:57:26 #824077

My wife and I are in the planning stages for a trip to Italy in late April or early May. We would like to add 3 or 4 days to the trip and go to Switzerland. We are very familiar with the BO area as we just spent 5 days there last month. We are avid hikers and loved the hiking around Grindelwald. We’re thinking about Zermatt. Will the lower and mid range trails be under snow at this time? Will there be “boot trails” at the higher elevations? Is hiking at this time doable?

Thank you in advance for your help!

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[Removed user]

3 October 2019 at 23:23:32 #923119

Skiing in Zermatt usually continues into mid April so late April / early May is the transition period in Zermatt, so it is a risky time to visit for hiking as some trails may still be closed as the switch is made from ‘winter’ to ‘summer’ mode.

By ‘boot trails’ I’m assuming you are referring to cleared trails through snow. If so these are what the Swiss call ‘Winterwanderweg’ so use that word if you are researching

[Anna]

4 October 2019 at 3:39:39 #923120

Hi Hughandlisa1,

First of all, I totally agree with 1960man, in April/May most of the hiking trails in Zermatt may still be closed. Hiking season in this area is from about late June through mid-October, weather permitting.
Here’s a few links related to hiking in Zermatt to help you in your planning and research.

http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/rotenboden-riffelalp
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/riffelalp-sunnegga
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/furi-zermatt
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/zermatt

For your side trip to Switzerland, perhaps you could also look into hiking in regions other than Zermatt. For example, in areas like Ticino or Central Switzerland, late April or early May is the start of the hiking season
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti cino/activities
http://www.myswissalps.com/ce ntralswitzerland/activ ities

Be sure to browse this link for more details and hiking trail options in the Swiss Alps
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king

Anna

[Hughandlisa1]

4 October 2019 at 11:03:33 #923121

Thank you for your replies