In its menu item ‘Trail,” the official website offers a link to https://www.outdooractive.com/en/list/via-alpina/286325984 for a trail description of the “new” Via Alpina (2022) by stage. Expanding on a stage leads to an ‘outdooractive’ (OA) webpage. The OA app on the cell phone equally provides this stage-by-stage information, but lacks a list of all stages. While it is possible to search the app for a particular stage, there is a good chance that the stage does not come up. It is only via the above webpage that all stages can be individually, and consistently accessed, including on the cell phone. (Open the webpage in a browser on the cellphone. Clicking on a particular stage then opens the particular information in the separate OA app.)

The old Via Alpina website (with its total of five trails and the “red trail” as the main trail) is at http://old.via-alpina.org/en/page/1/the-via-alpina and has significantly more information on each stage. It allows simultaneous selection of any number of stages and, for the selected stages, the (combined) download of GPS coordinates as well as of a guidebook with a choice of details. The new Via Alpina overlaps with the old Via Alpina Red Trail in Stages 1-57; subsequently, the new Via Alpina switches to the old Green Trail before rejoining the Red Trail for most of the remainder to Monaco. (A comparison of old and new Via Alpina is at https://www.via-alpina.org/via-alpina/.)

The old guidebook is still useful. It gives the (approximate) distance between half a dozen locations in each stage (in km and time, plus elevation difference) as well as what services are on offer at the various locations. It has detailed trail instructions and offers background information. (Guidebooks downloaded some years ago also had an elevation profile for each stage.)

The old guidebook has its shortcomings, which, however, do not outweigh the advantages of the multitude of information it provides. (1) The numerical data may not always be accurate (especially the elevation change number, which tends to ignore elevation changes between two locations), but they still give a good idea of what a stage is like. (2) The guidebook gives the difficulty of each stage but does not say what the evaluation “difficulty” reflects: Is the stage long? Are there exceedingly steep slopes in the stage that cannot be walked without aid/hiking poles? Does the stage have exposed passages? Does the stage not have a reliable trail but descend into an unmaintained track or worse? Does the stage have ladders and ropes? (3) The “detailed description” in the Via Alpina Guidebook often resembles a murder mystery challenging the reader to figure out what are digressions, diversions, or mistakes, and what part of the information is relevant for a hiker walking this stage. Rare are straightforward instructions such as “take signposted trail 36 for two-thirds of the ascent until signposted trail 42 branches off; continue on trail 42 to the pass; descend from the pass on signposted trail 9 to the bottom of the valley where signposted trail 1 branches off on the left; continue on trail 1.” Perhaps authors were given instructions to write exactly 150 words, distracting from getting the right amount (of precise) information across. (4) The guidebook is also a historical document of a route that runs on some trails that are about to disappear and on some trails that are no longer maintained, and it lists some accommodation and shops that no longer exist. Given the dates of hiker comments, this historical document was created in 2011 or earlier.

The quantitative information on each stage provided in OA is likely superior to the quantitative information in the old guidebook, but it is still not fully accurate. For example, the (old) VA guidebook gives the starting point of R2 as being at 82m altitude and the highest point in R2 as being at 669m. That implies a 585m altitude gain. Add at least half a dozen instances of a 10-20m descent during the ascent to the high point and similarly for 10-20m ascents during the descent from the high point; in other words, add at least another 200m altitude gain for a total of around 800m altitude gain. OA gives 671m altitude gain. For sections such as R2, with many small elevation changes over a longer ascent/descent, OA underestimates the actual altitude gain by up to 20%.

OA’s information is also lacking in other respects. For example, while it often says how much of a stage has cables, it doesn’t consistently do so. (For example, is doesn’t list the cables on the trail between Friesenberghaus and Gamshuette). At https://www.outdooractive.com/en/route/long-distance-hiking/province-of-trieste/via-alpina-complete-route/253925440/#dmdtab=oax-tab3, OA says “Find the detail GPX data of the 116-day stages of the Via Alpina here:” but then does not provide these data (only a list of the individual stages, linked to their individual pages).

I found GPS tracks for the new Via Alpina online (not on the Via Alpina website itself!) and downloaded the gpx file to my Android cell phone, then opened the downloaded gpx file (long-tap, select, More, Open with) in Organic Maps (OM). In a few instances, the old gpx (downloaded from the old VA website) have more details than the new one. Displaying both on OM shows where they differ.

OM is a free app and allows the downloading of detailed (public) regional maps. (Zoom in and OM prompts to download. Best done with access to wifi as these detailed maps can be large.)

I further used OM to show alternative trails by inputting the destination and letting OM find a trail from my current location to the destination. OM has at times given me trails that are barely walkable. One may also end up on stretches of road, and if OM tells me to use a trail marked by a dotted line it will likely be a difficult trail.

In 2021 I used the app Maps.Me (instead of OM) but when it started charging for map downloads in excess of ten downloads I switched to OM (which resembles the original Maps.Me) with its free map downloads. Google maps is not useful as a trail map (has no details). Google maps is useful for finding shops and their opening hours, and of some (limited) use for public transport (not comprehensive and not always reliable information). For public transport, the country-specific OEBB app works well in Austria, and the SBB app in Switzerland.

For Switzerland (after stages 1-55), the Swisstopo app reliably shows trails (and which trails are closed!). Continuous lines, broken lines, and dotted lines indicate trail difficulty.

Both OA (app outdooractive with maps and more) and OM (Organic Maps) capture at best half the trails/tracks/dirt roads in Slovenia. Trails/tracks/roads shown on these maps may be 20-100m off the actual (real-world) trails/tracks/roads.

Via Alpina characteristics

The Via Alpina is *not* consistently signposted and doesn’t have its own paint-marks. The VA relies on a network of existing trails (some with their own “long-distance” label, some unlabeled). There are many stages without a single VA sign. The VA is simply an assurance that there is a trail (or road) of some form.

The VA has little in common with long-distance hiking trails such as the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in the U.S., apart from covering a relatively long distance. (1) The PCT is maintained almost throughout by volunteers organized through the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Trails used by the VA are maintained by a wide variety of organizations, from local Alpine clubs to tourism associations—which expect something in return, namely the hiker’s/tourist’s money. The VA hiker who camps out and resupplies at grocery stores then becomes an undesirable freeloader, using trails made for a purpose they don’t serve. (Though one could argue that the VA hiker, by walking the trail, helps prevent it from becoming overgrown.) (2) The recommended gradient for the PCT is 15% or less; Trails used by the VA have a habit of going straight up and down 45 degree slopes. (3) The PCT runs on public land throughout; the VA also runs on public land but all too often with private and rather intensive uses (husbandry). In other words, the VA crosses territory with conflicting party interests. (4) Tents rule supreme on the PCT with typically no other form of accommodation possible (and the PCT therefore has no individual stages); resupply opportunities are crucial factors on the PCT. The VA is all about accommodation (including restaurants), with no attention whatsoever to (supermarket) re-supply. Camping/bivouac is prohibited for much of the VA in Austria and probably everywhere in Germany. (5) The VA feels like an agro-industrial/commercial trail, designed to support a heavily developed tourist infrastructure in the Alps. The PCT is a wilderness trail where free spirits do not need to fear to tread. (6) The VA is designed for hikers who carry only a minimal (small) backpack that allows an easy traverse of difficult trail passages (such as with narrow tread and overhanging rocks), while the PCT is designed for hikers who carry bulky backpacks with not a single passage that exhibits narrow tread or overhanging rocks.

The VA is a jumble of inconsistent stages: one may walk on roads for three days (R41-43) and then find oneself scrambling up and down—with the necessary aid of hiking poles—tracks that are unfit for walking/hiking. The guidebook may, in one stage, praise the gorge that one crosses, when one has crossed a much more impressive gorge a few days earlier. One stage has passages that supposedly require surefootedness (on what turns out to be a very safe trail that does not require surefootedness), while in another stage in which one does, in fact, benefit from surefootedness, the VA description makes no mention of surefootedness.

Many/most of the VA stages appear to not have actually been walked by the designers of the VA. The gpx of many/most stages then presumably were created at a desk. Repeatedly, it is practically impossible for a person who is an ‘Ungeuebter’—non-Alpinist, the German language using ‘Geuebter’ for someone who is comfortable with scrambling / light climbing—carrying a bulky 12-15kg backpack to actually have walked a particular stage and recorded the gpx. (And are “Geuebte” really likely to go on a long-distance hike for a couple of months? Or are they perhaps more likely to climb peaks on weekends? In other words, the VA route may be targeting the wrong sort of people.)

After about R15, hikers’ comments in the (old) guidebook sound increasingly exasperated; some use words such as ‘scam.’

At one point, the German version of the official guidebook entry for Dun (R35) offered as objective of the VA:

Die Via Alpina ist ein Wanderweg, der die lokale Entwicklung fördern soll, sowohl für

Privatpersonen als auch für betroffene Gebietskörperschaften – 30 Regionen und über 200 Gemeinden, die von einem Anstieg oder einer besseren Aufteilung der Touristenbesuche profitieren. Sie verfolgt das Ziel, ein neues Werkzeug für Bergführer, Begleiter und Hütten- und Gasthausbetreiber zu schaffen, die um die Wege herum Aufenthalte und Entdeckungswanderungen anbieten können.

which google translates as:

The Via Alpina is a hiking trail that aims to promote local development, both for private individuals as well as affected local authorities - 30 regions and over 200 municipalities that benefit from an increase or a better distribution of tourist visits. Its aim is to create a new tool for mountain guides, companions and hut and inn operators who can offer stays and discovery hikes around the paths.

The aim (or mission) of the Via Alpina is thus not to provide a great hiking experience, but to make money for the businesses along the route.

One might then question the beginning and end points of stages: Am I going to the end point of the stage solely to drop money into a business’s hands, or am I going there because it provides a nice hiking experience? Am I walking this three-stage detour to enrich someone financially, or because it’s a great hike?

The money-making objective, while questionable for someone looking for a great hike, is furthermore inconsistently applied. When huts / accommodation options disappear, why is the VA not being rerouted? On the other hand, the VA goes to places such as Oberstdorf or Leukerbad, which clearly do not need any further development, and it goes via the Fuerstensteig in Liechtenstein, which is clearly not about bringing development anywhere. In other words, the VA in some stages utterly fails in its stated aim, and in other stages utterly ignores it.

The business calculation underlying the money-making objective of the Via Alpina would seem problematic in itself. Spending Euro 100 per day on food and accommodation in huts and restaurants adds up to, over 161 stages (old VA), Euro 16,100, which isn’t the kind of cash that long distance hikers typically have to spend. (This ignores the long list in the old guidebook of suggested hard copy maps to consult for each stage of the Via Alpina, which probably adds up to a thousand maps at Euro 10 each.)

The new VA of 2022 comes with an explicit new mission, stated on the VA website: “We enable people to hike through eight European countries, cross borders, share experiences and discover their love for Alpine cultures, natural spaces and their preservation.” (https://www.via-alpina.org/via-alpina/) Strangely, R1-R57 fit both the old aim (mission) and the new mission, since the new mission did not lead to a rerouting of these stages. There is also the presumptuous assertion that people will “discover their love,” which renders the new mission somewhat dubious.

Why was there a re-design of the VA in 2022? In order “to make it even more attractive and accessible” (https://www.via-alpina.org/via-alpina/), with no further explanation as to what in the re-design from the end of R57 to Monaco makes the VA more attractive or more accessible.

Long-distance hikers may want to pay much more attention to resupply opportunities and to possibilities to camp/bivouac along the VA than the old guidebook or OA provide. The current VA stages then become irrelevant, based, as they are, on accommodation in huts/hotels. For the long-distance hikers, actual stages, of greatly varying distance, are measured by resupply possibilities.

The hikers’ comments in the (old) guidebook as well as my own experience suggest looking at the Via Alpina as an excellent way to experience a large part of the Alps, and to use my own judgment as to the exact choice of trails that I take. For example, the (in 2021) dilapidated and unmaintained Kaernter Hoehenweg (R16-R26) was a very big disappointment (slightly improved in 2025), as is the VA’s incredibly inappropriate routing through the Zillertal. In Austria in particular, creating roads for e-bikes (with charging stations at remote huts) seems to, in general, take much precedence over trail maintenance. And why would one want to exactly follow the VA when even those who created the gpx in all likelihood did not walk the entire VA (or along the VA route)? (The gpx are nevertheless enormously useful when one does follow the VA!) The Pareto rule also applies to the VA: 20% of the route accounts for the bottom 80% hiking experiences on the VA. Identify these 20% and choose a more enjoyable alternative.

During my third summer on the VA (2023), I found the conflict between “following the Via Alpina” and “having a great hiking experience” of increasing interest, the difficulty being to a priori (without sufficient information) evaluate which trail provides a great hiking experience in any given area. I frequently contrasted the VA routing with what the OM app would suggest, and regularly by-passed long descents/detours at the end of a stage designed for the VA to reach some form of (sometimes no longer existent) accommodation.

Soon after Tignes (R121/122) the presence of cows diminished and I became conscious of the extent to which the VA, especially in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, is actually a ‘shitshow’ (often presented on signs along the trail as preserving our [due to climate change probably unsustainable] ‘cultural landscape’): wading through cow dung, eating cow dung (dust), and drinking cow dung (polluted water). The last quarter of the (old) VA offered some unexpected, pleasant surprises.

Timing and other matters

I found early June to be a great time to start the VA in Trieste: It doesn’t yet get as hot during the day as later in the summer, and throughout June (except for the Ascension public holiday extended weekend) one has the trails pretty much to oneself. Things changed in the first week of July, with many more people on the trails (and in the huts).

A drawback could be that huts in Slovenia and Austria may not open before sometime in the second half of June, and that there could be snow, especially in R12 and R13. I experienced approximately equal amounts of snow in R12/R13 in early June 2025 as in early July 2021, and carried and used in these two sections Black Diamond blitz spikes in June 2025. This was the only time in 2025, hiking R1-R55, that I used the spikes. In 2021-23 I didn’t carry spikes and managed well without spikes throughout the VA. In 2021 and 2022, I walked without hiking poles through R50, before buying some. Since then, I carry hiking poles for use on excessively steep trails (non-walking tracks) and on the very occasional snow field.

In my experience, in July the stages from the Zillertal in Austria onwards (c.R35-) into early Switzerland (of the old VA) have almost daily afternoon thunderstorms.

June/July in Slovenia, Austria, and Germany felt relatively warm during my hikes and a (minimum) 5 degree Celsius sleeping bag was good enough (and often too warm). Through much of Switzerland (on the old VA) and into France, a 0 degree Celsius sleeping bag would have been better.

Given the extensive camping/bivouac/overnight/”loitering” prohibitions in Austria and Germany, putting up a tent overnight, even if just 9pm-6am, typically means making stealth camp. Hiking the VA through these stages feels like rebelling against an agro-industrial/commercial Alpine business conglomerate where the hiker is a customer to be squeezed for money.

A tent with a small footprint is beneficial as tent sites are often hard to come by; in more remote places, one might end up camping on the trail itself, more difficult with a tent that has a wide footprint. (For example, the Big Agnes Fly Creek tent is better suited than the Big Agnes Tiger Wall tent.)

Below, I provide some notes on my experience of where in each stage one could possibly camp, though I was probably particularly aware of bivouac possibilities when I was looking for one myself, and paying less attention to bivouac possibilities early in the day. Similarly for water sources (I being more attentive when I needed water myself than when I didn’t).

My notes on grocery stores are probably more consistent, though I didn’t consistently keep track of their opening hours (google / google maps is reliable most but not all of the time).

Groceries

Grocery store overview R1-R55

R2 close to end: Lokev

R3 halfway through: Senozece

R5 end: Cri Vrh

R6 end: Irdija (major resupply)

R13 end: Trenta, tiny shop stocked with essentials. Open all days of the week, no mid-day closure.

R15 end + bus: take approx. hourly (weekday) bus to 5km away Arnoldstein for complete resupply (add 20min train ride to Villach for maximum resupply); consider descending from Dreilaendereck (in R15) to Arnoldstein (complete resupply), at no loss of hiking enjoyment, followed by walking the bicycle track parallel to the road to Thoerl-Maglern, the end of R15.

R26 mid: Sexten (good) or Moos (basic)

R29 end: St Martin; if walk all of R29, then also on the way, incl. Welsberg; if bus then also Niederdorf

R30 end: Antholz-Mittertal (small)

R32 mid: Rein (small); or post-end detour to Sand in Taufers (major resupply)

R37 end: Finkenberg

R40 end: Schwaz: excellent resupply

R43 end: Scharnitz: Mini Mart; and gas station with tiny MPreis store (+7km to Mittenwald for excellent resupply)

R47 mid; Biberwier or divert to Ehrwald (very good) or Lermoos (good]

R48 end: Weissenbach am Lech good resupply

R50 end: Oberstdorf: excellent resupply

R52 end; Schroecken

R55: Schnifis, Satteins; Feldkirch at end excellent resupply

Grocery stores are typically closed on Sundays, and some also on Saturday afternoon. Some are closed 12 or 12:30 to 15 or 15:30.

Given the kind of elevation gain experienced on the VA and given the limited possibilities to resupply, I found three days of food (for about 5 stages) most appropriate. Ideally, my backpack, newly stocked with food for three days and a liter of water, didn’t exceed 10-12kg of weight.

In Switzerland, the Coop supermarket typically has free wifi, in Austria, at least most (all?) Interspar shops do.

Below, I typically provide some evaluation of the grocery stores on the VA. Inevitably, such evaluations are subjective, in particular influenced by my personal food preferences, which center on ‘healthy’ vegan food, from muesli to bread, crackers, nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit and vegetables, 100% fruit juice, non-dairy milk and yoghurt, tofu, dark chocolate and peanuts. (I never cooked.)

In June 2025, I enjoyed wild strawberries early on along the trail (c. R2-R8) and occasionally also later, in lower elevations. I remember that in 2021-23 I also found raspberries, blueberries, and occasionally blackberries along the trail (though much of that may have been in stages on the old VA through Switzerland, now by-passed by the new VA).

Stages 1 – 55 (2025, incorporating notes from 2021 and 2022)

R1 Muggia – Refugio Premuda, OA 15.7km +669m -583m

(4 June 2025)

Best done very early morning due to sun/heat

Earliest Bus 20 from Trieste train station to Muggia 4:55, arrives 5:19. On 4 June 2025, it was daylight shortly after 4am and with private transport (or by staying at the Hotel La Bussola in Muggia, likely not on booking.com) one could start even earlier. Bus: No tickets sold on bus and few bus stops have ticket machines. At Trieste Centrale train station bus terminus: Ticket machine is towards the right at the front of the one big building near the #40 bus stop (machine not readily visible, around a corner in the front facade). Or just enter bus in back as everyone else does, with presumably some form of pass.

New GPS track is accurate except for a couple of very minor instances where paint narks (in the real world) are obvious. There are no Via Alpina markers anywhere along R1. The Muggia town square has a small Alpe-Adria trail sign on a post in the SW corner of the square, and R1 seems to follow that trail in reverse (red-white or red-white-red paint marks) for the first 10-15 min before the Alpe-Adria trail turns onto a road to Slovenia while the VA continues straight to Santa Barbara. A reliable paint mark in R1 is l a yellow arrow, sometimes on blue ground. It seems to be associated with the Camino Rio Flavia, for which one later sees stickers (also marked with yellow dots at times).

A bit more than halfway through R1, after the biotope, when one reaches the road to Crociate, the gpx lead to the left/West (no paint marks) for about 100m on the road, to then bushwhack uphill for about 50m, first along the Eastern fence of a private property, to reach a heavily overgrown trail that after c.300m joins a better trail with red-white paint marks. Instead of bushwhacking, one could walk the road (East) to join the VA at Catesana (and perhaps shortcut the road using one of the trails shown in OM).

Cumbersome final descent across and down scree. One could skip the final scramble up and almost immediately down by descending from the semi-pavilion (pillars, no roof) c.2km before the end of R1 (OM). The whole area has a faint smell of oil, presumably from the huge tanks in the industrial area just below.

I slackpacked R1 in c.4 hours, starting at 5:30am in Muggia and reaching Refugio Mario Premuda (restaurant, open) around 9:30am, managing both of the bigger ascents in R1 in the shade. Given that I walked fast, OA’s 15.7km would appear to be on the low side (or it reflects the scree at the end): the altitude gain of 669m would seem correct though possibly also slightly biased downward. – At Refugio Mario Premuda, a 10min walk down the road towards Trieste leads to a bus stop in Bagnoli for Bus 40 (and 23?, may depend on time of year), which runs approximately once every hour (dept. 9:29, 10:24; the terminus is 1 block South of Trieste Centrale train station, from where the first bus to Bagnoli in the morning departs at 5:17, the second at 5:50 [tight for making the initial climb in R2 before the sun hits]). Bagnoli has a hotel (Residence Bleu) and at least two B&B, a restaurants and possibly a grocery store that would then open only later in the day. Where the trail ends at the road at the end of R1, there is a B&B 20m along the road, before reaching the refugio.

Shortcut into R2 (avoids the scree descent at the end of R1 as well as the refugio): from the highest point in R1 (before the descent to the refugio) head to the Selka del Monte Carso and then take Trail 13 down to join R2.

Water

No potable water. A little creek (good flow 30 June 2021, do not cross at first encounter, trail continues to head up another 50m to cross) about 70% into the stage, at 45°35'49.3'N, 13°51'18.3'E; and a fountain (aqua non potable) about 80% into the stage at 45°35'57.2'N, 13°51'34.2'E.

Tent sites

Very poor opportunities, perhaps best about half-way through R1, but always close to roads/houses.

Groceries

No grocery store except in Muggia and possibly Bagnoli (10min off end of R1).

R2 Refugio Premuda – Matavun (Divaca), OA 24.9km +671m -323m

Enjoyable

From R2 through R19, I removed ticks every day.

Best to check gpx at every single trail/road intersection, of which there are a great many in R2.

After Bottazzo, when reaching the former railroad track, one can easily follow it to Draga. If one continues on the VA straight uphill, careful about the switch from trail 1 to 17. The Via Flavia heads West (opposite direction to the VA at the point where one reaches the abandoned railroad tracks).

A bit more than half-way through R2 one can detour 20min (by foot) to Lipica, which seems to be all about horses and has a casino as well as a 5-star hotel.

Impressive cave system (big tourist attraction) at Matavun at end of R2. Heavy tourism. Cave tours/entry on the hour 10am-3pm. Restaurant/kiosk with indoor and (sheltered) outdoor seating. Some sheltered benches in non-restaurant area. A good place to wait out an afternoon thunderstorm.

At some point, paint marks become red circles with white in the center. This seems to be a relevant paint mark through at least stage R5, though it could just mean “hiking trail.”

Water

(Public, similarly below) spigot on VA in Draga, near abandoned railroad track.

Spigot one-third into R2, just before the VA begins to enter the long semi-circle to the West. Many trails around here, incl. trails that allow one to cut out the VA semi-circle and head straight to Lokev, in which case one avoids a restaurant at the top of the Westward semi-circle (closed the Thursday 5 June 10am when I walked by) and a coffeeshop at the Lipica road.

No water in Lokev.

Public toilets at Matavun (end of R2) with sign that water is potable; toilets probably open 9-16.

Tent sites

Limited possibilities before Draga (one hour into R2), then plentiful opportunities.

Groceries

Good supermarket (150sqm) in Lokev, ‘tus market Prunk,’ open Mon-Sat 7:30-19.

R3 Matavun (Divaca) – Radrto OA 16.8km +524m -347m

Starts out decent, less so around and after Senožeče

Water

At cemetery on leaving Senožeče (may not be potable); nice church yard next to it (to rest in).

At NE outside corner of cemetery in Razdrto behind last building on exiting Razdrto on VA (just before freeway bridge).

Tent sites

Plenty of excellent opportunities until shortly after Senožeče. Then jungle/(rain)forest plus soon overwhelming freeway noise. 15min before Razdro, on descent to Razdro, a wide meadow (ok for tent) but some freeway noise.

Groceries

Small ‘tus market Kea’ (50sqm) in Senožeče (50sqm), open Mon-Fri 7-19, Sat 7-13.

No groceries in Razdrto.

R4 Razdrto – Predjama, OA 15.6km +765m -828m

Highly enjoyable

Much of the Nanos trail would seem to be an old, engineered mule trail.

At least from Radrzto (if not earlier), through R13(?), one is (mostly?) walking the Slovenian Mountain Trail. Marked by red circle with white center paint marks and #1 next to it, and also by mountain triangle with red circle / white center as right lower corner of mountain.

Water

Trickle from spigot at picnic table after freeway bridge out of Razdrto.

Spring (trickle) halfway down Nanos.

Water fountain in Strane (may not be potable).

Spigot at picnic table at exit out of Smihel.

Toilets at the ticket office to the Predjama Castle.

Tent sites

Overall: Occasionally on ascent and descent; typically on trail. Meadows between the villages starting in Strane, all the way to Predjama Castle.

Excellent tent side ¾ up Nanos, 25 altitude meters off trail (down) on grassy patch next to old church. Views to the Mediterranean. (Dirt road / ca access.)

Very large lawn at hut on top of Nanos (that the VA passes).

Groceries: None

R5 Predjama – Crni vrh, OA 20.5km +727m -519m

Covering distance mostly on wide forest roads open to motorized vehicles [half a dozen during R5], no views, along steep Karst hills

Water

Toilets at/near ticket office to the Predjama Castle.

10min before Crni Vrh wooden trough with running water (fed by spring from hillside?)

Spigot as part of water fountain at town square Crni Vrh (shut off June 2025 probably due to construction on the town square)

Tent sites

Difficult due to slope and Karst/rocks. Maybe in faint forest side roads. Best in beginning of last third of R5: starting halfway between Hrusica restaurant and Javornicu hut until 10min before Javornicu hut (the high point). Less undergrowth, some flat areas, even a couple of small meadows. None during steep descent. Possibly on meadows in valley approach to Crni Vrh but potentially visible from roads.

Groceries

Mercator store in Crni Vrh, decent size, open Mon-Fri 7-19, Sat 7-12.

R6 Crni vrh – Idrija, OA 12km +163m -528m

(7 June 2025)

Flat meadow countryside followed by Karst forest and steep descent, then leisurely stroll along busy trail parallel to water canal

Morning dew is severe around Crni Vrh.

Water

Spigot as part of water fountain at town square Crni Vrh.

35min before Irdija, as one walks along the water canal, spring on hill side (with metal pipe).

Tent sites

Plenty of meadows first ⅓ to ½ of the way but also houses everywhere.

Then very difficult/impossible in Karst forest and on descent.

40min before Irdija, after crossing the river on a pedestrian suspension bridge, possible on far side, along creek, for possibly the next 15min.

Groceries

Hipermarket Spar in Irdija, very large (600+sqm), full resupply, open Mon-Sat 8-20. The Mercator store in Idrija opens 7am but is far inferior. [Mercator in Crni Vrh, decent size, open Mon-Fri 7-19, Sat 7-12.]

Next store is at the end of R13 and extremely small.

R7 Idrija – Paninska koca na Ermanovcu, OA 23.6km +1,453m -794m

A slog out of Irdija due to very steep climb, then lengthy road walk exposed to sun plus a hodgepodge of meadow crossings, all with repeated, significant ascents and descents

Best to leave town early (fully resupplied given the dearth of grocery stores after Idrija).

Must use new VA gpx; old ones are badly/dangerously wrong for the climb out if Idrija.

The paint mark red circle with white center reliably showed the way except towards the end, where the paint marks lead to Bevkov Vrh and the VA (including the VA gpx) goes its own way. Half an hour later the red circle with white dots is back. – It could be that the paint mark routing covers the same territory as the VA and may do so without some weird meadow crossings that the VA does at that point.

Consider descending from Kladje (2.5km before the end of R7) to the larger village of Cerkno (and spend the night in a hotel), then walk a road (could be a dirt road) to meet the Via Alpina in R8 at c.1000m altitude. Cerkno is little below the lowest point of R8. On the Via Alpina, the first 300m altitude gain from Poljane in R8 are on a trail with a 45 degree incline, the next 200m (to reach 1000m) on a 30 degree incline, i.e. are brutally straight up. Alternative: go from Cerkno to Poce and take the trail from there directly to the peak, joining the VA c.200 altitude meters below the peak.

I can see three reasons to walk R7 and R8 as described in the guidebook: bring business to the huts/lodges, prove to oneself that one is a tough person who zooms up 45 degree inclines, or to visit the partisan hospital site B. Franja (closed in 2025 due to extensive damage, with no date for re-opening).

Water

On leaving Idrija on VA, spigot next to bridge across small creek. Possibly creek water.

Maybe 20 minutes on trail out of Idriha: small brook with steady flow, some minutes later a second one with insufficient flow (can’t capture).

Spigot at village well in Ledine, on VA.

Further along, pipe out of concrete encasement, likely fed by spring further up.

Tent sites

Earliest possibility out of Idrija at 660m altitude (improvised, on trail), followed within minutes by possibility on a small ledge, and some minutes further, on a second ledge (best). Then no possibility (Karst) until halfway between first peak Vrh Golice and Guest House Kmecki Hram.

Beyond Krnecki Hram: plentiful meadows in steeply rolling landscape.

Groceries

Idrija (see R6)

R8 Planinska koca na Ermanovcu – Porezen, OA 16.7km +1,367m – 729m

In bad weather, going up to Porezen (end-R8) is miserable and the ridge walk in R10a unadvisable. Consider letting OM trace a route from halfway through R8, around Dolenji Novaki, to the beginning of R10b (which would seem a low-level route ending in a long ascent).

Water

In R8, c.½ hour from where R7 and R8 first intersect (before detouring to a hut), at the beginning of the forest road towards Dolenji Novaki, about the third house, on the right, has in the garden a pipe that seems to dispense spring water (audible from VA).

1km after Bolica Franja, the Partisan Hospital, spring captured uphill and dispensed via pipe just below the VA (audible).

A couple of creeks between Dolenji Novaki and Poljane. On ascent, at 860m where various forest roads intersect, take lowest one East for 50m to reach a small creek that would seem close to its spring (also possibility to camp on adjacent meadow). No water during ascent thereafter.

Spigot outside hut at end of R8 with sign in 2021 (but not in 2025) that not potable.

Tent sites

Possibilities before beginning of descent, not great along forest road to Dolenji Novaki, none on final steep descent, difficult around valley floor (mostly sloping meadows, houses).

Possibly on meadows where VA heads to the Partisan Hospital (closed in 2025 supposedly due to damage incurred in a 2024 storm, with no date for re-opening). Difficult between Partisan Hospital and Poljane (sloping hillside).

Impossible on ascent until 860m where various forest roads intersect: take lowest one East for 50m to reach a flat spot on a meadow. Another meadow 10min further up (also end of roads, day hiker car parking), and a couple of flat meadow areas further up (each c.30min? further up), the last opportunity c.30min before end of R8 (with final ascent in plain view).

Groceries: None

R9 Porezen – Crna Prst, OA 15.6km + 1,264m -1,029m

Bad weather alternative to R10a: For 1hr15min before the end of R9, OM provides a low-level route from Planina za Cmo Goro to the end of R10a (which I took in bad weather in June 2025 and found quite agreeable, with mostly rather good trails and forest roads). This alternative is probably twice as long with twice as much altitude gain as the VA (if one continues from R10a straight into R10b without the VA side trip down to Ski Hotel Vogel / Rjava skala).

End of R10a: Area around Ski Hotel Vogel has no water. No accommodation. Sign at restaurant that open 9-16 (with toilets [potable water?]) inside. Rjava skala restaurant closed early June 2025. Did not check opening times (if any). At 7:30pm the whole area was deserted.

From the end of R10a, OM shows a shortcut trail to halfway between Sija and the end of R10B.

Water (Alert!)

Viewed from the road, spigot at tiny rest area immediately to the left of (restaurant and hikers’ hut) Petrovo Brdo Brt (to the right if coming down the steps from the bridge). Creek shortly thereafter (a few meters off the VA), otherwise no water on ascent. No water in R10A, R10B, R11.

Tent sites

On descent from Porezen: First possibility after c.30min (on trail), then another 30 min later where the forest temporarily levels out. Some forest roads crossed by VA (though mostly sloping). Possibly along/off tarmac road at end.

On ascent 15min up at a meadow (one flat spot). Then occasional possibilities, often only on trail. Last on-trail campsite on ascent is (very roughly) 90min up, after leaving the old Roman road and walking on a good trail along the hillside, at a small animal breeder club's hut (flat grassy area, great views), plus maybe the next 20min (a couple of flat spots in the woods).

Once the ridge-climb starts around 1380m altitude, no more tent sites on or near the VA in R9.

What looks on the map like a big flat area at Planina Kal is not flat, and is overgrown

Off VA: ‘Na Kalu’ on the map equally has no tent site, though walking past the ruins of buildings in a Southern direction might lead to an acceptable tent site. Planina za Cmo Goro, 1hr 15min from the end of R9, can be reached in 10min (25m altitude descent) on a good trail. Flat tent site next to the furthest building.

Groceries: None (possibly snacks for purchase at Restaurant of Petrovo Brdo Brt.

R10 (A and B) Crna prst – Dom na Komni, OA 19.2km +1,000m – 1,318m

Spectacular ridge and highline walk; unpleasant last 2 km of overgrown Karst landscape (trail goes up-down-left-right)

A bulky backpack could be a hindrance in some delicate passages of R10, which tend to come with overhanging rocks or shrubs. Ideally, the backpack does not extend beyond one’s body width. A sleeping mat attached at the top, for example, might mean that in making a step forward the mat hits an overhang and pushes one outward ("over the cliff"). Backpack weight should be stable and close to the body; when the body moves into a non-vertical position, the backpack should not shift weight and create its own momentum.

Hundreds of tourists walk up Šija mountain at the transition from 10A to 10B (not part of 10A or B).

(R10A no record / didn’t walk in 2025 due to bad weather.) R10B first third of the way from Sija to the end of R10B: one c.20m descent with iron rods as support, one 100m(distance) ridge climb with cables in appropriate places Bad weather alternative available for first half of R10B (starting from Sija): At Sija, descend for a few minutes, then take lower-level trail as shown on OM.

Water: None

Spigot with sign ‘non-potable’ a few steps down from the hut at the beginning of R10A.

At the hut at the end of R10B, a 1.5l water bottle cost Euro 4.40 in 2021. (The ‘hut’ is a big building that has many 2-bed rooms. No shower.)

Tent sites

No good possibilities -- Ignoring the side-tracking at the end of R10A (and the same, in return, at the beginning of R10B, which opens up possibilities, especially in the lower parts):

Extremely few/poor possibilities in second half of R10A (also fierce winds along ridge).

R10B: A few minutes in (from Sija). And about half an hour later by descending 2min to the ruins of a building with a sliver of flat-looking grass next to it., and about half-way between Sija and the end of R10B. Map shows flat areas around end of R10B: Karst area, no possibility. Possibly around flat ground/grass around the hut at the end of R10B, but then likely visible (and likely prohibited).

Groceries: None

R11 Dom na Komni – Koca pri Triglavskih jezerih, OA 7.2km +347m -172m

More Karst hell, just on a bigger scale, going in and out and around thousands of sinkholes

Water

Spring / wooden trough about ⅔ in.

Spigot a few steps away from the hut at the end of R11.

Tent sites

None, except possibly next to trail in the final ascent, on a ledge, c.90% into the stage.

Groceries: None

R12 Koca pri Triglavskih jezerih – Trzaska koca na Dolicu, OA 7.7km +675m -196m

Beautiful scenery. R12 and R13 are my favorites in Slovenia.

On 6 July 2021 and on 10 June 2025, snow in the final ascent, near-full snow cover on the slightly ascending plateau at the top (easy traverse), potentially dangerously steep descent near-completely on snow to hut at end of R12 (soft snow and existing tread can make descent easier). Descent does not follow the obvious valley; if there is no track in the snow, gpx is necessary. In 2025 (hut at end of R12 had not yet opened) I used Black Diamond Blitz spikes and hiking poles. Snow continued for about 1km into R13, in 2021 with equally dangerous passages, in 2025 not passable (descended top section off-trail on extremely steep scree and some snow patches before reaching the snow-free trail for the remainder of the descent).

Water

Only at the spigot at the hut at the beginning of R12 (and possibly from lakes?).

Tent sites: No good sites and possibly prohibited.

Groceries: None

R13 Trzaska koca na Dolicu – Trenta, OA 11.2km +351m -1,874m

Beautiful mule trail descent followed by easy forest walk

If one has no reason to visit Trenta: 500m before Trenta the R13 meets a major road. Follow this road up until R14 joins it. Saves on the order of 2km and 100m altitude gain. R14 out of Trenta is a nice trail along the river with some severe ups and downs, until it reaches the major road up to the pass.

11Jun2025: Hut at beginning of R13 was still closed (explaining the absence of tread in snow in R12). Impossible to walk trail at start of R13 due to 80 degree snowfields, possibility to descend on extremely steep scree and through rocks to reach a manageable snowfield and eventually join the regular trail 50-100m altitude down. One could probably ask in the hut at the beginning of R12 if the hut at end of R13 is open. If the hut at the end of R13 is not open, nobody will have shoveled a trail in the snow fields at the beginning of R13. It might be possible to start out on R12 and instead of turning to ascend to reach R13 continue up the valley to another (lower) hut, from where a trail (in unknown condition) leads to Trenta (the end of R13).

Water

Beginning about an hour before the end of the stage, on several occasions (creek, river) and spring with trough and wooden half-pipe c.1.5km before the end of R13.

Tent sites

Possibilities starting c.1 hour before the end of R13, likely visible, and likely prohibited.

Groceries

Trenta Market (store) is tiny (20sqm) but has a bit of everything. 2025: Mon-Sat 7-21, Sun 8-20. (In 2021 it closed at 19:30 on a Tuesday in early July.)

R14 Trenta – Dom v Tamarju, OA 14.4km +1,355m -887m

(11 June) Enjoyable ascent, crowded highline walk, cumbersome descent

Last 100-200 altitude loss on descent to valley bottom becomes increasingly cumbersome as trail disintegrates on steep slope. Hiking poles very useful/necessary. Upon reaching the creek/river (or its snow cover), trail continue its descent on the right side of the creek.

After the pass, the trail climbs for about half an hour to reach a temporary high point. From here, an alternative to the zigzagging, up and down, rocky VA is a trail that moves along the mountainside on the left (South) to rejoin the VA at the point where it starts its descent. Snow and possibly scree/rock slides permitting, this could be a more enjoyable trail.

First encounter with mosquitoes and horseflies (in both 2021 and 2025). Not severe enough to require mosquito repellent.

Water

On ascent: repeatedly creeks/river until just before reaching the road near the pass, including spring at switchback around 1170m altitude.

No water on the descent until creek about 1km from the end. At end of R14, fountain with trough across meadow 20m to West of hut.

Tent sites

Opportunities during ascent and at valley bottom for the last 1km at the end. Possibly prohibited everywhere (national park); prohibition signs at end of R14 and 40min into R15. (Though it’s ok to cut hundreds of very mature trees in the middle of the park at the end of R14.)

Groceries

At the beginning of R14: Trenta.

R15 Dom v Tamarju – Thoerl Maglern, OA 24.7km +825m -1,289m

R15 includes a formal border crossing into Austria (in 2021 passport check and Covid test / vaccination check).

Recalling from 2021 that much of R15 was tedious—walk out from 40min into R15 to Podkoren, tedious ascent to formal border post (road, cars, useless shop at border), tedious ascent just past border post—I let OM guide me from the Olympic ski area 50min into R15 to the highest point of R15, the Dreilaendereck, ‘Tromaja pec’ in Slovenian, eventually well signposted. The route went through Ratece (water fountain in center, 50sqm supermarket just before reaching the center [Mon-Fri 8-19, Sat 8-15], plenty of accommodation), with then a 2-hour climb to the Dreilaendereck. A good choice.

Nice hotel Dom Planica at Olympic ski center 50min into R15. May only be open in high season.

Water

Creek just before and after Podkoren (needs filtering); rivelets (good water) at 1430m on ascent.

Towards end of R15: Rivelets on descent at 1070m quickly followed by sound of creek (needs sidetracking) which one crosses 10min later. River just before Thoerl (invites for a dip).

Water (fountain) at end of R15 c.100m to East on main road.

Tent sites: frequent possibilities

Groceries

Guidebook mentions bakery/supermarket in Podkoren -- did not see on or near route (in 2021); google map shows a supermarket 3km away.

None at end of R15 (in Thoerl Maglern) though could try gas station a few minutes to East on main road.

At end of R15 c. hourly (weekday) bus service to 5km away Arnoldstein for supermarkets, and possibility to continue to Villach by c.20min train.

The descent from the Dreilaendereck to Thoerl Maglern is not particularly interesting (and at one point requires bushwhacking). I would now descent from the Dreilaendereck (in R15) to Arnoldstein, at most likely no loss of (if not gain in) hiking enjoyment, shop in Arnoldstein (or +train to Villach), and then walk the bicycle track parallel to the road from Arnoldstein to Thoerl-Maglern, the end of R15. (OM suggests overgrown trails that are far inferior to the bicycle track.) Careful about bus from the Arnoldstein train station to Thoerl-Maglern: it does not depart, as signposted, at the bus stop directly at the train station, but 200m away.

R16 Thoerl Maglern – Feistrizer Alm, OA 17.2km +1,796m -713m

The VA from R16 through R26 follows the Karnischer Hoehenweg (KHW), trail 403. (Als:o Kaerntner Hoehenweg, Carnican trail, Suedalpenweg 03)

The gpx (old and new) in R16 and the following sections may diverge, for short periods, by 50-100m from the actual trail. Starting from the Goerlacher Alm spring it would be good to check the gpx every 5min for an hour or so.

At signpost 'Feistritzer Alm 2 hrs' the gpx point straight up the hill. That track no longer exists. Follow signpost directions to continue on the forest road for one very long switchback. Where the forest road meets the gpx again, start following the gox (off the forest road) on a clear trail, also paint-marked. (Looking backwards from that trail in the direction of the earlier signpost, there is no trail, only the forest road.)

R16 marks the beginning of major cow territory (for at least the next twenty stages and then on and off for another twenty stages).

From here on, water is generally not an issue.

Water

C. 150m East on main road at the beginning of R16.

Fountain in Thoerl (once or twice depending on if one follow signposts or gpx).

A couple of creeks in the early ascent.

Habichtsquelle (spring) at 1120m: very low flow in 2025.

Spring a few minutes after Goeriacher Alm, and a second one a few minutes later.

2hrs before the end of R16, spring marked on OM is dry, but several seeps along forest road that follows, including one with good flow.

Spring at cow trough below Achomitzer Alm.

Tent sites

Difficult around Thoerl (meadows, visible) and on ascent (forest side roads?).

Very good once one reaches the ridge (grassy ledge / formerly forest road?), and 10min before Goeriacher Alm (meadowy expanse) and shortly after this Alm. (No cows yet in mid-June 2025.) Occassional possibilities thereafter. Very good around chapel 10min before Feistritzer Alm.

Potential tent sites become unusable when they are covered in cow dung. Good, grassy areas around the various Alms are typically occupied by cows (and the tent is likely visible).

Groceries: None except by sidetracking at end of R15 (see above)

R17 Feistritzer Alm – Egger Alm, OA 14.2km +630m -941m

Middle part of R17 (after descending from ridge until climbing slightly out of the valley to reach the tarmac road to Dellacher Alm) is extremely wet in the morning.

Halfway through R17: The climb out of the valley in order to reach the tarmac road is on a post-total-war-on-trees apocalyptic slope. Maybe this was once a nice trail through the woods. Now it is a very poor track on a slope through bushes/nettles.

Today, the real (cow) shit show starts. Cow shit at rest stops. Cow shit at campsites. Cow shit in the streams/in the drinking water. Cow shit when breathing in (dust). Cow shit in the clothes and in/on the shoes. Cow bells (including at night) and aggressive elephant cows. Cows to "preserve cultural heritage" is written on large signs: Cow shit as a great German-Austrian cultural heritage?

Water

15min into R17 at spring marked in OM.

Numerous creeks and seeps all along. Creeks shown in OM carry water.

Spigot at Egger Alm.

Tent sites

First good opportunity on flat, grassy ridge one-third into R17 (heavy condensation and morning dew), then none until end of lake before Egger Alm (but visibility from road, and cows). The area around Egger Alm is a major tourist area.

Groceries: None.

R18 Egger Alm – Nassfeld, OA 12.4km +628m -528m

Water

Spigot at Egger Alm as well as a few minutes later.

Many creeks crossing the VA, marked on OM.

Spigot at Garnitzer Alm.

Tent sites

First good tent sites just before Stallensattel, at Stallensattel and subesquently at the Stutenbodensattel, as well as occasionally between the two ‘Sattel’.

At end of forest road before Garnitzeralm.

Occasionally after Garnitzeralm incl. on the descent to the Nassfeldpass.

Groceries: None

R19 Nassfeld – Zollnersee Huette, OA 22.3km +1,191m -986m

Chairlift from Nassfeldpass up 400m altitude along VA, runs 9-16. Descend slightly to meet VA or take 403A to meet VA later (but involves crossing a very cumbersome boulder field, for 500m). Chairlift may not be worth it.

Water

Water can be an issue due to extensive ridge walking: vague memory from 2021 that there were seeps or a spring shortly before reaching the ridge, though there are different trail options to the ridge. (Creeks have cows above.) Restaurant(s) [meaning toilets with water faucets] on ridge. After the ridge the VA dips down a bit before ascending another ridge: chance of seeps in the dip; no water on the second ridge walk. (No water on 403A.)

In the second half of R19 about 100 seeps and rivulets (with varying difficulty to collect water).

Fountain at Zollnersee Huette.

Tent sites

Possibilities during ascent from Nassfeldpass (but cows) and at tourist areas at top / on ridge (visible).

Upon reaching the second ridge (2‐3 hours into R19): On the ridge where one first reaches it and just below. Not along ridge.

Halfway through R19 seemingly flat (lower) ridge area but uneven ground and wet / swampy; difficult to find a site.

Second half of R19: Occasional possibilities but nothing good, almost always an issue of wetness.

Groceries: None

R20 Zollnersee Huette – Untere Valentinalm, OA 17.6km +1,028m -1,568m

Boot camp for masochists

2021: Worst section of the Via Alpina so far. Except for beginning and end, the trail deteriorates into a track that is exceedingly difficult to walk. Be prepared to slip: hiking poles as support are almost a must, gloves to protect one’s hands when one slips, long pants as protection against the undergrowth (and stinging nettles, occasionally on ascent and descent). Much of the minimal track consists of crossing steep slopes, plus a steep descent. The scenery does not warrant this painful track. The vegetation suggests that this is a particularly rainy corner. Halfway down the descent, the signposted trail diverges from the [old] gpx (and the trail indicated by the old gpx no longer exists).

Alternative: Consider descending from the Zollnersee Huette (beginning of R20) or about 45min into R20, where the VA leaves the forest road, to the town of Mauthen to resupply (OM displays a walking route) and then returning to (almost) the end of R20 on a small road that runs parallel to (though distant from) the main road (or check for a bus).

2025: I was determined to descend to Mauthen but changed my mind when the beginning of the track (c 45min into R20) suggested that trail maintenance has happened since 2021, I carried hiking poles and it was Sunday (shops in Mauthen are closed). The track was improved and doable but mostly unpleasant: The beginning is rather tedious, the further ascent to the pass a slog, and the track is always narrow, occasionally overgrown, and often steep, the descent has lots of ups and downs and going into and out of every nook and cranny of the mountain, with still a rather slippery patch early on. Why have a 1-2 hour cumbersome detour rather than lay a track that continues the first descent all the way to the valley floor, or to the other side of the valley, with continuing good trails in all those locations?)

Since I have not walked out to Mauthen, I can’t report on what that is like. C.45min into R20, where the VA leaves the forest road, continue down the pleasant forest road. Signposts point to Weidenburg. OMs can later identify forest roads to Mauthen (3.5‐4 hours from where the VA leaves the forest road, plus 1.5-2(?) hours from Mauthen to the end of R20?).

Water

Water alert: no water in next stage, R21

Fountain at Zollnersee Huette.

Starting 45min into R20, dozens of seeps and rivulets, and a couple of creeks after the pass. (No cows anywhere near this track; these side valleys have been abandoned.)

On descent, after all the ups and downs and detours, fountain just before a private house and at a forest road (which one then shortcuts down on trail switchbacks), and another fountain further down. This may be the last water until well into R22.

Tent sites

Perhaps near start (Zollbersee Huette), but quite a few people / visible.

At pass (Koederkopf).

With some difficulty near lake (just before Ploeckner Haus) and after the lake on the final stretch to Ploeckner Haus / the main road.

On meadow(s) minutes past Ploeckner Haus.

With difficulty on forest road at top / on descent from hill after Ploeckner Haus.

Groceries: None

R21 Untere Valentinalm – Wolayersee Huette, OA 5.7km +958m -191m

Water: No water. (Creek crossing towards end of forest road from Untere to Obere Valentinsalm, but cows further up.)

Tent sites

If walking forest road from Untere to Obere Valentinsalm (rather than VA shortcut trail), then good space off forest road at a switchback three-quarters along the forest road.

With great difficulty on sloping grassy patch 20min past Obere Valentinsalm; also cows.

Groceries: None

R22 Wolayersee Huette – Hochweisssteinhaus, OA 13.6km +924m -1,024m

Water

Water alert: likely no water in R23.

20min after Wolayersee Huette, when crossing valley floor, stay on dirt road rather than take parallel VA trail/road. A couple of minutes out of the valley floor listen for sound of water on the right/hillside. Spring 25m off the dirt road.

Half an hour after Goramondopass frequent creeks (as reported on OM).

Minutes before Hochweisssteinhaus (creek).

Tent sites

20min down from Wolayersee Huette on valley floor and for another 20-30min (though may well be prohibited; likely visible).

Grassy ledge (former road?) just below (before) Goramondopass and opportunities for 30min after the pass.

None / no good opportunity on descent into deep valley followed by ascent out of it.

At pass (15min) before Hochweisssteinhaus (potentially very windy).

Groceries: None

R23 Hochweisssteinhaus – Porzehuette, OA 16.8km +1,230m -1,153m

2025: High winds and cloudy. No sign at Hochweisssteinhaus towards R23 (including any of the peaks/passes along the way, it’s as if there were no trail in that direction). Instead, a VA sticker with trail signposts that point down the valley. – Walked out / down the valley to Maria-Luggau (3 hrs), then from there to Obertilliach (11km), and from Obertilliach in 3hrs to ⅓ into R24 (and could equally well have walked to the New Porze Huette [end of R23] in a bit less time). Cutting out Obertilliach shortens the distance from Maria-Luggau to back on the VA by c.2km and c.100m altitude.

In more detail: From Maria-Luggau walk first 3km on main road, then dirt road, signposted ‘Grenzlandwanderweg’. (OM has a dirt road starting in Maria-Luggauthat that in reality does not go through.) Or take bus, approx. hourly on weekdays, less frequently on weekends. Tiny convenience/souvenir shop (30sqm) in Maria-Luggau for very basic resupply. Shortly after Maria-Luggau, one crosses from Kaernten into Tirol. Water from creeks all along and water fountain next to grocery store ‘Spar’ in Obertilliach; Spar (and ADEG) in Obertilliach (200sqm), mediocre, serving local village needs, open Mon-Sat 7:30-12, Mon-Fri 15-18. Bakery/cafe opposite ‘Spar’ with great bread, also closed from 12-15. I then walked from Obertilliach to the Heretriegel in R24. Twice a water fountain on the way to Klapfsee (lake). Great tent possibilities behind Klapfsee and then 10min before Heretsriegel (also possible right on the pass/Heretsriegel, swampy immediately afterwards.) Ascent from Klapfsee to Heretsriegel is well paint-marked, with no trail on meadows / easy to find one’s own way. Probably very wet in the morning.

There is a lot of evidence of a total war on trees in the Maria-Luggau to Obertilliach valley (as well as up the valley back to the VA). Of the remaining trees, many are dead, perhaps a reason to cut down all trees as long as one can still use them?

This alternative is just to cover the distance (take bus?). The alternative, my 2021 version, on the Italian side in 2021, where I happened to come through a village with lots of art and then follow a pleasant valley up all the way to Sexten (R26), is more enjoyable (but then also takes much longer and bypasses R23, R24, and parts of R26, which may well be worth hiking).

Tent sites: possible all along, including at a couple of picnic sites on the Grenzlandwanderweg.

2021: Similar to 10A but longer and more exposed. This is not a hiking trail as there are many instances of scrambling and passages with (much needed) ropes and iron footholds. In many locations the trail is dilapidated / in urgent need of maintenance in order to be safe(r), for example where steel and wooden steps have broken away. I suggest to view the R23 currently described in the guidebook as a challenging 'Alternative.' A more appropriate VA would be to stay on the Italian side from Hochweisssteinhaus via (likely) the Hochalplpass to the Italian side, where, eventually, among various possibilities, one could follow a comfortable, hikeable dirt road; close to the Porze hut (end of stage R23), signposts point away from the dirt road to the Porze hut. Old comments on R23 in the guidebook provide a bit more detail, and describe possibilities to overnight. (In bad weather, I started out on the R23 as described in the guidebook and three-quarters of the way to Porze hut descended to the Italian side and had my maps app guide me on an eventually rather nice valley route to Sexten..

R24 Porzehuette – Obstanerseehuette, OA 12.2km +1,359m -1,018m

I rejoined the VA at Heretsriegel/pass in R24.

After the Filmore-Standschuetzenhuette, the Karnischer Hoehenweg 403 goes across the pass with signposts to the Obstansersee Huette. Crossing the pass, the 403 then goes down(!), while trail 160 takes a high route straight to the Obstansersee Huette. Confused about the 403, I started out on the 160 and turned back when the trail disappeared in scree/rockslides on very steep slopes.

The VA does not follow the Karnischer Hoehenweg 403. Instead, without being sign-posted, it turns right before the pass (gpx). Trail from the Tscharrhuette (a tiny emergency shelter) to the Rosdkooftoerl in upper parts in very poor condition; a hillslide forces one to claw one’s way up over c.30m altitude. Overall, a 500m altitude slog straight up on a steep / very steep slope. 403 signs appear all along this VA route, even though the signpost after the Filmore-Standschuetzenhuette had the 403 explicitly go across the pass (and not follow the VA gpx).

Water

Alert: No water in the second half of R24 and all of R25.

Seeps/rivulets between Heretsriegel and Filmore-Standschuetzenhuette.

Fountain at Filmore-Standschuetzenhuette that likely is fed by the creek behind the hut.

No water thereafter in R24, none in R25.

Tent sites

Around Heretsriegel (with some difficulty to avoid swampy areas).

10-15min before Filmore-Standschuetzenhuette (but visible from the hut) and possibly a few minutes after the hut.

Groceries: None

2021: After descending to the Italian side in the direction of the end of R24, in continuingly bad weather, I used the app Maps.me to find a valley route to Sexten (which could also be followed from Porzehuette). The route turned out to be on hiking trails, forest roads, and occasionally on country roads. There are dozens of signposted trails in the lower regions, off the ridge. I enjoyed a mostly rain-free and at times even sunny day while the ridge was in clouds all day. I covered a bit more distance as well as elevation gain than the official R24-R26 stages to Sexten do, and walked into Sexten rather than taking a gondola. And I saw some interesting villages rather than only clouds.

R25 Obstanerseehuette – Silianer Huette, OA 8.8km +600m -450m

Beautiful highline trail without need for ladders, cables etc. (some scrambling in a few locations), no water

Water: None

Tent sites

One good spot around where one reaches the ridge after the Obstansersee Huette.

A couple of man-made caves as part of the extensive military remnants along the highline trail, filled with snow on 18 June 2025.

Good possibilities around Hochgraentensee / Kriegerfriedhof (about half-way through R25).

Likely continuing opportunities. – I descended from Hochgraentensee / Kriegerfriedhof to Moos / Sexten following a mostly gently descending OM route. Water: First seep c.10min down (the Italian/Western side), after the first switchback, below the trail, then plenty of water afterwards.

Groceries: None / see R26

R26 Silianer Huette – Drei-Zinnen-Huette, OA 18km +1,114m -1,158m

A free hiking map available at the Sexten tourist office (in the entrance area when the office is closed) is useful through R29.

Water (documented only for second half of R26)

(Moos: fountain next to church)

Fountain about two-thirds between (Dreizinnen) parking lot and Talschlusshuette.

Spigot at Talschlusshuette.

Creek early on in ascent(?).

Last 500m before Dreizinnenhuette several seeps, rivulets, streams.

Tent sites in second half of R26

Probably walking out of Sexten, in meadows (somewhat visible).

Prohibited in Dreizinnen nature park. Stealth camp possible in valley between parking lot and Talschlusshuette. (Very difficult after Talschlusshuette.)

Groceries

Basic resupply at Despar in Sexten. Very basic Gol Market in Moos.

Frequent bus 446 (every 20min) up and down the valley, down to Innichen and Toblach, which likely have better resupply options. Buses on roads in R26 to at least R29 tend to run to/from Toblach

For resupply, also consider a side trip (bus) in R27.

R27 Drei-Zinnen-Huette – Duerrensteinhuette, OA 14.3km, +846m -1,222m

(No documentation for the ascent to the Duerrensteinhuette.)

Water

Waterfall/creek about 15min below Dreizinnenhuette, after leaving the main tourist trails behind and starting the descent into the valley.

Occasional seep/rivulet (seasonal?)

Fountain 30min before the road. This may be the last water for a while.

Tent sites

After reaching the valley floor c 40min after the Dreizinnenhuette.

Again half an hour later. Both visible.

Within 20-30min of the road at Landro, many possibilities, incl. stealth camp.

Groceries

At the road crossing at Landro (Hoehlensteintal), c. 2hr 10min into R27, is a bus stop for a bus to Cortina d'Ampezzo (c. 20km journey, half a dozen buses a day from Toblach) which is a bigger town that should offer better resupply opportunities than the Sexten valley. Bus equally runs in the other direction to Toblach. Duerrensee can be very popular / lots of people and may have a kiosk (off VA).

R27-R29

Alternative route given the (earlier warning) comments on via-alpina.org re the second half of R27 and R28: Just before reaching the road at Landro (Hoehlensteintal), it’s possible to take the macadam road and later trail heading South, first trail 6 then trail 6B, for c.1.5km around the far side (away from road) of the Duerrensee (lake). Once one reaches an excellent bicycle macadam road, follow that Southwest for c.3km to the pass Cimabanche and c.1km further to a small parking area on the Western side of the (car) road (has two big map displays), just before some dilapidated houses. Follow forest road (old military road) up this Val de Gotres on an old military road to pass Lerosa and then down to ‘Alm’/Malga Ra Stua. (c.7.5km), then continue North (with some variation, and various options) to Seekofelhuette. The app Maps.me (in 2021) will display this route if done in two stages, first to Ra Stua, then to the Seekofelhuette. OM has all the trails/forest roads but doesn’t choose this as default route. A free hiking map available at the Sexten tourist office (in the entrance area when the office is closed) shows this alternative. -- In 2021 I wasn't up for any more (unmaintained?) quasi via ferrata in drizzling rain, and a comment in the guidebook suggests that the via ferrata part of R28 is closed, anyway. This alternative is slightly longer and has slightly more elevation gain. I found it easy walking and rather enjoyable. -- In 2025 I followed the same alternative route and descended to Wildsee (R29) via the Seitenbachscharte rather than going to the Seekofelhuette. – Water: Spring 15min into the old military road (OM has it, can’t be missed) and repeatedly rivulets / streams thereafter until Ra Stua. (Water comes out of the ground / rock in numerous places.) Spring just past Senes Alm. Spring immediately turning into creek halfway down from the Seitenbachscharte to the Pragser Wildsee. – Tent sites: Superb opportunities at end of Duerrensee, and then continuously until c.20min past Ra Stua except in steep parts of ascent/descent to/from Lerosa Pass. Wide open space soon after Senes Alm until Seitenbachscharte. None on descent until minutes before super busy, touristy Pragser Wildsee (stealth camping). – This route is almost deserted until Wildsee; one may not meet a single person.

From the bicycle macadam road, one can also switch to a forest road (with a trail shortcutting the road, all according to OM) to the Duerrensteinhuette at the end of R26 – this is simply the approach to the Duerrensetinhuette from the *South* side. Looks like a gentle ascent up a gradually sloping valley. – A little further along the bicycle macadam road, a trail goes up (again through what looks like a gently sloping valley) to the Plaetzwiese or alternatively a bit further into R28. At the starting point, this is more of a forest road than a trail.

The app OM / Maps.me shows all relevant trails / alternative trails.

R28 Duerrensteinhuette (Rifugio Vallandro) – Seekofelhuette (Rifugio Biella), OA 13.3km +758m -466m

I bypassed (see above)

R29 Seekofelhuette (Rifugio Biella) – St Martin in Gsies (S. Matino in Casies), OA 31.1km +378m -1,474m

The regular descent from Seekofelhuette (which I did in 2021) is boring and unpleasant with on a late Sunday morning about 300 people stumbling through the narrow passages (and clogging up the trail for lengthy periods). The descent includes 2 secured passages of 50 and 20m; in R23 such passages were not secured. Here one could get by without the cables.

2025

From Pragser Wildsee, I took bus 442 direction Toblach (runs 46min past every hour) to Niederdorf / Villabassa, where I switched to bus 441 direction Talschluss (timed connection) to St Martin / San Martino in Caseis.

Groceries: Gol Market in Niederdorf, Coop in Welsberg / Mongluefo that bus 441 passes through. Both looked large. My quick impressions, riding the bus, was that Niederdorf is more touristy, while Welsberg is more commercial-administrative. Despar in St Martin has a good selection (150sqm, open Mon-Sat 7:30-12, Mon-Wed and Fri 15-18:30).

2021 (when I walked from Pragser Wildsee to St Martin)

No water on the alternative approach to the Seekofelhuette for the last hour, none at the Seekofelhuette, none on the regular descent, none at the Pragser Wildsee. First water c. 30min after Pragser Wildsee, 5 meters off trail, as it passes the parking lot behind an old, large hotel (typical pipe continuously dispensing water into a trough). Three such outlets in Schmieden, several in Welsberg.

Resupply: Schmieden has a Despar, Welsberg a Coop. (Both were closed on Sunday when I passed through.)

The app Maps.me displays the detailed way to St. Martin (25km from Pragser Wildsee). Trail 1 to Schmieden, 2A continuing to Welsberg, then the Talblickweg to St. Martin; all except the first are bicycle paths, typically but not always asphalt.

I enjoyed getting a feeling for the distance between the Dolomites and what comes next, but would, on second thought, seriously consider taking the bus from Pragser Wildsee to St. Martin.

The app AllTrails has 32km and 1000m elevation gain for R29. It seems to divert to hiking trails, including a significant climb (in the direction of R30) after Welsberg. In the AllTrails route it should be possible to, rather than complete R29 and descend to St. Martin, switch to a point some kilometers into R30. (St. Martin seems a perfectly arbitrary stage between two sections.) See the app Maps.me [OM] for bypassing St. Martin even when following the gpx. If one walks R29 from Prasger Wildsee roughly in accordance with the gpx, then enter "Karbach" or "Galfall Alm" into Maps.me [OM] to avoid a couple of kilometers of detour to St Martin (and a corresponding road walk).

In case of bad weather: The app Maps.me has a low-level route suggestion, mostly off-road, for a 33km walk from Welsberg to the Talstation in R33 (or a 38km walk with an ascent towards the end of R33).

R30 St Martin in Gsies (S. Matino in Casies) – Antholz-Mittertal (Anterselva di Mezzo), OA 16.4km +1,153m -1,191m

Heading out of St Martin following the gpx, c50m of road going around a building are labeled private, “Durchgang verboten” (no trespassing). I moved fast and someone shouted after me. . Subsequently, the gpx lead up a tarmac road with no shade (trees on both sides of the road have been cut). To avoid the private road, heading out of St Martin, walk 250m down the main road to a church (also a bus stop) and start out on a tarmac road in the VA direction there. There will be an option to take a trail through the woods to shortcut later parts of the tarmac road. Or, to judge from OM, get off the bus yet a stop earlier (“Preindl”) and make your way up the VA valley eventually on a forest road on the right side of the river (“right” side facing downstream). – The VA tarmac road turns into a dirt road. Two dozen tractors and cars all left me in dust clouds. The forest road on the right side of the river appeared unused.

On the ascent, at the Ochsenfelder Alm, the Via Alpina continues *behind* the last house, straight up for 1min to find the trail. No signpost, no paint marks. Follow gpx / stay on trail once on it. The trail goes up the spur in switchbacks (not up the valley floor any longer).

Superb trail on the way down, all the way. Probably a past, engineered mule trail, well maintained today. In the upper part, beautiful switchbacks carved into the steep hillside and secured with stone walls. Good switchbacks all the way down. Then Trail 1 towards ‘Antholz mezzo’. Trail 1 soon reaches a dirt road; abandon Trail 1 to walk the dirt road 200m down to the main road, cross the main road to continue on this secondary road towards Antholz, until R31 takes off (or continue into town).

Highly misleading, false old and new gpx one-third into the descent. The VA (following the guidebook) descends on trail 9 (the mule trail), then switches to trail 1 (already in the valley) when that branches off. (Detailed descriptions in guidebook report on Trail 1 in the wrong direction.) -- Do not take Trail 8 on the descent (do not follow old or new gpx) unless you want the thrill of walking across 70-80 degree slopes for an extra 3km with a hundred meters of elevation gain thrown in, at least in 2021 (Trail 8 is wrongly indicated by the old and new gpx; the old guidebook explicitly says ‘Trail 9’).

Water

1 hour after St Martin 3 springs/ pipe-fed troughs in quick succession. Then dozens of creeks, rivulets, seeps up to the pass (but also cows till Ochsenfelder Alm).

On descent creek one-third down near Alm / Malga.

Water fountain at children’s playground as one heads out of Antholz into R31.

Tent sites

Occasional opportunities 1 hour after St Martin as the road somewhat levels out, for about an hour, esp. at the beginning and end of the relatively flat part. Then none for the rest of R30. (Towards the end of R30, on Trail 1 before one can cut to the main road, a 50m ‘Trail 1’ stretch that could allow setting up a tent, taking up the whole trail width. The dirt road to the main road is only meters away.) Down the main road, there immediately is an official campground (full of RVs).

Groceries

Bakery in center of town Antholz-Mittert.

Antholz also has a Gol Supermarket, medium-sized, well stocked, as one heads out of town to R31. (At the end of town is a green area / children’s playground, shaded, with benches and water fountain.)

R31 Antholz-Mittertal (Anterselva di Mezzo) – Riesenfernerhuette (Rifugio Vedrette di Ries), OA 7.5km +1,558m -0m

Final 20min mostly on wooden staircases 1m wide, additionally secured with cables for extra comfort, attached to the rock and sometimes partly off the rock face. Not difficult or dangerous (but exposed).

Water

Water fountain at children’s playground as one heads out of town into R31.

C. 30min into R31 if one walks the forest road: Fountain next to a small concrete structure (probably related to water supply).

Some small creeks/springs after the Berger Alm; still in cow territory. Eventually creeks/springs above cow territory. Fountain c.90min before the end of R31 (Rieserfernerhuette) as probably the last good water.

Tent sites: very difficult / none

Berger Alm has a flat spot; the Alm seems unoccupied at night.

A few minutes after Berger Alm, where a forest road takes off on the left, some space on the right shoulder (currently occupied by a giant cake of cow dung).

On approach to crossing the ‘big’ creek just possibly a spot on a very short, grassy stretch.

C..2 hours after Antholz a small grassy knoll (exposed, and may neither be big nor flat enough).

Small wooden shelter with one narrow bench and uneven dirt/rock floor 1 hour before the Rieserfernerhuette. (Marked in OM as bivouac hut.)

Groceries: beginning of R31 (see end of R30)

R32 Riesenfernerhuette (Rifugio Vedrette di Ries) – Ahornach (Acereto), OA 19.3km +455m -1,911m

(21 June 2025; 20 July 2021)

2025: Given my 2021 experience of the roadwalk to Rein and the subsequent dirt road walk from Rein to Ahornach continuing to the Talstation in R33 (and the fact that the supermarket in Rein is closed on Saturday afternoon), I decided to, after the descent from the Rieserfernerhuette, where one first comes to the main road, walk downhill to Sand in Taufers on the main road for (ultimately) 5km. (There is a bus stop 100m down from where one reaches the main road, named ‘Saege’, with approx. hourly buses at typically twenty minutes past the hour; one would presumably need to catch the 14:20 bus in order to make it in time for the lifts up from the Talstation in R33.) – 3km before Sand in Taufers at the Tobi bridge starts/ends a Francesco di Assissi trail and makes its way to the outskirts of Sand in Taufers; it includes a beautiful chapel, waterfalls, art pieces, religious texts, and all that on a superbly engineered trail laid exquisitely through beautiful forest. Paint-marked “T”. – Ex-post, I would either follow the VA (if never done before) or take the bus from ‘Saege’ to ‘Tobi’ in order to walk the Assissi trail into town (bus stop ‘Tobi’ is a bit further down and one can walk back along the river to a parking lot / bridge / start-end point, 10min?). From Sand in Taufers, the bicycle path on the right side (facing downstream) of the river takes one to the Speikboden Lift / Talstation in half an hour. (The VA lift-free Trail 27 to the top, 5 hrs, starts 10min into the bicycle path.) A bus runs from Sand in Taufers to the Speikboden Talstation.

The VA just barely bypasses Sand in Taufers (in order to ensure accommodation in a village rather than in a town?).

Water

On descent from Rieserfernerhuette plenty of water but all seems to be runoffs from snowfields.

Small creek (spring?) just before reaching the first (higher one) of the two Alms, but goat territory.

Spring to right of trail minutes after the first Alm.

On the switchvack descent after the second Alm a spring early on as well as towards the end of the descent.

Tent sites

Difficult possibilities about 30min into the descent.

Green area around first Alm is swampy. Just possibly an odd spot on the Western hillside from which one approaches the first Alm.

Good possibilities between first and second Alm (second Alm has cows).

Excellent possibilities at the end of the descent, at the bottom of the valley: last couple of minutes of descent and on subsequent meadow (if mowed).

Groceries

Major re-supply opportunities in (off-VA) Sand in Taufers, incl. at a 500sqm Despar (Mon-Sat 7:45-18:45). Sand in Taufers is a 30min hike off-trail or a bus ride off the VA (a descent from Ahornach to Sand in Taufers, rather than to the Talstation to take the lift up, or to walk towards Sand in Taufers to catch Trail 27, or to shortcut from the Talstation to Trail 27 following the gpx). From Sand in Taufers, it’s a 30min walk along the river (or a bus ride) to the Speikboden Talstation, or a 10minute walk to Trail 27.

2021 via Rein

Roadwalk into Reins, 3km, replaced by dirt road parallel to road.

Trail from Reins to Ahornach first ascends close to 400m (elevation gain summary in guidebook misses out on this elevation gain) before descending to Ahornach. Macadam road, with half a dozen vehicles passing me and leaving me in a dust cloud. Not as enjoyable a walk as the guidebook makes it out to be.

To get from Ahornach to the Talstation, follow the main road down out of town. At its first switchback (quite some ways), at a house with the name "Talblick" on its side, continue in the original direction (on a now different road). Signposts for Trail 6 appear, while the app Maps.me suggests a route with likely less road walking.

Water 2021

No good water source all the way to Rein, water fountain in Rein not in use, a couple of meadow springs after Rein (perhaps fed by recent rains), otherwise no good water till the churchyard in Ahornach where the outlet carries a sign that the water is potable.

Groceries 2021

Gol Supermarket in Rein similar to the one in Antholz-Mittert. Gol supermarket in Ahornach seems extremely small and was shuttered when I walked by at 15:24 on a weekday (may be out of operation, or opens only at 15:30, with the typical 12:30-15:30 siesta in this region).

R33 Ahornach (Acereto) – Chemnitzer Huette (Rifugio G. Porro), OA 26.3km +2,045m -970m

Requires extra time as trail along ridge in second half is at times in poor shape, including huge boulder salad on steep slope. (No problems, but time consuming.)

Gondola to Speikboden Alm 2000m, 8:30-17 (last one up 16:30); plus 10min walk and chairlift to Sonnenklar 2400m 8:45-16:30. Euro 30 for both together. (People who stayed at a local hotel said they rode for free because of their local accommodation.) Sonnenklar is 10 minutes away from the trail in R33.

Water

No water on descent from Ahornach, no water if one takes the gondola+chairlift up.

About 3 hrs after Sonnenklar (top of chairlift) spring/creek 30 altitude meters across meadow below. Minutes later seeps and then a small creek crossing the trail.

Strong creek just before Tristen Lake, probably fed by lake overflow and snowmelt.

No water at Chemnitz Hut / end of R33.

Tent sites

Good opportunities halfway along the ridge, with a couple of minor opportunities later. No possibilities at Tristen Lake.

Groceries: None

(Sidetrack after Ahornach to Sand in Taufers, see R32)

R34 Chemnitzer Huette (Rifugio G. Porro) – Dun/Pfunders (Fundres), OA 14.1km +690m -1,564m

Edelraut Hut is an impressive hut that appears to be quite modern. Of all huts, this one might be worth a hut experience.

Alternative after Edelraut Hut: At the end of the lake located 20min down from Edelraut hut towards Dun, a signpost states trail 18 to Dun; it leads over massive boulders and then across a low and flat ridge, before descending to an Alm and continuing from there on a macadam road the c.5km to Dun. Good trail, medium scenic. Guidebook, GPS, and Maps.me ignore this trail and go for the guidebook's shorter way (and perhaps better-quality trail/road) to Dun.

“Dun” appears to be little more than a road intersection amidst a few widely dispersed houses.

Trail alert: Both old and new gpx departing Chemnitzer Huette for Edelraut Hut are *not* on the VA and would deprive the hiker of probably one of the top ten VA segments. Follow VA guidebook instructions and hike the Neveser Hoehenweg (Trail 1); do not follow old/new gpx.

This is the difference:

(1) Gpx: Descend to a large lake, then ascend to Edelraut Hut, 7km, 700m elevation gain: descent is on 2m-wide trail followed by dirt road or shortcut helter-skelter trail (that takes longer than the road). Ascent is straight up. All around a slog with little landscape enjoyment. 3 hours. Water a few minutes down from the Chemnitzer Hut. Tent sites a few minutes down (probably visible) and upon reaching the lake; very visible: difficult on the ascent due to slope and cows (could try 20min up). (2) Neves Highline Trail (Trail 1): 10-12km, 400-700m elevation gain, good, maintained trail over rough territory (rocks). One bridge over creek, one 5m long one-foot wide ledge (with cable) that in late afternoon (in July 2021) resembles a waterfall (no problem, but wet feet), signposted as 4 hours (which are needed), very scenic. The guidebook in its elevation diagram shows option 1; the gpx are for option 1. The guidebook in its description covers option 2, giving 8km, 161m elevation gain for option 2 plus the remainder of R34, and states 2 hours. Water plentiful. Occasional tent sites in first half? (Walked and loved it in 2021, didn’t keep track of tent sites.)

Water

Fountain at the Edelraut Hut.

Pipe / fountain at first Alm on descent

Fountain at Bodenalm 10min before Dun

Tent sites

20min after Edelraut Hut at end of lake, and possibly for 30min beyond (depending on wetness and cows)

Possibly near Bodenalm 10min before Dun.

Possibly close to Dun on the approach to Dun, though probably only with difficulty.

At the beginning of R35, where one leaves the main road to go straight up, several hotel advertisements are posted, including one that offers pickup if called.

Possibly at parking lot 50 altitude meters down at end of R34.

Groceries: None

R35 Dun/Pfunders (Fundres) – Pfitscherjoch (Passo Vizze), OA 15.4km +1,682m -944m

Guidebook: "Gliederscharte should, however, only be tackled in good weather and on safe ground (i.e. no snow fields!)." – Ascent was unproblematic; the incline is such that one should be able to cross snowfields without problem. The descent also posed no difficulty but is steeper than the ascent (had only 1% snow coverage compared to the ascent from the Grindlbergsee with its maybe 5% snow coverage). The descent to the valley floor is interrupted half-way down by a 500m long crossing of a steeply sloping, grassy hillside that posed no difficulty (Used hands twice, no hiking poles in 2021, hiking poles for convenience in 2025).

Lowest point in this section (before ascent to Pfitscherjoch hut) on macadam road to Pfitscherjoch hut has 3 buses a day passing on way to the Pfitscherjoch; they run from Stein (a bit further down and from the “last bus stop,” yet a bit further down) to the Pfitscherjoch; departure times from Stein in 2021 were 7:35, 8:50, 15:35, in 2025 7:25, 8:50, 16:05. Bus may mean minivan.

Pfitscherjoch (hut) is a nice hotel.

Water

Immediately into R35 seeps/springs/rivulets, before entering industrial-scale cow territory half an hour into R35.

Fountain at Untere Engbergtalalm.

Fountain at Obere Engbergtalalm.

Creeks throughout ascent but cow territory; goats at pass.

On descent close to valley floor: spring in a switchback. Numerous creeks / snowfield runoffs.

Tent sites

Half an hour into R35 the road levels out a bit but one enters extreme cow territory. If an area is without cows, then possibly tent site at side of the road (very poor).

Not possible at the Grindlbergsee (lake) (rocky). possibly ten minutes up from the lake towards the Gliederscharte (pass); possibly at the pass.

On descent one excellent spot about an hour down, after the hillside crossing.

On abandoned(?) forest road at lowest point / where one reaches the road up to the Pfitscherjoch.

If one walks the road to the Pfitscherjoch rather than taking the trail shortcut, possibilities on meadow below the road about 80% of the way up (visible).

Groceries: None

R36 Pfitscherjoch (Passo Vizze) – Ginzling, OA 19.4km +0m -1,297m

The 6km trail down (500m altitude) from the Pfitscherjoch to the Zamsgatterl is a major tourist route.

Water

Spring on VA a bit down from the Alm after Pfitscherjoch (45min? from Pfitscherjoch).

Tent sites

Possibilities between Pfitscherjoch and Schlegeis reservoir dam (over 8km) but heavily visited area, no/little scope for stealth camp. Extreme cow infestation. (No 2021 record of tent sites after Schlegeis reservoir, where I diverged from the VA in 2025.)

Groceries: None

Warning. It’s very strange to spend one's time crossing the Zillertal (famous for the beauty of its mountains) walking on a road (or parallel to a road) deep in the valleys, to the sound of traffic. Incomprehensible why the guidebook does not, early in the stage, at the Shclegeis reservoir, lead to the Berliner Hoehenweg. Starting from the Schlegeis Reservoir through halfway of R38, the official Via Alpina is a Via Horribile Anti-Alpina.

Alternative 1 / Default: Take the bus from the Schlegeis Reservoir to Mayrhofen (full resupply, affordable hotels). A dozen buses a day run from the dam of the Schlegeis reservoir to Ginzling, Finkenberg (groceries) and on to Mayrhofen (major resupply). In 2021, I did not see a shop in Ginzling (or anything else of interest). Restaurants were closed, and I didn't look for and didn't see accommodation.

Continue by bus from Mayrhofen to Moesl (the Finkenberg-Moesl leg is a pointless up and down in a non-satisfying environment). From Moesl, it’s possible to walk to Schwaz (end of R40) in one day (R39 and R40 double-count the ascent to Kellerjochhuette, and one may well bypass the final climb to that hut). Schwaz (also) has excellent resupply. — The Zillertal episode is different from Pragser Wildsee to St Martin, which gave me a pleasant sense of the changing landscape. Here, in R36-R38, there is nothing worth to be experienced; the routing is plain offensive. — First/last of a dozen daily buses leaves Schlegeis for Mayrhofen (via Finkenberg) at 6:40 and 18:10; the other direction (Mayrhofen-Schlegeis) 5:30, 17:05.

Alternative 2: a via alpina: In good weather, from near the dam of the Schlegeis Reservoir it’s possible to follow signposts for sections of the Berliner Hoehenweg via the Olperer Huette (also accessible from the beginning of the reservoir) and/or directly the Friesenberghaus continuing to the Gams Huette and then Finkenberg on a highline trail (part of the Berliner Hoehenweg). The only reason I can think of why the VA does not take this highline trail is that the Berliner Hoehenweg is so popular that hut spaces are booked out far in advance, something that is not an issue for those with a tent.

In 2025 I walked Schlegeis near dam - 2.5hrs - Friesenberghaus - 7hrs - Gamshuette - 2hrs - Finkenberg. The trail from Schlegeis to the Friesenberghaus is a very easy trail (tourists may do a 1-day circuit also taking in the Olperer Huette.). The trail from Friesenberghaus to the Gamshuette is exceedingly tedious (signposted as 9 hours) with kilometers of steep boulder salad to cross (paint-marked every two meters) and otherwise mostly a two shoe-width wide trail crossing steep (70 degree?) slopes –the trail does, high up on the mountain, what the road and the Via Horribile Anti-Alpina do far below, namely make its way to the beginning of this valley near Finkenberg. The last third of the trail, once one reaches it, is suddenly signposted “Nur fuer Geuebte” (Only for experienced people); there are about eight 5-meter stretches with cables and some metal footholds, and the hillside seems to drop off more like 80 degrees. This last third was signposted as 3 hours and that is what it took me. Probably 20% of this last third was a rather tedious track, the other 80% were straight-out walkable. Overall, the Friesenberghaus - Gamshuette track is less of a good hiking trail than a scramble, best done only in good weather. One can exit to Ginzling two-thirds into this episode (just before the “Geuebte” part) on a dirt road (descending gently!) and then take the VA R37 to Finkenverg, or a bus.

There are two trails from Gamshuette to Finkenberg One is a well-maintained switchback trail mostly through steep forest that dumps one right at the first houses of Finkenverg, the Ganshuettenweg (no tent sites, all the way). The other descends on more open territory to an Alm from where it crosses to Finkenberg.

Overall, this alternative (a via alpina) involves a 1,800m altitude gain (and corresponding loss) over the VA R36/37’s more like 200m altitude gain.

Water

At fountains at Friesenbergalm, Friesenberghaus, and Gamshuette.

Seeps, rivulets, creeks throughout except in the 400 altitude meter ascent that starts the last third of the Friesenberghsus-Gamshuette part.

Potable water faucet at fountain c.30m before supermarket Spar in Finkenberg.

Tent sites

A few (15?) minutes after Schlegeis where the trail crosses the end of a forest road (hard surface).

1.5 hours after Schlegeis where the trail reaches a flat area at the mouth of the valley leading up to the Friesenberghaus.

After the Friesenberghaus: 1 hour, at a lake (very good), and 2 hours, at the mouth of a valley (though private hut nearby).

No further possibilities all the way to the Gamshuette.

From the Gamshuette to Finkenberg, none on the Gamshuettenweg, but possibly if using the trail that runs via an Alm (to judge from a distant view the next day.) Meadows around Finkenberg, but all quite visible and sloping.

Groceries

Spar Finkenberg, 100sqm, well stocked (inventive, highly efficient shelf layout), Mon-Fri 6:30-18:30, Sat 6-18. (On a Wednesday at 6am, it was already open, with locals coming and going.)

Major horsefly encounter on Finkenberg meadow (by the dozens). The whole area has a whiff of cowshit to it; presumably the meadows have been downed in it.

R37 Ginzling – Finkenberg, OA 8.1km +631m -779m

Continued Via Horribile Anti-Alpina

Highlight is the 150m climb to an electricity python before descending again to Finkenberg. Potable water faucet at fountain c.30m before supermarket Spar in Finkenberg.

R38-40 Alternative / Real VA

Take Finkenberger Almbahn I and II (sequence of two gondolas, earliest 8:45, Euro 24) to Penken at 2200m. Walk 3.5 hours (800m altitude gain) via Wanglspitz (modest peak) to the Rastkogel (peak) at about 2750m for a 360 degree view into the very far distance (as nowhere else on the VA), then descend towards the Rastkogelhuette for about two hours and meet the VA about 10min into R39. -- Superb highline trail / dirt road (unused), mostly through ski area, above tree line, with incredible views all along. The Rastkogel peak is about 1km and 150 altitude meters further than it seems on the approach. The last 200m and 70 altitude meters can be skipped if one just wants to get back to the VA (take the trail towards the Rastkogelhuette [not at all near the Rastkogel peak], which starts before/below the Rastkogel peak), but the views from the peak are like no others on the VA. Beautiful descent towards the Rastkogelhuette. All trails in good condition, signposted and paint-marked.

Shortly before rejoining the VA, there is a metal post with a metal VA sign attached to it, in the middle of nowhere, with no other sign otherwise. The location of this VA sign is *not* on the old and new gpx, *not* on the VA in the OA map and *not* in the guidebook’s route description. It is *on* the alternative/real VA via the Rastkogel described here.

Water

On ascent, fountain 30min after final gondola station, at a wooden house (visible from afar).

On descent towards Rastkogelhuette frequent seeps and small creeks.

Tent sites

For 30min after the final gondola station as well as repeatedly later, including on the final ridge towards the Rastkogel peak (not the last 20min).

Starting shortly into the descent towards the Rastkogelhuette, with many good spots (not the last c.15min before re-joining the VA).

None thereafter until Loassattel in R39 due to slope and cows. At Loassattel some good spots but car-accessible and people possibly coming up to watch the sunset, and a hut (possibly closed).

Walking this alternative from Finkenberg all the way to Schwaz in one day is possible but one would need to keep moving along (when the landscape before and after the Rastkogel invites to go slow) and likely skip the detour to the Kellerjochhuette. One could obviously also walk from Finkenberg to the Rastkogel peak, avoiding the gondolas.

R38 Finkenberg – Rastkogelhuette, OA 20.2km +1,854m -581m

In sunny weather, the first climb of the day in the morning up a South-East facing hillside is nicely warm, and after the descent the second climb of the day in the afternoon up a West-facing hillside is also nicely warm.

In 2021, I took the Finkenberg gondula to its Mittelstation (first leg only) and then walked over (100m elevation gain, then level, then down) to the Penken Bahn station, where I joined R38 after a 5min descent; total walking time 1 hour. This was the only worthwhile hiking that I experienced in the Zillertal in 2021.

There could be a rerouting of the trail to Moesl, different from guidebook/gpx (also from AllTrails map), with the original trail seemingly under nature restoration. This means a descent to 1327m before ascending towards Moesl (with another short descent in the 15min before Moesl).

No water at Rastkogelhuette; some water before and after with judgment required as to quality.

R39 Rastkogelhuette – Kellerjochhuette, OA 14.6km +907m -814m

The guidebook includes the 2-hour ascent to the Kellerjochhuette in both R39 and R40.

Water

Fountain at a private house 20min into R39, at Pfundsalm, Lamarkalm, and Maschentalalm. And various seeps / small creeks.

Tent sites

None until Loassattel in R39 due to slope and cows. At Loassattel some good spots but car-accessible and people possibly coming up to watch the sunset, and a hut (possibly closed).

R40 Kellerjochhuette – Schwaz, OA 12.5km +95m -1,777m

In 2025 I saw no need to climb up to the Kellerjochhuette and instead let OM direct me from the Loassattel to Schwaz. Fountains/creeks all the way. Tent site possibilities until about half an hour before Schwaz. Approximately hourly bus between Grafenadt/Pill (on the way) and Schwaz. If one comes across a trail labeled “Weg der Sinne,” it is well worth taking it (in descending direction) for its beauty (and it takes only minimal extra time/effort, if any).

2021: Ascending towards the Kellerjochhuette from the Gamssteinhaus at the beginning of R40, after about 15 minutes, signposts give two options to reach the Kellerjochhuette: straight up, or via a highline trail ("Hochebenweg") circling around the mountain and then ascending a spur to the hut. Both are signposted with the same time (I think it was 1 3/4 hours). Unless one wants to spend the night at the hut or for some other reason wishes to go up there, the highline trail *without* final ascent (bypass the hut), since one has to descend to 550m altitude Schwaz afterwards (why add another 500m elevation gain to what’s already a big drop into Schwaz, for no real gain) may well be preferable. Where the spur trail branches off the highline trail to go up, one can continue the highline trail and either start descending to Schwaz (on trails) or continue in order to rejoin, after a bit of ascent, the Via Alpina to go to the Gratzenkopf (a lower peak).

If one goes to the Kellerjochhuette, one has 3 possibilities to continue: (1) Follow the gpx, which means an about 2km slope crossing (the slope is at a 70-80 degree angle but the trail is good, albeit narrow, early on secured with c.200m of cables that aren't necessarily needed, and the slope is covered in grass and small bushes), or (2) walk around the Kellerjochhuette and find the spur trail down to the highline trail (from afar, this looked like the easiest option; it will likely provide an incentive to bypass the Gratzenkopf), or (3) continue up from the hut to the chapel and beyond to rejoin the VA/gpx later; the trail to the chapel (300-500m) may look challenging, being secured with cables in the beginning, but to judge from conversations with other hikers, could yet be easier than (1) (which I took in 2021).

About 5km before Schwaz one reaches an asphalt road and a bus stop, Pertrach (buses run almost every hour to Schwaz). The guidebook says walk the road into town. The app Maps.me shows a hiking trail that takes off in the second far (East) curve down; signposts appear 5min into the trail, but where it starts from the asphalt road there is only a sign about a "Rodelbahn;" this somewhat rough trail descends rapidly along a creek and then moves diagonally away from the creek, crosses the asphalt road, and continues as a forest trail to the

very edge of Schwaz. Another option at Pertrach is to follow the signs to "Burg Freundsberg" with a trail that seems to continue through old forest; the gpxs for the Via Alpina lead to within 300m and 100m altitude (below) the Burg, so from the Burg it's just a matter of descending to rejoin the VA/gpx.

Didn’t keep a record of water and tent sites.

Groceries

Excellent resupply in Schwaz. Shopping mall “Stadtgalerien” in the center of town (just before the river, on the left, the Via Alpina passes it): MPreis supermarket, DM and Muller markets, the latter two carrying their usual range of health foods, and a Reformhaus (health food shop). Past the train station (whose pedestrian underpass the VA uses) is a Hofer/Aldi. Prices in Schwaz are about half of what they were in Sexten and Finkenberg.

R41 Schwaz -> Lamsenjochhuette, OA 13.6km +1,534m -135m

(27 June 2025, 8 July 2022)

It is possible to avoid (wet) paths by staying on the tarmac road until one reaches the VA forest road.

Water

No water (even after a night of heavy rain), except (1) at outskirts of Schwaz (the last village, Fiecht/Vomp, has 3 fountains along road) and (2) at 1660m altitude, in a right-curve of the road, the sound of flowing water, with a trough visible 200m (distance) uphill on the left. A closed trail heads roughly in that direction.

Tent sites

Half an hour after the last houses of Schwaz/Fiecht/Vomp at meadows and a big parking lot.

Subsequently occasionally a possibility, but eventually cow territory. Not possible in the final ascent to the Lamensjochhuette.

Groceries: Schwaz (beginning of R41)

R42 Lamsenjochhuette -> Falkenhuette, OA 11.9km +796m -905m

Trail from Lamensjochhuette onwards is excellent (absolutely no concern about needing to be sure-footed or free of vertigo, no matter what the guidebook or OA say). Ten minutes after the Lamensjochhuette a 50m stretch of the minimum 1.2m wide trail runs below a hillside cliff, with an 80 degree slope on the valley side.

Binsalm (www.binsalm.at) offers wood-fired mountain water mini jaccuzzi for Euro 50 at 2.5 hours’ notice. (Also offers dormitory accommodation.) Tables set out to accommodate 300 guests. Accommodation and restaurant at Eng (big parking lot), and restaurant at Eng Alm (tables to accommodate 500 people).

Falkenhuette can be bypassed by, where the trail reaches the dirt road (10min below the Falkenhuette) continuing down the road to rejoin the VA 15min later.

Water

On descent from the Lamensjochhuette: Half an hour into R42 seeps. 5min past Binsalm hillside small creek.

Fountain at Eng Alm

On ascent: About 3 small creeks in forested area and 3 above the tree line. All with low flow.

Tent sites

Difficult on descent to Binsalm (slope, potentially cows).

Meadows around Eng Alm but very visible.

At Hohljoch pass after Eng Alm

Groceries: None

R43 Falkenhuette -> Scharnitz, OA 24.5km +452m -1,328m

2022: Kleiner Ahornboden meadow not suitable for picnic due to aggressive cows. (Cows using their body mass to push through to my backpack and sticking their snouts in. Took beating with a stick and throwing significant rocks that hit hard to chase them away, for about 2min, before they were back. Impossible to eat food on this meadow.)

2025: On the day I descended to Scharnitz, about 500 cows were driven up past the Karwendelhaus area, presumably towards Ahornboden. I also encountered several hundred mountain bikers. Ratio of mountain bikers to hikers was 20:1.

One can bypass Karwendelhaus by taking the mountain bike road downhill c. 5min before Karwendelhaus.

Water

Fountain at Alm (Ladiz Alpe) 30min past Falkenhuette

Strong fountain (pipe/trough) towards end of Kleiner Ahornboden meadow

Fountain half an hour after the Kleiner Ahornboden (weak flow)

Fountain 30min after Karwendelhaus, on forest road after a couple of switchbacks down (may require not taking gpx trail shortcuts of forest road).

There were probably a couple of springs/creeks on the long valley walk out to Scharnitz.

In Scharnitz fountain shortly after crossing the Isar river, though this may be Isar water?

Tent sites

Severe cow infestation after Falkenhuette.

Good spots c.1.5 hours after Falkenhuette where VA crosses large rocky (dry) creek/river bed, on both sides (before Ahornboden plateau, which may be cow-infested).

Several times superb possibilities on valley floor past Karwendelhaus, until c.5-7km before Scharnitz. In 2021 but not in 2025: From 5km before until 5km after Scharnitz: severe horse fly plague. (A couple of horse flies in 2025.)

Groceries

MPreis mini store as part of gas station leaving Scharnitz along the main road in the general VA R44 direction. Although food section is tiny (20sqm?) it has a good selection, from oats to soy milk, Clif Bars, and canned chickpeas. Prices c.50% above usual MPreis prices. Attractive opening hours – whenever the gas station is open, 7 days a week, possibly 6-20 except Sun 7-20. Did not check out mini M at Northern end of Scharnitz.

Mittenwald, 7km from Scharnitz (roughly hourly bus, 13min ride), has several major German supermarkets.

R44 Scharnitz -> Meilerhuette, OA 16.4km +1,846m -443m

(28/29 June 2025, 10 July 2022)

The first part of this stage, to Ahrn/Lehner is simply to climb up 500m (on an unused forest road and a trail) and head straight back down (on a broad dirt road), all at relatively low altitude (heavy vegetation).

From Ahrn/Lehner, one can walk to Pestkapelle, two-thirds into R46, in 4 hours with an altitude gain of 600m, or one can follow the VA and get to the Pestkapelle after 15 hours with about 3000m of altitude gain. The VA involves a direct ascent to the Meilerhuette through a rock-desert valley (the rock is abrasive, jagged, and sharp, with a bit of earth and plants in the lower part of the ascent), superb views from the Meilerhuette as well as during the first half hour of descent, then a knee-busting steep descent of another about 1,000m altitude with 200m of cables spread over about two dozen locations (sign says surefootedness required), a c.1.5 hour boring walk along the Reintal in immense heat, another c.1,000m ascent straight up to the Knorr Huette, a c1.5 hour cross walk on slopes of varying steepness (incl. one location with c.30m of cables), and finally a descent to the Pestkaoelle. In good weather, the views and the landscape could (but need not) favor the VA. In poor weather, the 4-hour direct walk is much preferable.

If one wanted to cut out just the rocky ascent to the Meilerhuette and the very steep descent into the Reintal afterwards, one could, from Scharnitz, head to the Reintal directly (and thereby also avoid the 500m altitude hill-hopping to get to Ahrn/Lehner)..

Heading out of Scharnitz, old and new gpx are not accurate. (If one follows the gpx: when hitting meadow / car tunnel, backtrack 200m, turn left from point of view of original walking direction, and after about 3 houses turn right into street “Sportplatzweg.”) Best: from the center of Scharnitz take the main road to the gas station, check out their MPreis shop, then turn into Sportplatzweg opposite the gas station, and a couple minutes later, after the creek, turn left to follow Sportplatzweg (the VA).

3-4km after Ahrn/Lehner: First 500m climbing the side of the canyon, after a plaque commemorating someone's death, is a bit rough, slippery in bad weather but manageable if using hands. Thereafter a similar 5m patch about half way up, and a 50m patch close to the top. Not great in bad weather but also not a big deal.

Water

Spring/creek c.1 hour after Scharnitz, ⅔ into the ascent to Hoher Sattel (shortly after the forest road ends and one continues on a trail).

Spring/fountain 20m before Hoher Sattel.

Ahrn: fountain

C.4km after Lehner, before the steep ascent, small creek/spring at a bench and a junction with a trail coming from below. Then no water until 1.5 hours after Meilerhuette (no fountain at Meilerhuette, try toilet).

Tent sites

Some possibilities heading out of Scharnitz but visibility / heavy bicycle traffic.

During ascent to and descent from Hoher Sattel: difficult, possibly on forest side roads. At Hoher Sattel itself excellent! (Karwendel nature park sign with lots of prohibition icons includes tent symbol). Earlier, c.10min before reaching Hoher Sattel, as trail becomes forest road, on forest road.

Possibilities for about 3km after Ahrn/Lehner, first very good sites on meadows (but visible), then occasionally in forest. Where VA turns onto rocky upward sloping forest road c.2-3 km after Lehner, tent site possibilities end c.20min later after a small clearing.

No possibility on ascent.

Groceries: Scharnitz at beginning of R44

R45 Meilerhuette -> Reintalanger Huette, OA 11.5km +332m +1,328m

R45,46 are all about Germany’s highest peak, the Zugspitze

2022: From Schachenhaus down: Knee-busting decent over hundreds of switchbacks, including dilapidated, rotten wooden staircases with steps missing. Not dangerous but arduous. I didn't meet a single person after Schachelalm—trail is reserved for masochistic Via Alpina (VA) hikers. Trail is fastest way down short of jumping off the mountain.

2025: Staircases have been repaired. C.200m of cables spread over about two dozen locations. Trail did not pose a problem this time. Warning sign about needing to be ‘surefooted.’

Water

Toilet at Schachenhaus says no drinking water (can purchase 0.5l water in plastic bottle for Euro 4).

1 hour after Schachenhaus, when first hear running water behind large rock, access to creek at that point (only).

Toilet st Bockhuette? (After descent, 10min upstream in Reintal)

30min into gradual ascent in Reintal (valley floor): springs on trail.

Washroom at Reintalanger Huette.

Tent sites

Difficult; 20min down from Meilerhuette repeated occasions, also near Schachenhaus, but all highly visible (and camping may be / likely prohibited, plus heavy foot traffic).

Ascent to Reintalangerhuette: possibly in dry riverbed, accessible from trail only once, about half way up the valley. Strict prohibition of camping in this valley (with signs everywhere, including near the hut and c.15min later at meadow, where it would be possible). Sign at hut says that in the Reintal (Rein valley) camping and bivouac are strictly prohibited, police patrol the area and there is aerial surveillance. Severe penalties...

Groceries: None

R46 Reintalanger Huette -> Coburger Huette, OA 15.9km +1,302m -761m

The VA goes to the Coburger Huette and then in R47 to the Wolfratshauer Huette to fulfill its mission of bringing business to remote huts (and to provide accommodation to the VA hiker). For someone with a tent, neither hut makes much sense. The Coburger Huette is a bit out of the way, asking for an extra ascent, and then going into a very steep descent to Biberwier. And from Lermoos (in the valley, 2km from Biberwier), one can take a gondola for the R47 ascent (which the guidebook does not mention; this stage would presumably then be too short, and disqualify staying at the Wolfratshauer Huette).

In May 2025, a note on the official Via Alpina website stated that the Biberwier Scharte (the pass after the Coburger Huette, which the VA uses) is closed. Later, I could not find that website again.

If one chooses to go to the Coburger Huette: C.15min after Pestkapelle, the VA joins a bike road to Seebenalm; ignore signs for Coburger Huette -- it's a meandering hiking trail almost as wide as the road, likewise going (first) to Seebenalm, with 200 people per hour.

Alert / Alternative: Exceedingly steep descent from shortly after Coburger Huette in R47 (and trail possibly closed as the Biberwier Scharte may be closed). Alternative: From Pestkapelle or Seebenalm walk towards Ehrwald 2 hrs (on a mostly gentle downward slope), then from the outskirts of Ehrwald walk the Panoramaweg c.3km to Biberwier and rejoin the VA. Or continue from Ehrwald to Lermoos and on to Bichlbach and Berwang to rejoin the VA just before Berwang (c.13km) in R48. What one misses: Seeben Lake, the environs of Coburger Huette (which are nice), a knee-busting 900m vertical descent (of which the first 300m altitude on steep scree), the MiniM market in Biberwiel, which is probably good for resupply, a very steep 700m ascent to a ski area and a gravel road to Wolfgangshuette, a brief sharp descent followed by two hours wading up Cowshit Gulch, marvelous views East and West from the Sommerbergjoechle, and a knee-busting 1000m altitude descent. Where the VA reaches the road to Berwang, signposts do *not* mention the Sommerbergjoechle etc., implying that this is not a great quality trail (as indeed experienced in 2022). What one gains: probably a nice stroll through beautiful landscape to Ehrwald (or take the cablecar down from the Ehrwald Alm, 1km from the Pestkapelle), several resupply options in Ehrwald and Lermoos, and a walk on a bicycle road until Bichlbach next to a busy highway that emerges from a tunnel after Lermois. Plus monstrously grateful knees. Bus 5 runs from Biberwier via Ehrwald and Lermoos to Berwang eight times a day. In bad weather, this alternative is a no-brainer, both for safety reasons and because the views will likely be better in the valley. In good weather, it's a toss-up. Neither the road-avoidance R48 VA nor the (for some time boring, loud) bicycle road valley route are great. Ex post, having walked the official VA in 2022 and the bicycle road in 2025, I would bus Lermoos to Berwang. If one wanted to walk R48, consider walking from Biberwiel (or Ehrwald) to Lermois (2km or 3km) and take the gondola up.

Water

At creek at Reintalanger Huette (with sign saying not to drink from creek). Washroom in the hut.

10min before Hochfeldernalm (3 springs within about 200m) and at Hochfeldernalm (pipe/trough). Also at Pestkapelle and in a meadow just below Seebebalm.

Tent sites

1 hour after Knorrhuette one reaches, in relatively quick succession, a spur, a ridge, and a spur. One could camp on the ridge (end of Reintal with its strict camping prohibition). Less than one hour takes one to the Hochfeldenalm area (where camping is probably also prohibited but easier to do, including stealth camp).

Endless possibilities from around Hochfeldenalm to Seeben Lake (above Seebenalm, before Coburger Huette); but it's cow territory, and in the woods it's one ant hill to every five trees.

Groceries: None

R47 Coburger Huette -> Wolfratshauer Huette, OA 10.8km +912m -1,051m

From Biberwier Scharte (pass), the descent with heavy backpack and without hiking poles is very strenuous (fastest possible descent without jumping off the mountain. (Official Via Alpina in May 2025 had a note that the Biberwier Scharte is closed.) Hundreds of mini switchbacks. Very steep trail. The first 300m of altitude are on plantless, very steep scree/gravel and it's almost impossible not to slip. When wet, it’s probably even worse. The next 300m of altitude are on superb, knee-friendly switchbacks through mountain pine. After that, it's back to a fastest-possible track, now in a forest at a much reduced slope. I didn't meet a single person. For an alternative see my notes to R46.

Water: spigot in Biberwier cemetery (which one passes).

Tent sites

None until about 500m before Biberwier, at some wooden structures which may serve for wildlife feeding in winter. After Biberwier starting at 1,400m altitude a couple of possibilities, and then endless possibilities at the ski area at the top.

Groceries

Biberwier MiniM, c.200 sqm, looks good (passed it in 2022 when closed), open Mon-Sat 7:30-18. Or bus or walk to Ehrwald (c.3im) or Lermoos (which is in the direction of the continuing VA, 2km), for significant resupply options / grocery shops.

R48 Wolfratshausener Huette – Weissenbach am Lech, OA 22.6km +784m -1,654m

Ascent to Sommerbergjoechle: After brief initial descent from Wolfratshauser Huette immediately turn left at the end of the forest to head up the meadow (rocks with red dots). Signpost visible further down is out of the way. Ascent is dominated by cows to the extent that at times there is no identifiable trail. Stick to the left, following a line of rocks up.

Water

Fountain at Bichlbacher Alm

Cemetery in Bergwal (pipe with running water, quality?).

Around the reservoir after Rinnen many creeks but water does not look promising (reservoir water looked like sewage in 2022 but not in 2025).

Tent sites

Ascent to Sommerbergjoechle halfway up at a wooden hut.

Between lowest point in R48, through Bergwal / Rinnen many possibilities but in very public space.

After Rinnen almost no possibility as gravel road cuts across steep slope; c. 2km before Weissenbach, during descent, a gravel road comes in from the left, side-tracking on which for about 500m leads to possibilities in old side roads in the woods.

After the descent a 1+km flat meadow largely sheltered from views. Followed by a smaller meadow on the right that offers more protection from views (minutes before Weissenbach am Lech).

Groceries

Tiny shop in Berwang (‘Laden mit Pfiff’) specializing in cow bells, alcohol, local meats and honey, open 7:30-12:30 and 15-18 except Wed and Sat not in the afternoon.

Weissenbach am Lech: Large MPreis store with good resupply possibilities. Open. Mon-Fri 7:30-19, Sat 8-18. Bakery/cafe in MPREIS as well as another bakery/cafe diagonally across the road, opens earlier (7am or earlier).

R49 Weissenbach am Lech – Prinz-Luitpold-Haus, OA 24.4km +1,352m -391m

Alert: Horsefly plague from shortly after Weissenbach to, in 2022, 1,400m altitude (ended exactly where crossed cow fence into cow-free territory), and higher in 2025. 2021: I killed about 50 horseflies, and got bitten half a dozen times; 2025: probably killed a hundred.

Alert: After the private hut at 1,500m, the trail that one is on continues up and then turns right. The apps OM and Maps.me show this to be a dead-end trail (no longer the VA). The VA at first goes straight up the spur (even without track) and then leans leftward: ascend through grass and keep a look-out for a track to re-appear (never turn right after the private hut. Both OM and the VA gpx have some wrong routing between the hut and the rock face ahead, especially when it comes to the last, left-moving stretch (both the old and the new gpx match a trail in OM, which is wrong by at least 50m [shown too high]; suggesting that the gpx creators never walked the trail but simply tagged the trail in an app such as OM. When in doubt head across meadow and between mountain pine to the left (Southeast) end of the rock face. At the point where one reaches the rock face is a sign post with a sign for Prinz-Luitpold-Haus pointing to the left. The official VA does not take this trail and instead heads (right) towards the Schrecksee. The trail leads up along (just below) the rock face to the right onto a meadowy slight plateau. Just before the plateau, a track heads down(!), probably made by hikers going the other direction, that soon peters out. (Coming up without trail, one might be able to catch this track in the end; otherwise the slope here is too steep.) Eventually one reaches another intersection and follows the gpx to Prinz-Luitpold-Haus on a rather good trail, with cemented rock steps where the slope gets steep, and cables (for lots of touristy hikers). The trail that one now is on connects the Prinz-Louitpold-Haus to the Landsberger Huette, c.2 hours from Weissenbach am Lech. — The VA trail is not signposted in the other direction, suggesting the VA in R49 (as in R48) uses a largely abandoned trail.

This stage is in the Lech Naturpark and camping is strictly prohibited and patrolled (by SUV at 9pm well into the Schwarzwassertal). Except for a short stretch about 1.5 hours into R49 (after passing the pedestrian bridge across the river on the left), this stage (except the last hour on the Landsberger Huette to Prinz-Luitpold-Haus trail) is hardly worth walking: Horse flies, boring to very boring territory, a logged valley (Naturpark!) with denuded hillsides and hillsides that have been reduced to scrub or landslides, half a dozen private properties / huts, and lots of hunters’ shelters. Hikers not welcome and chased out over night. Second time unpleasant stage (2022 and 2025). I would now walk Weissenbach am Lech – Landsberger Huette – Prinz-Louitpold-Haus for most likely a much better trail, a much better landscape, fewer horse flies, and no harassment by park rangers.

Water

In Weissenbach am Lech at fountain on North side of church, or spigot in cemetery.

C.1 hour after Weissenbach am Lech: shortly after the pedestrian bridge across the river on the left is a spring on the right.

During ascent (1) at c.1130m altitude, well into long flat stretch into the Schwarzwasserbach Valley (probably c.4 hours after Weissbach), and (2) at 1,500m, up and 30m to the left, behind a private hut. Both times pipe/trough.

Tent sites

Camping prohibited everywhere, all the way to Prinz-Louitpold-Haus. Naturpark.

Due to the patrols, stealth camp is a must.

Plentiful possibilities the first c. 4km (for tent sites take one of the smaller paths towards the river rather than the bicycle path), not immediately after the road crossing (c. one hour in), but then again soon for the remainder of the 8km stretch along the Lech. Good stealth camp possibilities for about 2km after passing the pedestrian bridge across the river on the left.

Repeatedly in the valley going up (cows!), few in the second climb starting at the end of the flat road. Probably at the private hut at 1,500m. Possibly at the pass itself (highly visible). Probably none of these very good.

Groceries: Weissenbach am Lech at beginning of R49

R50 Prinz-Luitpold-Haus – Oberstdorf, OA 17.6km +421m -1,440m

Water

Within the first hour after Prinz-Luitpold-Haus half a dozen seeps, springs, creeks.

After Himmeleck Pass and before Kaesealpe, fountain with strong flow at Wildenfeldhuette.

Tent sites

None before Himmelseck except at 200m altitude below Himmelseck and only if it's dry (otherwise swampy) - very visible to hikers. A pristine spot.

At Himmeleck pass.

At private hut (Wildenfeldhuette) c.30min down from / after Himmeleck pass.

Further down, Kaeseralpe and beyond: hundreds of cows. There could be possibilities all the way until 30-45min before Oberstdorf, but cows until c. Cytalhaus, and typically no privacy. Sign at Cytalhouse, pointing uphill (the VA route), says no camping.

Groceries

In very touristy Oberstdorf with central (pedestrian zone): Netto, Edeka-Feneberg, Rewe, Lidl supermarkets, and central Reformhaus/Bioladen health food shop and Mueller Markt. Many sports shops.

R51 Oberstdorf -> Mindelheimerhuette, OA 19.1km +1,434m -257m

One can avoid half a dozen horsefly bites in the early morning and a, except for a somewhat pleasant first couple of km, 75% of the way boring/tedious 9km walk to Birgsau (pronounced Birgs-au) by taking the first Bus 7 from Oberstdorf to Birgsau (departs 6:50am) and climb out of the low region before the sun gets too hot and while one can wear protective layers against the horseflies. For walking to Birgsau, the GPS coordinates are sub-optimal: they stay on the tarred vehicle road longer than needed, have a longer distance than needed, and towards the end go through an overgrown and fenced in area. After Lorretto, follow signposts to Birgsau (summer 2022 construction closure only applies to bicycles, hikers can pass).

One can also reach the Mindelheimer Huette by taking the Birgsau bus to its final stop (after Birgsau) and then continuing up along the valley floor with a couple of options to climb to Mindelheimer Huette (by-passing the Guggensee Lake and some scrambling on the track after the lake).

Guggensee Lake is a small (max. 30m diameter) puddle of brown water that could equally well be the runoff from a cow shed (though, thankfully, it doesn’t smell). Beautiful highline trail (in some places: track) from Guggensee Lake to Mildenheim Huette.

Water

Just before the Loretto Chapel (pipe/trough).

After crossing the creek in Birgsau and climbing to the end of the first meadow to some trees: there are a variety of pipes (local water supply?) across a gully, one of which leaked significantly in 2022 but not in 2025.

At a private hut c.15 min past Guggensee Lake, inside a fenced area (open spigot, trough).

C.1 hour past Guggensee Lake, at a second private hut, same arrangement but no fence, open access.

Tent sites

There is a sign at the Fastenoy parking area prohibiting, among others, camping, bivouac, and loitering (“lagern”)

Opportunities between Oberstdorf and Birgsau.

Very limited at Guggensee lake (and pristine environment, one could try next to an empty concrete trough immediately after the lake, or 200m before the lake).

Possibly at three private huts (which may be occupied; the third one requires a detour, below Mildenheim Huette).

Groceries: Oberstdorf at the beginning of R51

R52 Mindelheimerhuette -> Schroecken, OA 16.7km +618m -1,374m

Guidebook’s 4h30 walking time does not match walking times given in the text (more like 6+ hours).

Beautiful highline / plateau trail from pass after Mildenheimer Huette to Widderstein Huette. If one does not want to visit the Widderstein Huette, OM gives directions for a slightly earlier, gentle descent to Hochkrumbach, from where it takes 15min to rejoin the VA at Hochtannbergpass.

Water

No water for first two-thirds of the stage.

At Hochtannbergpass, if one walks along the road after the descent from the Widderstein Huette rather than makes the detour to the chapel, at the end of the road parking area is a fountain with a sign that explicitly says potable water.

Walking from Hotel Koerbersee to Schroecken on the road, after c. 30min, just before Batzenalpe, pipe/trough at road (next to private house).

At Batzen Alpenmuseum (just after Batzen Alpe), pipe/trough, low flow.

Tent sites

Some possibilities after first pass (not at pass).

The area c. 1-2 hours after Mildenheimer Huette

Plateau with generally very uneven, rocky ground with patches of grass and mountain pine.

Possibilities after Hochtannbergpass until c. half an hour before Schroecken.

Groceries

Schroecken Spar, c.70sqm, good, Mon-Sat 7:30-12:30, 15:30-18:30 except Sat only till 18:00.

R53 Schroecken -> Buchboden, OA 20km +994m -1,342m

Alert: C.20min after the Biberacher Huette, where crossing a fence, a sign for Buchboden points straight ahead. The VA veers right, instead, which I noticed too late and did not turn back. The direct way to Buchboden passes through some Alpe (fountain) and then descends on a at first rather pleasant, later rather tedious path to the valley road (instead, take the dirt road all the way), which leads in 40min to Buchboden.

Water

In 2022 c.15min into ascent, spring on right towards end of a straight, steep stretch (c.1hr from Schroecken); did not run in 2025. Instead, small spring/creek c.30min into ascent.

Occasional seeps/springs/creeks thereafter, but soon cow territory.

Fountain at c.1450m altitude.

Fountain in Buchboden, opposite church.

Tent sites

Meadow 3min off VA just before ascent starts, same side of river, opposite direction of VA.

C.45min into ascent, just before cow territory, dilapidated wooden shelter with person-length bench: tent space a few meters before, depending on specific location of cow fence, under trees, next to dirt road (that seems to see no traffic).

Shortly before Biberacher Huette (after exiting cow territory).

On the direct path to Buchboden: none / very difficult (at top also cows). Signs further down say no camping across whole valley/community.

Groceries: Schroecken at the beginning of R53

R54 Buchboden -> St. Gerold, OA 14.9km +445m -455m

Follow gpx or follow signs for “Grasella Walserweg.” Descends from Buchboden past Hotel Kreuz, which is just West of the church. When signposts Garsella Walserweg end, follow Blons Walserweg. When signposts and gpx diverged, I followed the signposts.

Alert: Garsella to Blons is a mix of trail, track, meadow-walking without tracks (wet in the morning) and tarred roads, going up and down and here and there. — In the early morning, it might be best to walk the main road.

Where one reaches the main road in Garsella is a bus stop with an approx. hourly bus to Thueringen that connects to a bus on to Feldkirch.

Water

Fountain in Buchboden opposite church, quickly followed by two further instances, then more later. Also springs / rivulets.

Tent sites

Repeatedly ‘no camping’ signs

Various possibilities, keeping in mind that there are villages and houses, and the 'trail' is shared with other hikers, e-bikes, horse riders, off-road vehicles, and sometimes cars. Best between Buchboden and Garsella. Later more difficult to find a spot.

Groceries

Blons has a small store. I don't know size and opening hours (came through on a Sunday).

R55 St. Gerold -> Feldkirch, OA 20.9km +249m -696m

Trail changes name from Walserweg to Walgauweg some time in this stage, maybe from Thueringerberg on.

Unexpectedly pleasant village hopping until it got tedious around Satteins. I would have preferred the Via Alpina to go up slightly in St Gerold or Thueringerberg and to follow a highline trail that only descends at the end, into Feldkirch. — Where the VA crosses the river, half an hour before Feldkirch, in 2022 I diverted to Franstranz (ice cream parlor and Restaurant/Gasthof near church) and then up the hill to join the VA in R56 about 1.5 hours before the Feldkircher Huette, by-passing downtown Feldkirch. (Resupply possible in Satteins.)

Water: Frequent, including village fountains

Tent sites: Frequent, including after Satteins (though in an area that is quite populated while camping is prohibited)

Groceries

Spar Schnifis Mon,Tue,Wed, Fri 7:30-12:30, 16:00-18:30 Thu, 7:30-12:30, Sat 7:30-12:00.

Spar Satteins (big), off-trail down main road 5min, Mon-Sat 6:50(!)-19:00 except Sat till 18:00. (Diskont gas station in Satteins does not have shop.)

Feldkirch has major resupply options.

R56 – R99 (July/August 2022)

R56 Feldkirch -> Gafadurahuette

Alert: Run a google search "image Fuerstensteig Liechtenstein" and decide if you want to do this over several kilometers in stage 57. Alternative: Walk from Amerluegen in 4h30 to Suecka, end of R57 (I suggest to side-track up the road for 5-10min to a hiker's tunnel, walk through, and spend some time taking in the scenery of the Rhinetal). The trail, probably a gravel road, will likely be signposted as going to Steg, a 10min walk below Suecka. From Steg, at the tunnel, buses go approx, hourly to Vaduz, a 20+min ride.

No water after Amerluegen (and don't know before).

Tent sites: limited possibilities after Feldkircher Huette

R57 Gafadarhuette -> Suecka

See alert with R58. After Amerluegen in R56 it’s too late to avoid the Fuerstensteig. At the Garsella Aloe, faint tracks lead to an alternative ridge, not confidence-inspiring enough to be used in an attempt to circumvent the Fuerstensteig. A signpost shows no trail in that direction. I suspect there is a trail down (didn't check as I wasn't aware of the severity of the Fuerstensteig), which would then probably meet the trail from Amerluegen to Steg/Suecka.

The Fuerstensteig is definitely not a hiking trail. Of the c.6km from the ridge above Garsella-Alp to Silum, the first km is severe, followed by c. 2km of hiking trail, before, according to a local hiker, the Fuerstensteig becomes even more exposed than in the first km. At this point (c. 3km into the 6km) it is possible to take a trail heading left /East and quickly climbing to a side ridge on what is a highly enginereed (excellent) trail. It descends as a normal hiking trail the other side and one can then walk a hiking trail on a wooded (harmless) ridge (or partly bypass the ridge via a level trail); this option is joined by the VA (at the tunnel), a few minutes before Suecka. I took this route aftrr the first 3km of the Fuerstensteig. I would not have done any part of the Fuerstenweg had I known how severe it is. (I met half a dozen people on those first 3km, none with a significant backpack The weather was perfect. I still would not do it, knowing what I know now, having done the first 3km The views do not outweigh the anxiety/danger with a heavy and bulky backpack. It's ok for thrill seeking day hikers.)

Gasthof Suecka looked dead. No restaurant.

Water: C. 20m behind the Garsella Alpe Huette is a small trough. One meter behind it is a faucet.

Camping: Around Garaella Alpe.

R58 Suecka -> Pfaelzerhuette

Alternative: From Steg (just down from Suecka) to Pfaelzerhuettee: Gravel road, faster than VA (which only has a couple of km of gravel road and no traffic). Choice could be dependent on sun and time of day (VA could be wet in the morning). From above, it looks as if there is a café/restaurant at the end of the Steg parking lot. In rain, the cowshit valley in the final ascent to the Pfaelzerhuette will likely turn into ankle-deep sludge.

Water: pipe/trough at Gasthof Suecka

Tent sites; Very occasionally in first half. (Heavy cow pollution in the second half.)

R59 Pfaelzerhuette -> Schesaplana Huette

Alert: C.30min after the pass, the trail becomes very tedious (not clear from afar: up and down, narrow path in places on steep slope, rocky path). It would be possible to descend to a road, down along the creek, then walk the road to the Schesaplana hut or bypass the hut and join the VA 500m further on (will have to bridge the 10m (ten meters) distance btw road and VA by walking across grass.

Water: (1) 15min after pass off-trail (200m, track leads to seeps that immediately form a creek. (2) 15 and 10min before Schesaplana: creek crossings with creek near spring.

Tent sites: Starting c.30min after Pfaelzerhuette until pass (repeatedly very good spots.
In Switzerland, “Wild camping is only allowed in the mountains above the tree line.” (Some exceptions apply, eg nature reserves, https://www.myswissalps.com/campsites/wildcamping) Cowboy-camping (no tent) is always and everywhere allowed.

R60 Schesaplana Huette -> Carschinahuette

Alert: Trail between first and third pass in places only one foot wide (and at the same time sloping). Hiking poles are useful. Alternative: Before the first pass, where the VA makes a sharp left uphill turn continue straight to Golrosa. From there, a trail rejoins the VA after the third pass. This trail seems to run rather level and looks easy from above (from the VA). What is missed is the view of a reservoir on the Austrian side at the second pass (and a lot of tedious track and up and down).

Water: Starting c.30min after Schesaplana Huette plentiful, from seeps to springs to creeks to pipe/troughs. No water from first to third pass and down into the dip (about halfway through the stage); at the bottom of the dip is a creek coming out of the rock

Tent sites: Before first pass. After third pass difficult due to frequent slope, uneven territory, and at times cows.

R61 Carschinahuette -> St. Antoenien

Water: Creek early on (cows below)

Tent sites: Early on, later too steep and cows

R62 St. Antoenien -> Gargellen

Water: Creek before pass

Tent sites: Possibly halfway on descent

I can recommend Hotel Alpenrose in Gargellen -- centrally located with very nice standard rooms.

Resupply: Spar, c. 100sqm, good, open c.9-12, 15-c18

R63 Gargellen -> Tuebinger Huette (21July, all day in clouds never saw more than 50m ahead)

One of the best-quality hiking trails on the Via Alpina

Water: Pipe/trough at Vergaldaalpe and at Tuebinger Huette. Creek near its source just before pass.

Tent sites: limited on way out of town. Good after c.45min but then also entering cow territory. Not in ascent to pass. Limited on descent. Excellent c.10min before Tuebinger Huette.

R64 Tuebinger Huette -> Madlener Haus

After the Hochmaderer Joch, the trail soon becomes a tedious track (highly uneven track, partly overgrown, lots of altitude variation).

Water: Pipe/trough at Tuebinger Huette only. After a rainy night various seeps on the way.

Tent sites: Limited (and early) on ascent to Hochmaderer Joch. Limited shortly after Joch, then none until c. 30min before Madlener Haus (but cows).

R65 Madlener Haus -> Jamtalhuette

Alert: Difficult 200m altitude up to as well as down from pass, on both sides, otherwise standard track; no ropes, ladders etc. Final ascent on steep dust (higher up: sand), steep boulders, steep slate. Used hands 10-20% of the time, no hiking pole. Severe descent, used my one hiking pole, steep dust/slate, steep slope crossings, climbing down rocks. Other VA stages would have had ropes in several places. Took 90min for 200m altitude descent. Track moves consistently along the mountainside, just below/hugging the cliff. I was happy to have rock/cliff in places to hold on to. Heard/saw several mini rock slides on both sides of the pass. Researched the pass online before walking this stage and found no factual information on what to expect (but lots of personal bravado). The one fact I found is that the Getschnerscharte is rated T3+. Fuerstensteig and Drei Schwestern together are rated T4. (After T6 follows climbing scale II.) I had perfect weather and closely followed all paint signs on the rocks.

Knowing about the pass what I do now, I would probably still do it, as one such stage among two dozen 'normal' stages. I wouldn't do it twice. I wouldn't do it in bad weather. The signposts at the reservoir are white-blue-white, meaning the track is for experienced alpinists only, and the local hiking map shows the trail as a dotted line, for experienced alpinists only. But the marks on the rocks were white-red-white, not white-blue-white. On the descent, my Osprey Levity 45 backpack posed an obstacle in about a dozen instances.

Alternative: The guidebook in the culture/nature section talks at great length about Galtuer but then the VA doesn't go there. From the end of the reservoir (at the tarred road) one can follow hiking signs for Galtuer, probably leading down a dirt road that roughly parallels the tarred road, or take a bus, with buses running from 9-18 roughly every half hour (and continuing beyond Galtuer to Landeck). From Galtuer, one then walks up the valley to the Jamtalhuette on what looks, from above, like a nice walk.

Water: Ascent: seeps early on after reservoir. Creeks later (no cows above). Descent: seep c.20min before Jamtalhuette; faucet/trough at Jamtalhuette with illegible note (potable or not?).

Tent sites: Grassy plateau c.1hour after reservoir. Descent: possibly halfway down, where crossing the glacial creek (but ground might be wet).

R66 Jamtalhuette -> Scuol

Very pleasant stage with great landscape, on good trail.

Water: Faucet/trough at Jamtalhuette (cows all the way up the valley). Descent: Sseep at 2480m altitude, c1 hour before Ftan, in forest, pipe/trough; several pipe/troughs in Ftan.

Tent sites: Ascent: excellent site c.30min into the stage, after rounding a small cliff face, before a flat valley area with lots of water and cows (30m off trail, 3m up, to left (downhill direction)). Descent: excellent spot at 2480m, before descent to valley floor; on valley floor once past cows, for c30min, before reaching an area with little bungalows, cars, people, dogs, large mown meadows; none once entering forest until possibly just before Ftan, on forest trail (after leaving road), or on meadows in approach to Ftan. C.50 altitude meter before pass: Small, probably one-room hut on left, possibly emergency refuge.

Resupply: (1) Ftan Vlog, 100sqm, very good. Open Mon-Fri 7-7, Sat-Sun 7-6.
(2) Scuol Coop, 1,500sqm, excellent. Open Mon-Sat 8-7, Sun 9-6. Coop has free wifi. (Inferior to Coop: Vlog Scuol near church/river, 100sqm, basic, open Mon-Sat 7:30-18:30 except Sat till 18:00)

R67 Scuol -> S-charl 23Jul2022

Alert: Gorge closed. I walked down from the Coop in Scuol on the VA past the hotel but instead of making the sharp right turn of the VA (which heads up-river on the left bank to a bridge) I walked a further 10m to a signpost “S-charls” that directed me across another bridge (here). After the bridge, at a sports field, a sign to the gorge pointing to the right was covered by duct tape. There was no more sign for S-charls. I continued straight up the slope following signs for “San Jon”, crossing the tarred road a couple of times, until a sign for S-charls appeared to continue ahead rather than turn as for San Jon. From there on, the way to S-charls was signposted. Another km or two later this trail / dirt road joined the tarred road, and after one km on the tarred road the VA GPS coordinates joined. At which point a sign said "Wegen Murgaenen ist die Clemgia Schlucht bis auf weiteres geschlossen." (Gorge closed, due to landslides in 2017) -- I enjoyed this stage, good walking and much to see.

S-charls is a tiny vacation hamlet with c.3 hotels. As an earlier hiker commented, it would be utterly feasible to spend two nights in Scuol and walk to (or from) S-charls on a day trip, taking the bus one way (and spending the rest of the day in the Therme). Bus departure times from Scuol: 8:05 and then hourly with a couple of holes until 17:05. From S-charls 8:45 and then hourly with a couple of holes, solely the last bus at 17:15 not matching the X:45 pattern.

Water: None en route; pipe/trough in Scuol in old village center near church/river, also in S-charls.

Tent sites (on my hike): 30+min after Scuol, in a lightly sloping forest without undergrowth; 500m after the bus stop "Plan da Funtanas" (level ground, mountainside); the last quarter of the way to S-charls along the river and on the other side of the river (wooden bridge at one point). 1km before S-charls is a 'no camping' sign

R68 S-charl -> Taufers/Tubre

Transition stage with no particular beauty after leaving the S-charls valley, and a long steep descent on a tarred road. Encountered mosquitos at Cruscetta Pass.

Water: Pipe/trough in S-charls, possibly spring at pass or shortly after; on descent pipe/trough at two alpes (farms) though do not look great; pipe/trough 10m left of tarred road at 1480(?)m altitude (hardly noticeable were it not for the sound of running water); pipe/trough at entrance of Taufers and on main street heading out of town.

Tent sites: For c30min after S-charls, until VA splits from valley road and soon enters cow territory; a few minutes after Cruscetta pass signposted tiny hut 100m off trail; 20min after pass upon reaching grassy valley floor (cow dung permitting); limited on further descent, ending c.3km before Taufers (cars, barbeque area?, trash).

Resupply: Tubres Taufers Golmarket, 100sqm. Open 7:15-12:00, 15:00-18:30, closed Sundays (when I passed through).

R69/70 Taufers/Tubre -> Stilfs/Stelvio -> Stilfser Joch/Passo dello Stelvio

Shortly after Puntweil I realized that the GPS coordinates are so infrequent as to be useless. Reading the trail descriptions of R69/70 I wondered why these stages? The hikers' comments sounded rather negative. The ridge was in clouds. I consulted the apps maps.me and Swisstopo and walked to the Pass Umbrail (which is a couple of km into R71). Warning: maps.me is unaware of an important trail closure in the early ascent. One must cross the tarred road to the pass where one first comes across the tarred road. Use Swisstopo. It's a pleasant early walk on trail/bicycle path up the valley, and then quite a grind to get to the pass, always near the road (many motorcycles) if not, by choice, on the road (nice, steady gradient, no cowshit). OK in late afternoon when traffic quietened down. Getting a glimpse of the Ortler massif the next morning, in good weather, the second part of R70 should probably not be missed (perhaps relying on bus, cable car, to cover R69 and the first half of R70).

R71 Stilfser Joch/Passo dello Stelvio -> Arnoga

Poor GPS coordinates.

Water: Pipe/trough c30min past Umbrail Pass, then repeatedly seeps and creeks (no cows) until shortly after Malga di Forcola. Frequent water sources on level dirt road for 2hrs before Arnoga (start c30min after beginning of level road).

Tent sites: Umbrail Pass; on the descent from Boccetta di Forcola; picnic area c.30min before Lago di Cancano; difficult around level road to Arnoga due to slope and private houses.

R72-76

I spontaneously decided to walk from Arnoga to Poschiavo, a leisurely 7-9 hour walk up Val di Viola to Passo di Val Viola 2460m (with a Rifugio di Viola an hour before the pass), and then down to Poschiavo on various trails (using the app Swisstopo). It's a beautiful stage except for the last 5km in the valley, exposed to the sun (avoidable by, c.8km before Poschiavo, choosing a higher route). The weather, the low altitude of Tirano (437m), my dwindling food supply (at the end of the third day, in Arnoga, and no resupply opportunity until Tirano, 4 stages later), the hiker comments on the next stages, the quality of the GPS coordinates (suggesting the VA designers didn't walk those stages, either), my incomprehension about any rationale for the VA routing (to bring business to some rarely visited places, all in the same mountain massif?)... Instead of heading from Arnoga to Poschiavo, one could also bypass Poschiavo and after the Passo di Val Viola stay higher up and head straight for St. Moritz and continue to rejoin the VA, for instance, in R79, Maloja, or R80. Probably beats the near-vertical 1600?m altitude ascent out of Poschiavo in R77, followed by a grind up a steep ski slope (which, to judge by the GPS coordinates, not even the designers of the VA undertook) in R78, and a mediocre R79 into pointless Maloja.

R77 Poschiavo -> Rifugio Zoia (Campo Moro)

Exceedingly steep ascent almost all the way to the pass, beautiful pass area on both sides. Could walk on dirt road for longer to cover the first 800m altitude at a more pleasant gradient. C.15min before the pass, the 'Glacier Track' veers to the right, crosses a glacier runoff on a bridge, and then ascends softly and swiftly to the pass. Masochists take the VA route which offers a detour and the opportunity to get wet feet in a mini glacier runoff delta (no bridge) as well as some hands-on bouldering.

Water: Ascent: Depends on which of the two signposted options (or the GPS coordinates, third option) one follows -- possibly pipe/trough in the Selva area: pipe/trough at c. 2020m and again shortly after. Descent: two rivulets feeding a small pond c.20min after the pass.

Tent sites: Extensive flat meadows in the Selva area but also two dozen houses. Continuing ascent, possibly next to road or on unused side road at 1840m altitude, a couple of small meadowy plateaus further up (none great, also consider cows). Beautiful sites in approach to pass, last 30min. Descent: Soon cow meadows, relatively flat.

Resupply: Coop Pischiavo, 1,000 sqm, excellent. Open Mon-Fri 8-12:15, 13:30-18:30, Sat 8-18. Coop has free wifi.

R78 Rifugio Zoia (Campo Moro) -> Chiareggio

Guidebook description useful. Altitude gain grossly false; AllTrails gives R78 as 17.7km and 708m feet altitude gain. GPS coordinates dangerously misleading. Trail marked by plastic strips hanging off trees/bushes.

Water: Creek a few minutes before Alpe Musella; pipe/trough at Alpe Campolungo, near Alpe Palu, and immediately after Zocca. Three pipes/troughs spread through Chiareggio.

Tent sites: Repeatedly through Alpe Palu ('no camping' sign at Lake Palu), then more difficult due to private houses with meadows and otherwise steep slope. Good meadow opportunities end probably 2 hours before Chiareggio. After Palulangu high point, descending good forest road, perhaps halfway down to the tarred road, a faint unused trail joins from the left that can be followed for 30m to a mini plateau in the woods; otherwise at the same (near-invisible) junction for a c.300m stretch on the forest road some possibilities left and right.

Resupply Chiareggio: Two tiny (20sqm?) shops, no opening times (both closed at 7am), the one that wasn't shuttered seems to cater predominantly to tourist non-food needs.

R79 Chiareggio -> Maloja 28Jul2022

In Maloja, consider taking the c. hourly bus to St. Moritz, a 40-min bus ride away and a place worth visiting in itself.

Water: Pipe/troughs in Chiareggio, and one at entrance of Maloja if follow VA signposts (if follow GPS coordinates, the pipe/trough is to the right, off the road, where a stretch of low houses reaches the Maloja main road). There is a pipe/trough at an alpe just before Lagh da Cavloc (an hour before Maloja) and I have a bad feeling about their water.

Tent sites: limited opportunities for the first hour (until approx. Alpe dell Oro). None for 2 hours on each side of the pass. Some possibilities for 30min before Lagh de Calvoc, from where on it gets very touristy. Where the trail leaves the tarred main road in Chiareggio is a sign that says no camping in the Chesio community (this valley).

Resupply Maloja: Latteria, c15sqm, basic, dairy-oriented but also has other foods (muesli, nuts, chocolate). Cash only if under CHF 50. Gruff staff.

R80 Maloja - Juf

Water: Seeps after Pass Lunghin; rivulet and seeps on ascent to Forcellina.

Tent sites: Very limited in first 20min coming out of Maloja: possibilities from Lago dal Lunghin to Pass da Sett; a couple of sheltered mini plateaus c.75 and 50m altitude below Forcellina, at Forcellina (a few meters up, more on pebbles than grass), some possibilities on first c20min of descent from Forcellina.

R81 Juf - Innerferrera

Alert: This is a pure tarred road walk of 16km, consistently downhill. The VA at times avoids the road by detouring and, according to the guidebook, adding 305m of altitude in those detours. From c.6am until c.6pm, a total of 9 buses run that same route (and beyond). If one needs to resupply, walking to Cesta (the nicer part of the valley) and then taking the bus may make most sense. If I knew beforehand what I know now, I would have taken the bus all the way. -- If one walks the road: In the lower part make sure to bypass the 1km tunnel-bridge-tunnel (car) road by taking to the obvious side trail, the only somewhat nice part of the lower valley.

Water: Good pipe/trough in Cesta, also a couple less trustworthy ones in other places.

Tent sites: Throughout, with varying degrees of visibility. Farmers spray sewage on the (cut) meadows.

Resupply: Cresta Volg, 50sqm, good/very good. Open Mon-Sar 8-12, 13:30-18 except Thu open only in morning and Sat afternoon closing at 17. (The shop in Juf is targeting tourists and is not a source for resupply).

R82 Innerferrara - Isola

See alert for R83 (may want to divert before Suetta in R82 and miss out on gorge with 500m of trail partly hewn in rock)

Tip: If you have no reason to descend to Isola, then walk out of Rasdeglia (30min before Isola) on the tarred, then dirt road. Once this road reaches the tarred road coming up from Isola, continue that tarred road up through Canto to Ca Rasen to join the R83 there.

Water: Pipe/trough shortly before and at Alp Niemet; shortly before Rifugio Bertacchi; shortly before reaching the tarred road at Stuetta; in Rasdeglia (30min before Isola).

Tent sites: Starting at 1750m altitude through shortly before Alp Niemet (then cows almost to Pass da Niemet, and exceedingly wet / cow sludge). Shortly before and at pass, and then beautiful spots on the much drier descent, almost to Rifugio Bertacchi.

R83 Isola- Pian San Giacomo 30Jul2022

Alert: Very beautiful (paradisical) from around pass on for c.3km, inviting to stay longer, followed by brutal descent requiring hiking poles and ideally only a toothbrush-backpack. At/after pass no signpost, no paint marks, no trail, minimal/no track, occasional mini cairns. GPS coordinates go along the right side of the immediate valley/plateau; the left side would seem easier as long as one can cross the creek at the end of this immediate valley/plateau. After border stone at end of this immediate valley/plateau, regular paint marks appear. Sometimes difficult to find the next paint mark (no trail, occasionally track) – not good in bad weather! There is no recognizable Alp de Balniscio. Around 2050m, an extremely steep descent on a visible track begins. The track appears to have recently been maintained, with grass and bushes cut back, and the occasional, new-looking chain. (The dry grass on a 70 degree track turns the track into the perfect slide.) There is no signpost anywhere from the pass onwards, until the very end of this stage (which comes after the steep descent and several tarred roads afterwards). In reverse, the beginning of the track from the paved road in Pian San Giacomo is not signposted. This is a truly Via Masochista exclusive track! The descent is accompanied by major motorway noise. From the pass on, it is a heaven to hell experience. -- There is no good workaround for this stage (Swisstopo shows a potential Northern alternative starting well before Isola). It took me 4 hours from the pass to the end of the stage, not the guidebook's 2 hours 10min.

Since the businesses at the end of R82 and R83, which the VA was designed to support, no longer exist, the rationale for the current routing has fallen away and one may well feel free to choose the *most beautiful* *hiking* route. Since at the end of R83 overnighters have to bus to San Bernardino, one could also go there by default, from above Suetta in R82, Northern pass, resupply, then Passo di Passit as R84.

Water: Pipe/trough at Ca Rasen, c.20min later at cow fence, 4x in Alpe di Borghetto (spread along trail across the whole length of the settlement), seeps/early creeks after pass.

Tent sites: occasionally from Ca Rasen to pass; beautiful sites around and after pass until steep descent (and at bottom of descent, on top of motorway semi-tunnel, noisy)

R84 Pian c.di Giomico - Selma

Alert: Since this stage's descent is not only "steep" (as in R83) but also requires sure-footedness (suggesting it's worse than R83), and since starting out by descending 400m to Mesoccoa which has no attraction for me (it's Sunday) and then having to climb yet more has no attraction for me, I walked from Pian San Giacomo to the Lago d'Isola (the opposite direction to Mescilla, North, near San Bernaedino), a beautiful forest walk, and then crossed over to Valbella via Passo di Passit (a gentle ascent to a nice pass where a hundred bison-like creatures gave me a welcome concert, followed by a descent on a track that wasn't great but a lot better than the descent in R83, no hiking poles needed).

Water on my R84: Creek c.30min after Pian San Giacini, pipe/trough at Alpe d'Ocola, 2x at Valvella.

Tent sites: C.20min after Pian di Giomico, after a mini ascent, in level forest on both sides of the road; possibly after Alpe d'Ocola; upon reaching the valley floor c.30min before Valbella.

R85, R86 Selma – (Capanna Alpe Cava -) Biasca

Alert: Another descent in order to ascend yet more and descend steeply yet again. -- Since I am not of the masochist type, at the exit of Valbella I followed the road that goes *up* (rather than the one that goes down to Selma) to its end, Alp de Naucal (with a couple hiking trail shortcuts), and from there the faint, marked track to Pass Giuemela, followed by a friendly track down to Alpe di Giuemela (which has a Swiss rifugio) and then a great, easy, wide trail (former mule path?) down a cliff face to Alpe di Lesgiuena. So happy to see hiker-friendly descents. Definitely not a good choice for Via Masochista aficionados. C.30min after Alpe di Lesgiuena one reaches Biborgh, from where it's 15km to Bascia; the first c.8km on a tarred single-lane road (perfect gradient and empty in the early morning), 3km on a forest dirt road (now wide trail, probably formerly the access to the valley, comfortably switch-backing down), and 4km on trail, dirt road, bicycle road (of which 2+km parallel to a busy road) at the valley bottom to the center of Biasca (or get on the hourly bus for these last 4km). -- Used Maps.Me to determine how to get from Valbella to Biasca, then double-checked the feasibility on Swisstopo.-- Would do this alternative again, in a heartbeat.

Water on my R85/R86: Pipe/troughs in Valbella. Creek/seeps well after the pass. Pipe/troughs in villages down.

Tent sites: limited possibilities on road to Alp de Naucal, one tentsite a few meters after the pass, possibilities around Alpe di Giuemela (which also has a rifugio). Limited possibilities afterwards, including some in public sight after Biborgh.

R87 and R88 Biasca – Capanna d’Efra

Alert: Arduous climb from perhaps 1400m altitude to 1900m; not dangerous but hiking poles very useful (steep, grassy/hazelnut slope with highly uneven track, including necessity of at time big steps, heaving oneself up). From around 1000m altitude, the trail becomes a track, sometimes faint, with scarce paint marks (GPS coordinates are spot-on; no cell phone reception and I didn't meet anyone (this may be another, de facto, Via Alpina exclusive). Around c.2000m altitude, the track began to show signs of significant maintenance. From the rifugio down it's a model trail, almost too good to be true.

Low-altitude Biasca: I hung out about 150m above Personico under old chestnut trees until 3pm, when trees and mountain began to give shade on the trail.

Alternative: Take the train from Biasca to Locarno for a full resupply and the feel of a nice city, then take the bus to Sonogno for R89.

Water: C.30min after the reservoir pipe out of the rock (picnic table 5min later and trail probably wide enough to camp), then pipe/trough at a couple of chalets and also at 1100m and at 1230m; on descent at rifugio and c.30min later at an abandoned Alpe.

Tent sites: Possibly a very short patch on trail half-way up to reservoir from Personico (wide, grassy, level trail area); possibly on trail c.30min after reservoir, on mown meadow of an unused Alpe (there is a 'chalet') at 1100m (excellent!) and 5min later in the woods; possibly at 1230m, another unused Alpe, ground less even, this being the last chance before highly uneven meadowland at 2100m (there could be one more chance at 1400m in front of some stone ruins); up through 1230m occasional odd spots in the woods offer good tent sites (c.5min after a bifurcation where the left/straight forward trail loops back to Personico is an unexpected, level small clearing); not at pass; c.10min after pass several ledges; top quality rifugio; with some difficulty at Alpe c.30min after rifugio (largest of the abandoned buildings has roof, picnic table, and otherwise open views).

R88 Capanna d/Efra -> Sonogno

Did not keep record. Some tent site possibilities between Lago d’Efra and Frasco, and between Frasco and Sonogno (nothing great)..

Resupply: C. hourly bus to Locarno (c. one-hour ride). I consider Locarno worth a visit. Good Coop in center of Locarno, and very large Coop and other supermarkets in the vicinity. (If one overnights in Locarno, public transport is free, and it’s frequent.)

R89 Sonogno -> Prato Sornico

(1) The morning sun is directly on the ascent.

(2) Shortly after Sonogno, signposts direct hiker to the right bank of the creek to take a road-avoidance pseudo trail that takes three times more effort than continuing on the road (which is what the GPS coordinates show), and twice as long.

(3) After Puescen Negro, the trail becomes a track. After a plastic container goat Alpe, perhaps at 1700m, the track first disappears (probably due to goat damage) but eventually re-appears. Follow paint marks meticulously (GPS coordinates probably wrong for a bit after the Alpe). The track on a grassy slope is narrow and steep: a hiking pole comes in handy (but isn't necessary). On the descent, between c.1800 and 1400m, in a handful of 1-5m long instances I went slow (without heavy backpack and sufficient strength one might just skip down); there is one instance of 50m of chains around a rock face, with the chains not absolutely necessary (but very welcome, also due to the occasionally wet ground). The track on the descent tends to be wide (1-1.5m) and often approaching trail quality.

(4) Paint marks abruptly end at 1400m; follow the track. At 1200m a good trail turns off down to the left -- it's not on Swisstopo and the GPS coordinates continue straight, level through a boulder-grass mix without much track.

(5) 8 hours of walking for me.

Water: Pipe/trough in Sonogno, along tarred road out of Sonogno, at Puescen Negro, and at the goat Alpe. On descent, seeps and creeks from high on, with some cows appearing at 1400m. Pipe/trough in M. di Predee and Prato Sornico.

Tent sites: Limited opportunities along road out of Sonogno (quite public); none on ascent and descent until 1200m (where a track branches off to the left) on the trail, and at 1100m where the trail reaches the dirt road; after that it's meadows and chalets.

R90 Prato Sornico - Fontana (Val Bovana) 3Aug2022

Can someone please tell me why I should walk R90? I gain no utility from steep ascents/descents in bushes with a brief peak at the horizon at the pass (not much different than the day before, some silhouette of peaks in the haze). I don't have a need to prove anything to myself. I am not seeking thrills or have masochistic tendencies. -- I took the low route via Bignasco (evening / early morning as it is hot in the valley) -- Looking at the map, I noticed one could also go up, to Fusio and then Lago Naret, and cross from there over to the end of R91, Robiei, or even into R93. On the map it looks fantastic, always high up, and out of the bushes. – Prato Sornico has a bus to Bignasco and on to Locarno.

Water: Pipe/trough in almost every village.

Tent sites: Difficult around Bignasco. Opportunities on abandoned "garden balconies" shortly before Fontana.

R91 Fontana - Robiei 4Aug2022

Fontana to San Carlo: Best to follow GPS coordinates and use common sense -- a non-road trail is now signposted for the whole distance, and it doesn't always make sense.

The trail from San Carlo to Robiei looks good from above (the cable car). Cable car one-way is CHF 19, departs base station at 8, 9 10, 11, 12, 14, 14:50, 15:35, 16:20, 17.

Water: Pipe/trough in almost every village.

Tent sites: very good opportunities from Fontana to San Carlo. Opportunities during ascent to Robiei. Camping is prohibited in all of Bavona Valley (presumably from Bignasco to Bocchetta du Val Maggia)

R92 Robiei – Riale

No hiking poles needed but useful. Early steep ascent due to destroyed switchbacks. Later c.3 times steep 10-15m slabs of rock to be crossed, no problem in dry weather (and circumvention possible). Trail quickly becomes track. First c.300m altitude descent on switchbacks, ground tends to be rocks or dust. C.3 times no track and freestyle crossing of 20-30m patches of big boulders (not overly steep).

Water: Pipe/trough at Robiei and at private huts at 2200m (I do not have a good feeling about the latter water). Descent: Spring 20m off trail c.200m altitude below pass.

Tent sites: From c2200m until shortly before pass; after pass c.300m altitude down, around Boden lakes (later: cows, people).

R93 Riale - Ulrichen

Bus departs Ladstafel for Ulrichen at 8:16, 11:49, 14:49, 16:34. The descent to Ulrichen is quite pleasant, despite being frequently close to the road

Water: Pipe/trough in Riale village (the village towards the dam), final ascent to the pass several creeks. Descent: Shortly after Ladstafel a dozen seeps/creeks, pipe/trough at 1550m.

Tent sites: At far end of Lago Morasco; after ascent to Baettelmatt Alpe (before Alpe, before entering this upper valley, tent sites where the ascent flattens out at the mouth of the valley; valley has cows). C.150m altitude below the pass a surprise site just before crossing an unexpected creek. At the broad pass but pebbly (200m West of where the trail crosses the pass (equally on the pass) is a small A-Frame that looks like an emergency shelter. Descent: Repeatedly opportunities after Ladstafel (on trail), and specifically at 1550m (also water), albeit close to road.

R94 Ulrichen - Fieschertal 5Aug2022

Alert: The Gommer Hoehenweg, which the VA follows, is not a Hoehenweg (highline trail) but an up and down patchwork of dirt roads, tracks, and trails. One goes up into a side valley on a trail that goes further up the side valley, and then down the side valley the way the people from the next village would come up to go on up the side valley. Repeat. Repeatedly. Knowing what I know now, I would absolutely not walk this fake Hoehenweg. Maps.me offers a 6-hour route from Ulrichen train station to the Burghuette (to where the VA takes 12h35, an underestimate) by walking along the valley floor until Blitzingen, then ascending to Bellwald and on to Burghuette. Definitely preferable to the Via Masochista (and no continuous road noise as on the Hoehenweg, something to see, water and tent sites, and one isn’t being scammed). Otherwise just take the hourly train to Fiesch (and resupply there).

Alert 2: As also noted by earlier hikers, from Bellwald, 2 hours 30min before the end of the stage, it is possible to walk in 2 hours to the Burghuette (1 hour 35min into R95). (a) Follow signposts to Burghuette, somewhat confusing if not inconsistent to the bottom of the side valley that one has to cross, and rejoin the VA in R95 in the ascent to the Burghuette. (“Titter”, on the way to and perhaps 20min before the Burghuette, is the name of a couple of buildings that can be rented by groups, and the mountain station of a non-public aerial tramway.) (b) Follow signs to the "Haengebruecke," a suspension bridge that crosses the side valley to just above Titter. To access the bridge from Bellwald requires climbing to 200m (altitude) above the bridge before descending to it. -- Both options take c.2 hours.

Resupply:

(1) Ulrichen Volg near train station, c.200sqm, good.

(2) I walked to Muenster along the valley hiking/biking route for a Coop, c.400sqm, very good, Mon-Sat 8-18:30, and rejoined the VA from Muenster in the direction of travel.

(3) Probably best: Volg Bellwald, c.150sqm, very good. Open 7:30-19 every day (incl. Sunday!)

Water: In my VA via Muenster repeatedly pipe/trough along valley to Muenster, in Muenster, and in Bellwald.

Tent sites: Possibly on passing places on dirt road, none when the VA is on a track/trail. Where a signpost says Bellwald 2:15 is a Berghuette Walivach, a small restaurant: in the evening it looked deserted and had level space on their terrace covered in what looked like wood chips. Where a signpost says Bellwald 1:45 follow the dirt road up to the next curve (2min) which has space for a tent off-road, or follow it down (in line with the VA) for ten minutes to another curve with a slightly lesser space. Possibly on meadows just before Bellwald, but then in public view.

R95 Fieschertal - Riederalp

From shortly after the pass onwards, the views are spectacular.

The ascent is fully in the morning sun.

Alert: towards the end of this stage there are two relevant trail closures (affecting the VA). 30min before Biel (where Biel is the name of, roughly, the lowest point (saddle) on the ridge ahead) one climbs an extra 150m into a detour that adds 30-45min. Follow signs to Riederalp, with the trail then leading down the *East* of the ridge (whereas the VA is on closed trails West of the ridge, with a second closure after Alte Stafel that means an additional detour and climb back up). Even if one doesn’t want to go to Riederalp and wanted to shortcut into R96, going to Riederalp might be the best option due to a dozen trail closures; the shortcut options almost certainly take longer than going via Riederalp. (Additionally: (a) There is a maze of trails, and the signposting isn't great. (b) Hikers’ comments mention walking from Riederalp to Blatten and taking the cable car to Belalp, cutting the first c.4 hours out of R96.)

Alert2: After the Gletscherstube area, no water till c30min after the suspension bridge, c.6 hours later.

Water (from Bellwald): Pipe/trough in Bellwald, also on way down into side valley; a good seep at 2200m and a creek a few minutes earlier. Unlike mentioned in hiker comments, no free water at Gletscherstube. Creeks shortly thereafter that seemed to originate from the rocks only 100m up or so (quality?); from c.30min after Gletscherstube onwards no water.

Tent sites (from Bellwald): Possibilities at the bottom of the side valley and in the ascent until c.20min before the Burghuette (good at Titter if uninhabited, and on wide trail from there to just past the Haengebruecke). After the Burghuette difficult. Good at wide pass (though from here on sheep) and until c.30min past Gletscherstube. Many beautiful possibilities on ridge descending toward Riederalp (1hr - 30min before Riederalp, eventually hitting cow territory).

R96 Riederalp - Mund

The ascent is fully in the morning sun.

Alert: Mund not mentioned on signposts after Baell. Follow signs to Birgisch until c.1275m (altitude) where stay on current route and do not turn to Birgisch (GPS coordinates are correct). -- Or descend to Birgisch to make your way to Leukerbad (next alert).

Alert 2: Given what I know now, I would from Mund take the bus to Brig, train to Leuk, bus to Leukerbad. If I were in Mund by 3pm, I would be in Leukerbad by shortly after 5pm (and if I were to camp and wanted to be back in nature, could still take the cable car up from Leukerbad). By thus skipping R97 and R98 I would miss the constant sight of the heavily populated and heavily industrialized (Visp) area, the constant car/train/city noise, the valley heat, a senseless R97 'trail' justifiable only by the need for the VA not to be interrupted, and solve the problem that parts of R97 may not be passable.

The final c.5km into Mund are along one of the famous water canals. It involves short tunnels (and I had to get out my torch). With a bulky backpack and the normal body size of a today's male, I had to crouch (bend my knees, lean forward) in order to get through the tunnels (very strenuous). The guidebook does not mention the tunnels, the need for a torch, the difficulty with a backpack. The GPS coordinates grotesquely cut short the routing into the side valley before Mund - the GPS coordinates cannot have been produced by someone actually walking R97. (It's an extra 1km into and 1km out of the side valley.) This suggests that the VA designers never walked the trail which they are hawking, and if they actually walked the occasional stage, they probably forgot the backpack of long distance hikers. I would like to see the person writing this stage description confirm that s/he walked this stage, with a long distance hiker’s backpack. AllTrails gives 970m altitude gain, not 749 as in the guidebook.

Water: Creeks at 1780m. A dozen pipe/troughs starting 2min after Hotel Belalp thru Baell, in Nessel and in Mund.

Tent sites: Very difficult in Aletschwald and prohibited in this nature reserve. After the suspension bridge in ascent to Hotel Belalp at 1780m at Aletschji (Alpe) (and probably starting at 1750m). Repeatedly very good sites after Baell, including some in forest on descent, until c.5km before Mund

R97 Mund - Gampel-Steg

See Alert in R96 on avoiding this stage.

Beforehand, the information provided in the guidebook re Baltschiedertal was grossly insufficient. Re the vertigo section, I would want to know how long this section is, and what happens if I slip (do I fall off the mountain or fall into water?). The tunnel alternative I first took as a joke since a 1.8km unlit tunnel is not plausible as an alternative (how wide and high is the tunnel?, is there water in it?, do you guarantee it's passable all the way thru and not caved in in places? Is it dry or are there passages where I am ankle-deep (or?) in some liquid that could be anything, such as stagnant black water? Do you guarantee there is enough ventilation/oxygen?). Is this a major tourist attraction with tour buses at the end? I need the person who wrote this stage description to confirm that s/he walked this tunnel, with a long distance hiker’s backpack, and found it so uneventful/easy that there is no need to say anything further about the tunnel. Knowing what I know now, after R96, I would like to see every single VA designer grab a 12kg, bulky backpack and crouch through this tunnel -- a VA guide book is not a Mickey Mouse comic fantasized into existence at a desk.

I walked from Mund to Eggen, saw what R97 was about, walked down to Eggerberg and took the train to Hohtenn (runs roughly every two hours), then walked down to Gampel-Steg, which has a Coop (long closed for the day by the time I got there).

There is a straightforward 1 hour 10min trail from Eggen to Ausserberg, descending a bit to cross the side valley's creek. Why does the guidebook not mention this very regular trail and instead gives an eccentric 3h20 escapade into Baltschiedertal while offering as only alternative a not further described 1.8km unlit tunnel???

Water: Pipe/trough in every village/hamlet.

Tent sites: Extremely difficult due to slope and otherwise populated areas

R98 Gampel-Steg - Leukerbad 8Jul2022

The early ascent is in the morning sun, without shade.

From Erschmatt onwards one is back in 'nature'. Hiking route is mostly pleasant. Albinen spreads up the hillside; at a bifurcation before Albinen, continuing on the forest road leads to the upper end of Albinen from where the VA continues (while taking the trail / following the GPS coordinates down leads to the c.80m (altitude) lower part of Albinen with supposedly shop and water). After Albinen, signposts and GPS coordinates imply a less pleasant road-avoidance trail; the tarred road is significantly shorter/faster with less altitude gain and loss. No need to climb to Flaschen only to descend unsafe ladders with a heavy backpack; follow the tarred road from Albinen to Leukerbad (it doesn't climb all the way to Flaschen and passes through a well-lit c.400m long tunnel with pedestrian sidewalk as official hiking trail); immediately after the tunnel rejoin the hiking trail into Leukerbad. Via Alpina designers: Why do you not mention the official risk-free hiking route from Albinen to Leukerbad and instead present the rather dangerous ladders as the only option?

To avoid the long climb out of Gampel-Steg: There is a cable car from Gampel-Steg to Jeizinen (“Luftseilbahn Gampel-Jeizinen LGJ”) that runs about twenty times a day from 6:40 (and possibly earlier) until 20:15 (and possibly later). Hiking R98, I repeatedly saw signs to Jeizinen. From Jeizinen one could rejoin the VA around Feschel and elsewhere.

Water: Pipe/trough in every village/hamlet.

Tent sites: Chapel above Gampel-Steg is unlocked. Three-quarters the way to Bratsch at a bench, and just before Bratsch next to then a dirt road. Between Bratsch and Erschmatt possibly on meadow balconies. Erschmatt-Feschel: first good tent site in this stage on grassy dirt road (quiet, views, nice). After Feschel occasional opportunities, not between Flaschen and Leukerbad.

Resupply:
(1) Gampel-Steg Coop (closed when I passed through).
(2) Erschmatt has a c.80sqm ‘Prima' supermarket. Open Mon-Sat 8-12, 15-18:30 except Thursday closed in the afternoon and Saturday afternoon times 13:30-16.
(3) Leukerbad Migros supermarket, very large (didn't check it out), open (google) Mon-Sun 8-19.

R99 Leukerbad - Schwarenbach

Water alert: No water en route. Pipe/troughs in Leukerbad. If one continues directly into R100 to Adelboden, the signposted trail leads around the Western side of the glacial Daubensee and the next water, at best, is 30min down after the Chindbettipass. That would be c.6 hours' hiking from Leukerbad.

I took the Gemmi cable car since a hiker's comment mentions 'via ferrata'. From the cable car I saw that this is an extremely well engineered, family-friendly, wide trail that beautifully winds its way up. Would now walk, not take the cable car. At mid-day, the sun is frontally on the hiking route and closed-in Leukerbad gets hot. Might be best to hike in morning or mid-/late afternoon when the sun is behind the mountains (and the rocks are still warm). The Gemmi lodge at the top is a nice place to hang out for a while (self-service so one won't be hassled).

Tent sites: Between Gemmi Pass and Daubensee (open landscape), realistically, due to slope, in the valley that feeds into the Daubensee.

R100 Schwarenbach - Adelboden

Correction: From Rote Chumme 2618m it's 40min to Chindbettipass 2636m via a low point of 2540m in the glacial valley in between.
In descending into /ascending out of the glacial valley a hiking pole added comfort (but was not a necessity).
The trail from the Engstligenalp to the cable car base station is a well engineered, family-friendly, wide trail with passages through the rock face.

The Birg-Engstligenalp cable car runs 8:30-17:10 (and costs CHF 25 one-way); buses from the base station to Adelboden depart 8:20-17:40.

Water: (1) Descending from Chindbettipass, at 2390m, just after leaving the rock/scree territory behind and entering grassy slopes, listen for the sound of flowing water (from the rock field South of the trail); water flows from a pipe underneath the rocks into a metal bucket, and exits the bucket into another black pipe that feeds a pipe/trough in cow area fifteen minutes further along the trail. Otherwise, a few minutes on, at the Dossenseeli, listen for the sound of flowing water from the puddle to the South and see if that water can be collected. (2) Halfway down from the Engstligenalp cable car mountain station to the base station: good seeps/rivelets from the rocks

Tent sites: before ascending to the Rote Chumme Pass (many options); one sub-optimal site on pebbles a few meters before the Chindbettipass (ground might not take tent pegs); in the vicinity of Dossenseeli (soon afterwards cow territory, including the vast, watery plateau of Engstligenalp); very limited possibilities just before and after the Engstligenalp cable car Birg base station.

Resupply: Adelboden Coop, c.500sqm, excellent. Open Mon-Sat 8-18:30.

R101 – R161 (July/August 2023)

R101 Adelboden – Lenk

To avoid tarmac from Geisbuehl to Hahnenmoospass, follow signs to Hahnenmoospass and "Berg[wander]weg" (not: GPS coordinates). Possible to take bus to G., then gondola to H. From H., a 30min walk should take one to a gondola down to near Lenk; descending on the VA, after 40min one reaches a bus stop to Lenk. -- Horseflies.

Lenk has a very large Coop.

R102 Lenk – Lauenen

Bivouac: Very difficult on ascent (slope, terrain, cows) with a possibility just before the pass; on descent half an hour before Lauenen.

Small shop in L. (Sundays open 9-10).

Horseflies.

R103 Lauenen – Gsteig

Bivouac: c. half an hour before Gsteig.

Small shop in Gsteig (Sundays open 7:30-11).

R104 Gsteig – Godey

Bivouac: from the barrage to Sex Rouge (pass); beautiful near the pass; also possible shortly after pass.

Well manicured, impressive trail to the barrage. Or gondola (CHF 16, walk-in/on demand [can be pre-booked, capacity 40 people/hour], last one down 5pm [last one up may be as early as 3pm]).

No signposts between Col du Sanetsch and Sex Rouge; sporadic marks (on rocks), frequent marks after Taanfleuron where trail becomes little more than a track.

Descent after Mie includes strenuous passage (very roughly) for c.70m elevation loss, of which two-thirds secured: 500m along very steep slope -- 30m rope -- 2 near-vertical ladders of about 20 rungs each (rung is a 3cm thick, round, steel bar) -- 30m rope -- 20m chain -- 20m rope -- half a dozen steel handholds along extremely steep switchbacks. I used every single support and did not need any further support. Difficult with thru-hiker backpack as cannot face valley (too steep) and have to descend backwards. Further 200m elevation drop through steep, rocky switchbacks. Trail/track on steep slope out the valley, crossing half a dozen steep ravines with 5-10m minimal trail each. I would not want to do the descent from Mie in bad weather.

R105 Godey – Anzelndaz

Water: cows above, all the way to pass. Fountain one-third up from Derborence "non-potable." 10min before pass rivulet from rocks above, crossing trail (second rivulet comes from cow-pass).

Bivouac (not having descended to Godey): c.500m before Derborence (difficult because rock fields), possibly just after Derborence (rocks, people). Plateau after pass but cows, people.

R106 Anzelndaz – Col du Demecre

After Pont de Nant no water on ascent (creek muddy) except at Alp Nant.

La Vare to Pont de Nant GPS coordinates follow road; signposts show (good) trail. – At Pont de Nant beautiful botanical garden, free entry. Around 2000m altitude, GPS coordinates imply faint track to right, sign says not marked, not maintained, ‘use at own risk.’ I didn’t check the GPS coordinates and kept going straight, ended up at Col Martines. Has a direct descent to Rionda with blue-white signs meaning Alpine track / Klettersteig.

Sign at Col Martines for La Trouche via Col des Perris. Phenomenal highline trail 2m below crest, West-facing, typically 1m wide, in 4 places 15m-chains (didn’t use), 25min, past 3 seemingly man-made, identical caves 5m wide 10m deep (military origin?). Consider lingering. After highline trail descend 150-200m to Col Perris (rejoin GPS coordinates), good trail on non-dangerous slope. After col, good switchbacks down steep slope, 5min from col stone shelter on right 20m off trail, another switchback down 30m off trail cave with dilapidated building, spacious, both unexplored. After switchbacks c 800m slope crossing, of which 150m hewn into cliff, typically 1m wide, 5m chain in narrow passage (not used). Another narrow trail passage also c150m with some chains (used a couple of times). – All felt safe with no significant challenge. -- Ferocious winds after col M all the way beyond end of stage. – Descent: No water until Rionda. (From Rionda, possibility to descend into the valley towards Vernayaz.) Rionda to below Col du Demecre: c.2 hour slope crossing with a dozen ups and downs and ins and out of ravines, 4 cables 50-150m, 2 cables and chains 5m (none absolutely necessary).

No notes re tent bivouac; obviously not in rocky terrain at higher elevations.

R107 Cold du Demecre – Vernayaz

No water except at gondola at Champex.

Possibility to skip Portail de Fully, follow signs. Then also possibility to skip Sex Carro radio station (good views of the valley) and walk a road (dirt road at top) to Champex (no excessive slope). -- Signage differs from GPS coordinates, especially around/just before Sex Carro. GPS descent from Sex Carro is very steep, two hiking poles useful.

I preferred the gondola from Champex to Dorenaz to a further, pointless, steep descent in the afternoon sun into a 35 degree valley. CHF 6. Runs every 30-50min from 5:45 or 7:30 to 19. About 3 busses a day from Dorenaz to Martigny. Or hourly train at .55 from Vernayaz train station to Martigny, 5min ride. VA by-passes Vernayaz center.

Martigny has a very large Coop, restaurants, hotels (full on weekends?), sports shops. In Martigny everything closes Sat 5pm till Monday, even the Coop.

R108 Vernayaz – Cabane de Susanfe

Water in villages.

Bivouac: Sign 'wild camping prohibited' after the big campground in Van de Haut (and there wouldn't be any spot, except for a couple of rest areas, until just below the dam, which is cow area). Possibilities before the waterfall (after Les Granges, which is up from Salvan on the VA) and right after the waterfall, before Van de Bas, and possibly just after. Not around Van de Haut. At 6am, half a dozen tents in dam area on way to the col, possibly 7pm-9am bivouac allowed, after all.

Hourly (.18 [18 minutes after the hour]) “Mont Blanc Express train” or bus from Martigny/Vernayaz to Salvan.

R109 Cabane de Susanfe – Refuge Tornay-Bostan

Water from creeks.

Descent from Cabane de Susanfe: c. 1km of arduous scrambling down and around rock face. Plenty of chains. Heavily frequented trail. -- Signposted trail from Col de la Golese to Samoens, 2hr40min, bypasses Refuge Tornay-Bostan.

R110 Refuge Tornay-Bostan – Salvagny

Samoens: lively town center. -- Small supermarket Sherpa (50sqm?) one long block (towards VA) off center. Carrefour outside town (away from VA). -- Samoens to Salvagny: distance killer (with a detour up a rock landscape including two family ladders) only to join the original level trail (down) again. Arduous in sweltering heat, with horseflies. -- Consider walking from Samoens to Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval (near Salvagny) and take the bus up to Le Lignon in R111 (departs 7:47 [only this one also from Samoens tourism office 7:30], 8:35, 9:15, 9:55, 11:30, 14:15, 15:05, 17:05. Or take a taxi from Samoens as far into R111 as it will go.

R111 Salvagny – Refuge de Moede-Anterne

and R112 Refuge de Moede-Antenne – La Flegere

No water Col du Brevent to creek one hour after La Flegere.

Sign early on 'no camping', but also that bivouac allowed 7pm-9am.

Arduous ascent in sweltering heat with horseflies to the waterfall Le Lignon and then the end of the road. Said 'bonjour' 500 times. From Le Lignon to Chalet d'Anterne killed 50 horseflies. Beautiful landscape and cooler temperatures (only) once reach the plateau before the chalets.

Between col and La Flegere said 'bonjour' a thousand times (and ignored a thousand further people) -- heavily traveled trails with frequent stops to let people pass and frequent walking in line. -- Planpraz to La Flegere, up and down, dodging people, in mid-day heat with Mont Blanc in haze, was uninteresting. Better to take the cablecar from Planpraz to one end of downtown Chamonix, perhaps eat and resupply, then walk to the other end of downtown Chamonix and a bit beyond to catch the cablecar up to La Fleglere (in pretty much the same time it takes to walk the VA between these two points).

R113 La Flegere – Trient

Water at creek c. an hour after La Flegere, and just before Col des Montets. No water in the ascent.

No bivouac possibilities in the ascent to Col des Posettes until 1860m, at a 300m grassy road-width ledge.

No shop in Trient.

Follows the Tour de Mont Blanc (a 170km trail circumambulating Mont Blanc). Focusing on lowest and highest points: (i) La Flegere to La Tete aux Vents (altitude 21xx m) via creek/water and Chalet des Cheserys. (ii) La Tete aux Vents to Les Bluets (13xx m) via Col des Montets with rivulet just before. (iii) Les Bluets to Col de Balme (via Col des Posettes). (iv) Col de Balme to Trient.

Alternative 1: From La Tete aux Vents follow signs down to trail (with ladders 'echelles,' on signpost), then either re-join VA at Col des Montets or continue the Chamonix valley up to Col de Balme (route visible from La Tete aux Vents); looking back from Col de Balme, the ladder trail must be descending a 100m rockface.

Alternative 2: From Les Bluets continue walking downhill (a) to a gondola leading to Col des Posettes, (b) the train station to Martigny, (c) the bus stop to Trient, or (d) walk to Trient on this valley route.

Descending from the Col de Balme to Trient in the early morning, c.300 people were coming my way.

At entry to Trient (at a small campground), turn right and head uphill to avoid the lengthy detour through spread-out Trient, to directly reach Col de la Forclaz in R114.

There is a bus from Trient to Forclaz

It is strange to see where one has started R108 days earlier a stone's throw away, across the valley, with the 6 intervening stages seemingly only serving to lead to Mont Blanc and back. One could skip these stages and base oneself in Martigny; perhaps visit the waterfall with the staircase after LesGranges/Salvan. Take the teain to Chamonix, then the cable car to the top of Brevent, from where walk via the Col de Brevent to Planpraz or La Flegere to take the cablecar down, or continue into R112 to Vallorcine to take the Mont Blanc Express back to Martigny.

The trail from Col des Montets in R113 to Orseilles in R115 would appear to be mostly a distance killer. Rather uninteresting up and downs (except that in good weather one may have a last good view from Col de Balme towards Mont Blanc). It would make perfectly good sense to continue the 20min? from Les Bluets in R113 to Vallorcine and train it rather swiftly (via Martigny) to Orsieres in R115.

R114 Trient – Champex

Kiosk at Col de la Forclaz.

Follows Tour du Mont Blanc Focusing on lowest and highest points: (i) Trient to ridge altitude 2109m (via Col de la Forclaz). (ii) Ridge to Plan de l'Au 1329 (via Bovine). (iii) Plan de l'Au to beginning of Champex-Lac 1550m. (iv) Beginning of Champex-Lac to center 1466m.

Bus Forclaz to Martigny just down the hill (excellent re-supply)

Walking from Forclaz to Plan de l'Au in mid- and late morning, I encountered c.300 people coming against me (lots of stopping, letting pass).

While it may be nice to linger at the lake at Champex, hotels will likely be booked out (and expensive).

R115 Champex – Bourg-St-Pierre

Medium-sized Volg supermarket in Orsieres

Two shops in Liddes: First small shop appears not well stocked, closed lunch times, all Thursday, Sunday afternoon. Second small shop in Liddes appears better stocked, closed Tuesday and Sunday afternoon.

Taking the bus straight down 700m to Orsieris was a great knee-saver for me. Can recommend Hotel Terminus directly at the train station / bus stop station.

R115 and R116 are road avoidance trails without making it too apparent.

There is a bus Orsieres - Col du Grand-Saint-Bernhard (several times a day)

Bourg-St-Pierre: near-ghost town; kiosk at gas station at entrance to village, slightly off VA.

C. 90min after Orsieres signs for Bourg-St-Pierre indicate a trail that diverges from the GPS coordinates (trail is ok). 15min into that trail, another trail branches off with a sign for Col du Grand-Saint-Bernhard; this trail takes significantly longer than the VA to reach the col and may involve walking along a crest. (Continuing rather than branching off leads onward to join the GPS coordinates again. Not a detour, not a shortcut.)

R116 Bourg-St-Pierre – Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard

Good bivouac opportunities from after the reservoir (after Bourg-St-Pierre) to the col.

R117 Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard – Cerellaz

Occasional Bivouac possibilities all the way down from the col; probably best at valley bottom.

Agip gas station in St Leonard nay have kiosk; descend to gas station at first houses of St Leonard, then walk from gas station to church, level, for 400m.

Google maps shows a shop in Avise: does not exist; in that location is a hotel/restaurant.
Avise is a ghost town. Runaz is some houses along a busy street with no shops.

Well graduated descent from the Col du Grand-Saint-Bernhard; follow signs for 'TDC' (or, equally, 103) from behind the last hotel at the col to Saint-Rhemy and then St Leonard. From St Leonard church follow signs down to Combaz and the bottom of the valley. GPS coordinates are indicative at best; do not follow at top.

Ascent to Col Citrin is in morning sun.

20min after Jovencan, the dirt road splits. Consider taking the unmarked right-hand one for a comfortable, hassle-free descent; using the Organic Maps app and heading for Runaz. (In retrospect, I would.) The Via Alpina sign points to the left. The Via Alpina should then, within minutes, leave this road for a trail on the valley side, at the latest at the electricity pylon. Sign missing! Otherwise, following this road, I climbed 200m to a col, from where a sign to Vens (on the VA) points downhill to a 200m steep descent that ends at a horizontal trail with a VA sign pointing (back) along the missed trail. Continuing the other direction, to Vens, one follows a c.500m level, probably catchwater trail.

Vens has a restaurant/bar/auberge (Head for the clock tower and parking lot.) The VA sign at the parking lot points in the wrong direction. The trail downhill starts at the valley edge of the parking lot, going down along the supporting wall of the parking lot. Eventually a number 18 appears (correct trail) but at the next intersection, relevant signs are missing. This replays for the next (altitude) 1000m down: signs are missing in crucial spots. Signs may point in the wrong direction. And, more generally, the altitude values given on some signs can be off by 100m, while the time (walking duration) appears mixed up (earlier sign in later location). I ended up in Avise without ever setting foot in Cerellaz.

There appears to be no public transport in Vens

From Runaz an approximately hourly bus goes the 17km (half hour) to Aosta, a town well worth visiting (full re-supply). From Aosta, 2-3 buses a day go to Valgrisenche (end R118).

R118 Cerellaz – Valgrisenche

Small shop in Valgrisenche, not hiker-oriented, partial re-supply.

Signs at top end of Runaz. Confusion at next intersection (stay on forest road). I didn't want to have to rely on any more hiking signs in this area and let the Organic Maps app direct me to Valgrisenche, which, however, may have meant extra time as it went steeply up to Monte Colombo 1860m (excellent bivouac) before descending gradually (20min, 100m) to Baulin (1760m) where it met the VA. From Baulin I roadwalked to Planaval (low point of c.1570m shortly after) and on to Valgrisenche, ignoring a couple of VA road avoidance detours. (In retrospect, the Runaz-Aosta-Valgrisenche bus option would have been preferable. If I hadn't been to Aosta before, I would have wanted to go there, with bus options from St Leonard, Runaz, and Valgrisenche.)

R119 Valgrisenche – Refuge de l’Archeboc

Bivouac around Arp Vieille; c.60min into 14a (grassy plateau); and on way down from Lago di San Grato (beautiful spots).

Trail 17 starts to right of church and cemetery, and ascends towards right, then via switchbacks up a steep, wooded diagonal ledge in the rock face. It seems an old mule track, in places very wide, though the ‘outside' curves of a dozen switchbacks are only trail-width and felt exposed. Trail reaches an altitude of 2350m before descending to Arp Vieille and an intersection 5min beyond (also reachable by road from Valgrisenche). From there I took Trail 14a, whereas the GPS coordinates seem to follow 14b (in which case faint tracks from the earlier point 2350m may allow bypassing Arp Vieille) across a pass and then to abandon 14b to cut across meadows to 14a (c.90min into 14a) – the actual 14b trail joins 14a a little later. At ruins of houses (mountain side of trail 14a) signs for 14c point downward (and in the other direction back along 14a). A c.150m descent on 14c would bypass Lago di San Grato and head straight for Col du Mont (an hour less). Lago di San Grato had turquoise snow water. From Lago di San Grato 2550m one descends to 2220m to then ascend Col du Mont. Col du Mont had a (snow) cornice that looked daunting from (altitude) 200m below. The very limited remains of a mule track lead to a point 50m above the pass, to the right, without snow/problems; the GPS coordinates indicate to go this way. At the pass, it turned out that the straight approach is fairly gentle and the cornice could have been climbed or bypassed on the left, with some effort.

It would be possible to walk or bus (Aosta bus) up the main valley from Valgrisenche (tourists head to the upper reaches to approach the glacier) and to walk on a dirt road up the side valley that leads to Col du Mont, to an arp that's 10min from the beginning of the ascent to Col du Mont.

R120 Refuge de l’Archebox – Le Monal

Bivouac 5min into this stage above the pond; 15min in dependent on cows; after c.90min at a picnic table; and occasionally in the remainder.

Station de St Foy does not exist, and there is no grocery store in the middle of nowhere (contrary to the guidebook).

R121 Le Monal – Le Lac de Tignes

Very good resupply in Tignes at Carrefour Montagne (skip Spar).

No signposts out of Le Monal. Follow GPS coordinates.

Building with sign Refuge Le Monal is closed and dilapidated. The Le Chenal Gite d'etape is c.30 min further along.

From Les Boisses / Tignes 1800, a free bus runs to (Le Lac de) Tignes (and probably on to Val Claret), c. every 30min.

In good weather, the area around the lake is very lively and one may want to linger.

R122 Le Lac de Tignes – Refuge de La Leisse

No water in R122.

A sequence of two chairlifts (Bonnin, Fesse) goes from Val Claret to Fesse. From Fesse to Col de la Laisse is probably 75min. GPS route does not go via Col de Fesse (unlike listed in the guidebook).

Very gentle col on both sides with long, gradually sloping valleys (no worries about snow and/or steepness).

R123 Refuge de La Leisse – Terignon-la-Vanoise

Last water at Refuge de Plan de Lac (cows afterwards).

Camping not allowed before Oratoire Saint-Antoine; afterwards possibilities, two with picnic tables.

Termignon has a Utile supermarket, open daily 8:30-12:30, 15:30-19:30, medium-sized (shuttered when I came through at lunch time). Termignon is a little town with character.

Bus #4 runs from 10min after Refuge d'Entre-deux-Eaux to Parking de Bellecombe starting 8:40am, a dozen times a day, of which about three times continuing to Termignon. This is a national park.

About ten buses a day from Termignon to Modane, 25min ride.

R124 Termignon-la-Vanoise - Modana

Took bus to Modane Hotel de Ville; Casino supermarket 3 blocks away; bus continues 2(?)km to the Modane train station (train Paris-Lyon-Turin-Milan), which has another supermarket and may be a more lively area than the town center.

R125 Modane – Granges de la Vallee Etroite

Bivouac somewhat possible between Modane and Valfrejus though busy hillside with major road. Not for 1 hour after Valfrejus. Then very exposed to weather. (A thunderstorm dumped a layer of hail.)

Valfrejus Sherpa supermarket, medium sized, open daily 7:30-13, 15-20.

Bus on 3 days only (Tue/Wed(?)/Thu/Fri(?)): from Modane train station (passing by Hotel de Ville) to Le Charmaix (Valfrejus) at 8:30, 12, 17:30.

R126 Granges de la Vallee Etroite – Nevache

Nevache does not have a grocery store, contrary to the guidebook. Perhaps Roubion, which the VA skirts 30min earlier, does. Nevache has an extremely popular bakery (boulangerie, patisserie) in the village center (opposite the church) where there is also a restaurant.

Col des Thures with pond is a very popular tourist destination.

A bus plies the valley in an approximately one-hour interval.

R127 Nevache – Le Monetier-les-Bains

Bivouac possible around Chalets/Refuge de Buffere and on to col and just beyond (exposed to weather), also possibly just before Le Monetier-des-Bains.

Sherpa supermarket in Monetier-les-Bains, medium-sized, complete or near-complete re-supply, off VA, walk main road into town. Second Sherpa 100m onward, opposite big church (open daily 8-12:30, 15:30-19:30). Sports shops, restaurants, bakery, fruit/vegetable shop.

On descent, red-white marks do not! lead to Le Monetier-des-Bains. Check GPS coordinates at every intersection.

Therme / public pools(?) down at river; VA R128 crosses its parking lot.

Descent time in guidebook obviously wrong.

Alert: R129, R130 are pure distance killers to get to Mont-Dauphin, which is nice but does not warrant two days of poor hiking.

As others have mentioned in the comments, an alternative is to go straight from Briancon (downriver from Le Monetier-les-Bains, end R127) to Refuge de Furfande (end R131).—

Vallouise (end R128) and R128 I still found of interest, and would make my way either from Vallouise or from half way through R129 to Refuge de Furfande. (Though Briancon might be of interest itself.)

Ex post: I would allocate time to Le Monetier-des-Bains with its therme, and then make my way from there (or from Vallouise, the end of R128) to Briancon and on to Refuge de Furlande (R131). Depending on the resupply situation in Ceillac (and with 21 stages without grocery store coming up), I would consider taking the bus from Ceillac to Guillestre gare routiere for a full re-supply at Carrefour, and if time permits take the free local bus from this gare routiere to Mont-Dauphin (even if just for a drive-thru loop). 7 July - 3 Sept 2023 ZOU 572 bus departs Guillestre for Ceillac at 8:35, 14, 18:45. From Ceillac likely all an hour earlier.

R128 Le-Monetier-les-Bains - Vallouise

Bivouac easy from c. 2200m on, also repeatedly after col, then near Chalets de Chambran including picnic area 5min later. Difficult thereafter.

From Le Monetier-des-Bains follow trail to Le Bachas (the mountain station of a chairlift with a restaurant that is open). Two chairlifts would take one from Le Monetier-des-Bains to the col, Bachas and Eychauda; the fact that both chairlifts had chairs on them while the chairs had been removed from all other chairlifts in the vicinity suggests that they may occasionally (weekends?) be in operation.

R129 Vallouise – Freissinieres

Bivouac: campground c. 10min past Vallouise; campground/RV and trailer park shortly before Les Vigneaux; at Col de la Pousterle; around Col de Lauzes

Vallouise bakery and ‘8 a huit’ supermarket (closed when I passed, should be good-sized given the population, open 8-12:30, 14-19:30).

Walk or take the bus to Puy-St-Vincent and rejoin the VA from there. Otherwise downhill road avoidance walk (rely on GPS coordinates) of no attraction to Le Rif (bakery, no supermarket) at Les Vigneaux, followed by the climb to the very wide / flat Col de la Pousterle (where a car park, tourists, and picnic tables await).

Bus from Vallouises to Le Rif unclear, maybe a couple in the morning, probably via Puy-St-Vincent (big bus detour).

Second ascent, to Col de Lauzes, increasingly overgrown trail (including with stinging nettles). At the Bergerie des Lauzes (30min before Col de Lauzes) the GPS coordinates point straight ahead even though there is no obvious trail - track is slightly uphill past the nettles and brush; stick to coordinates; trail is a heavily overgrown narrow track for the next 1+km before joining a forest road. Alternatively, near the bergerie, a signpost for Col de Lauzes points to the right (counterintuitive). The best alternative is probably to turn left, walk between the bergerie buildings and follow the bergerie forest road slightly down to a first switchback where one continues on a forest road branching off straight to Col de Lauzes.

Col de Lauzes is a non-event: a signpost sending one off on a (lesser) overgrown trail.
No water between Les Vigneaux and Fressieres except at a private chalet before Pont du Fournel. (Creek 50min before Fressieres [and trail] had a phenomenal number of flies, with the explanation provided 10min later by a hundred sheep resting on the trail.)

Nice bus stop at Fressieres (with no bus scheduled ever).

Alternative: From Les Vigneaux one could continue c. 4km downhill to L'Argentiere-les-Ecrins, a city with a 10min train to Mont-Dauphin (end R130) or trail possibilities to re-join the VA at the end of R131 (cutting out the detour to Mont-Dauphin). From Point du Fournel one could equally quickly descend there.

R130 Freissinieres – Mont-Dauphin (Guillestre)

Water in villages on the way.

Bivouac c. 30min+ after Fressieres; along the river; and c. 1 hour into my non-VA 3-hour walk from Pont de Pallon to Mont-Dauphin on grassy balconies overlooking the valley; or c.30min before Mont-Dauphin (reached via Eygliers).

From Pont de Pallon, a bus leaves for L'Argentiere-les-Ecrins at 8:45am, passing on the way through Roche de Rame village which is on a near-hourly bus line to Mont-Dauphin/Guillestre.

Also from Pont de Pallon, the Organic Maps app (and google maps) show a 3-hour walk to Mont-Dauphin compared to the 6h10 on the VA (due to its eventual uphill and out-of-the-way detour); I found this a pleasant 3-hour hike.

From Mont-Dauphin I descended to the Intermarche supermarket on the valley floor, across the river (c.30min), and then walked the campground/backroad to Guillestre (45min walk due to chaotic bus situation with some buses heading to Guillestre not stopping at the Intermarche bus stop). Carrefour (full resupply) in Guillestre is far superior to Intermarche; would now catch a bus from Mont-Dauphin to Guillestre (maybe half a dozen+ a day).

R131 Mont-Dauphin (Guillestre) – Refuge de Furfande

R132 Refuge de Furfande – Ceillac

Took bus from Guillestre to Ceillac / Le Pied du Melezet (8:35 from Guillestre gare routiere, typically delayed, 35min trip).

Resupply after Ceillac R132/133
(1) In R140, descend from Col de La Lombarde for 4km and 400m altitude to a Utile supermarket in Chastilion (looks large in google maps). Might be able to get a ride in a car from/to the col.
(2) In Casterino, R147/148, take a bus to 'Tende Gare SNCF', a village for which google maps provides no further information, while the Organic Maps app shows a 'shop' and a bakery and half a dozen restaurants/bars. (A short train ride leads to a bigger place.)
(3) Make a 600m altitude detour to Limonetto R148/149 from what would otherwise be a (partly off-VA) phenomenal highline trail, and take a bus to Limone (or, better, in R149 to Panice, with same bus Limonetto-Panice-Limone).
(4) Ormea R151/152 on VA (and earlier a very small grocery store near the beginning of R151 in Viozene).
(5) Garessio, on VA, has a supermarket, R152/153 (but one may not want to go to Garessio)
(6) Large and good Carrefour in Breil R158/R159 (and a kiosk-quality grocery store one stage earlier in Saorge, R157/158).
(7) Sospel R159/R160: Spar, Roxi.

R133 Ceillac - Maljasset

No 'good' water except c.45min after the col, and at end (Maljasset).

Bivouac repeatedly on ascent except in initial climb, on descent best c.45min after the col.

Contrary to guidebook, no grocery store at Le Melezet nor in Maljasset (except possibly snacks at the CAF refuge in the latter). Last re-supply for the next 21 stages in Ceillac or Guillestre.

R134 Maljasset – Chiappera

Bivouac around Maljasset and through much of ascent. On descent best in top third. Then a dozen cars with people driving up to camp for the night; no possibility on the 1-hour roadwalk along steep hillside [take trail continuation instead of road indicated by GPS coordinates to descend on right side of river for possibilities at bottom of valley], and a hundred cars and campground in the short, level stretch to the stage destination Chiappera.

R135 Chiappera - Chialvetta

Water: fountain 20min past Chiappera; fountain at farmhouse close to end of stage (climb over string fence); some rivulets after heavy rain in previous night.

Bivouac: 20min past Chiappera near fountain; 1hour past Chiappera at
Sorgenti del Maira (seems an official, free, meadow campground, including a couple of spaces a minute into the woods (along VA)), near col.

Unless one has a reason to go into Chialvetta, the R135-136 transition naturally bypasses it

R136 Chialveta – Pontebernardo

No water except creek early on during ascent

Bivouac: possibly after Passo della Gardetta (off VA); immediately after Passo di Rocca Brancia; and c.30min down.

R137 Pontebernardo – Rifugio Zanotti

Bivouac: In approach to Colle di Stau very roughly around 2100m, and then 3min before the col. Near the Prati del Vallone (valley bottom). At the Passo Sottano di Scolettas

Noticing in R136 that the end of R136 requires a 2km road walk (on a very busy and fast road) to Pontebernardo, I let the Organic Maps app give me a 2-hour walk from where the trail hits the road to Rio Forneris on the VA (44 20.9050N, 6.57.6320E): Follow the road uphill for c.700m, turn left into hamlet Prinardo (water faucet), walk briefly upstream to reach the forest road up Valley Forneris, at the end of the road follow track across meadow, then trail into woods, then narrow sidetrail for final 200m ascent (somewhat overgrown). After re-joining the VA, the track is also/still unmaintained, overgrown, very steep ascent, minimal time above bushes / brief pass, horseflies -- not even the VA designer wanted to walk this stage, to judge from the very poor GPS coordinates (guidebook calls them excellent), guidebook has wrong overall altitude gain/loss values (in reality much more), probably vastly underestimated distance. (Also see other hiker's comments re this stage being 10h25).

AllTrails has 9h40, 20.44km (which still seems on the low side) and 2,151m altitude gain.

Bottom line: Walk from Pontebernardo in 4 hours to Strepeis at the end of R138 (not a road walk), rather than follow the VA which leads up half a dozen passes (the guidebook does not note all high points and low points), climbs close to 4000m total, and spends 16-20 hours doing so. There is nothing particularly attractive about these passes: it's a very steep climb on a trail that's not great, and then a good trail on very steep slope down into which carefully graded switchbacks have been crafted (probably former military "roads").

A compromise could be to walk 5km (450m altitude gain) from Pontebernardo up the Vallone di Pontebernardo to join the VA two thirds of the way through R137, cutting out the worst of R137.

One reason to follow the guidebook R138 via Passo di Laroussa would be that one does not need to descend to Strepeis (1200m) but can take a trail at Calieri (1500m) via the Passo de Tesina to 100m altitude above Sant' Ana di Vinadio (end point R139), from where one can go straight into R140, by-passing the arduous, utterly uninteresting distance-killer R139.

R138 Rifugio Zanotti – Strepeis

Bivouac: half way up to the Passo di Rostagno; around Rifugio Migliorero and in the flat-ish part of the valley below.

A big map just below the Rifugio Migliorero shows the VA to *not* go via Passo di Laroussa but to descend the valley to Stepeis in 2h30.

Some signposts on this way have the Via Alpina sign.

In Bagni di Vivadio one can go straight into R139 without side-tracking to Strepeis

Alert: Around R138, I gave up on walking times, distances, elevation change, and waymarks (“points,” “segments”) in the Via Alpina guidebook—too wrong/meaningless too often—and mostly relied on the GPS coordinates (and the Organic Maps app) unless signposts convincingly suggested otherwise.

R139 Strepeis – Sant’Anna di Vinadio

Pure distance-killer of no interest.

Bivouac at the earliest around 2000m in grassy area but rocky ground (extremely steep ascent in narrow valley), and at 2200m (before the pass).

R140 Sant-Anna di Vinadio – Rifugio Malinvern

Water at SAnt-Anna di Vinadio. No water after roughly 30min into stage; and c. 1 hour before end of stage

Bivouac: starting c.45min into stage, continuing to Colle della Lombarda; half way on descent from Passo d'Orgials

Re-supply: from Colle della Lombarda descend (or hitch a ride) 4km / 400m altitude to the French side. The Organic Maps app shows a trail from there to the end of R141 in about 3 hours. (‘Trails’ in the app can be anything from forest roads to Klettersteig.)

For R141 and R142 there are choices:
(i) Follow the VA, Day 1 do R141; Day 2 do R142, consisting of descending on the order of 1000m into the morning sun, then sit in a warm terme at Terne di Valdieri, and when the early afternoon temperature has reached 30 degrees ascend on a warmed-up mountainside in bright sun for around 1000m to reach the refugio at the end of R142.
(ii) Follow the GTA: On Day 1 skip the VA (1‐hour) detour to Rifugio Questa and instead head straight to Terme di Valdieri with the afternoon sun in your back. Stay at the GTA accommodation at the Royal Hotel (see other hikers' comments) and soak in the terme. On Day 2 climb the 1000m in the early morning shade (and maybe move into R143, there is no shortage of refugios not mentioned in the VA guidebook).

R141 Rifugio Malinvern – Rifugio Questa

No water except from lakes

Bivouac: with difficulty (rocks) at Lago Malinvern; at Lago di Valscura (mosquitoes).

R142 Rifugio Questa – Rifugio Morelli-Buzzi

No water on ascent until the rifugio (and big creek at beginning of ascent, approached again half way up).

Bivouac: on descent around 1800m at a large meadow; at Terme di Valdieri behind the church (first building, still 500m to the Royal Hotel, and ‘no camping’ in this area); on ascent vague memory of about two-thirds up (and what looked like poor spots behind Rifugio Morelli-Buzzi).

Encountered the only trail maintenance crew ever on the VA.

Alert: At Terme di Valdieri last cell phone reception until end-R147, Casterino.

Consider looking into GTA to avoid VA heavy bouldering in R145, R146 (see hiker comments, including one hiker having explicitly switched to the GTA).

R143 Rifugio Morelli-Buzzi – Rifugio Ellena-Soria

Bivouac: None until possibly near (before) reservoir Lago di Chiotas; excellent bivouac with water 5min into trail(!) ascent to Colle di Fenestrelle; 20min before pass; just after pass and then easier 5 and 15min down; some possibilities at valley floor below Rifugio Ellena-Soria.

R144 Rifugio Ellena-Soria – Refuge de la Madone de Fenestre

Water: In ascent to Colle Finestra c. 3 switchbacks up from upper valley floor, over c. 3 switchbacks.

Bivouac: with difficulty minutes after pass; very good at Lac de Fenestre; cows further down.

On descent, at 2,120 altitude an unmarked track to the left descends 65m to the valley floor and ascends 30m on the other side to join R145 (15min) (bypassing the refuge at the end of R144).

R145 Refuge de la Madone de Fenestre – Refuge de Nice

No water or bivouac in ascent after 2100m (don't know before since I bypassed the refuge). Descent: Water from reservoir or its creek, or from rivulets around reservoir.

Bivuoac starting30min before Refuge de Nice at valley bottom, and then around reservoir and 5min after the refuge.

R146 Refuge de Nice – Refuge de Valmasque

Water: on ascent early on before boulders, after pass only the reservoirs.

Bivouac until ascent across boulders starts and on descent once boulders end -- c. 300m altitude of boulders both sides of pass. Possibilities all around reservoirs until c.15min before Refuge de Valmasque.

At the first reservoir, if one were tired from two stages of bootcamp bouldering (no long distance hiking trail), the Organic Maps app offers a 17-hour walk straight to Monaco.

R147 Refuge de Valmasque – Casterino

Water: cascades only

Bivouac: consider 15min after Refuge de Valmasque plus maybe 10min side trip without trail into park-like side valley in plain view on descent. Also possibilities c.30min after refuge, after the cascades. Then soon cows, and c.45min after refuge roadwalk into Casterino without possibilities.

C.20min before Casterino official hiking sign for Baisse de Peirifique (R149) that avoids the c.200m, 1.5km descent into Casterino (and the corresponding climb out of Casterino in R148).

Casterino: accommodation and multitude of 'private property, do not enter' signs. Bus to Tende (train station, grocery store) at 9:10, 12:15, 14:15, 17:10.

R148 Casterino – Limonetto

Water: No fountain in Casterino. 10min after Fort de Giaure (descent along rock walk to first switchback) sidetrack from GPS coordinates to follow yellow marks to a few minutes after algae-filled pond: 20m off-track, a small stone shelter harbors a spring/source.

Bivouac: c.20min after Casterino at campfire place just off VA. At and after Vaisse de Peirifique repeatedly good opportunities.

From Fort de Giaure, two possibilities: (i) Follow the GPS coordinates, which involve c. 3km heavily overgrown track, often descending steeply on very slippery ground (hiking poles), and a total of c.6 km uninteresting territory, to Limonetto. (ii) Follow the GPS coordinates off the Fort de Giaure hill only and do not turn into the Limonetto track. Instead, continue along the beautiful ridge trail, around the back of Mont Bed Roux on to Fort Pernant before descending to Col di Tenda and Chalet Le Marmote 1hr45min into R149. This by-passes Limonetto and cuts out 600m of elevation loss/gain (and on the order of 3 hours arduous hiking). For re-supply, descend from Chalet Le Marmote (or catch a ride, many cars parked there) to Panice Soprana and catch the bus from there to Limone (leaves 10min before the Limonetto bus times, may go via Limonetto, around the hill); on the return take, from Panice Soprana, the Cabanaira chairlift up, a couple of km further into R149 (was operating and had customers on the Saturday that I walked the R149 [also an option if staying in Limonetto]).

Limonetto is a drab little town (plenty of 'for sale' signs) with a tiny, well-stocked 20sqm grocery store at the far(!) end, not targeting hikers. Open 8-12:30, 16-19:30, closed Sundays. Very basic re-supply. Friendly staff.

The bus for Limone train station leaves from Limonetto Centro (wherever that is, I didn't see a bus stop sign and the bus driver did not stop for ne when I waived him down in front of the grocery store) at 9:12, 12:07, 15:27 or 15:07 (one or the other), and 19:07.

The VA is cutting out a beautiful highline trail, which one would usually make every effort to walk, just in order to make a 3 hour 600 m altitude detour through an overgrown track to a village where one can possibly deliver one’s cash to some limited form of accommodation.

R 149 Limonetto – Rifugio Garelli

No water on this almost 10-hour hike (see AllTrails for accurate statistics), except possibly 2/3 of the way up to La Tende at a cow-free cow trough with fountain (after a rainy night), and 20-30min before the end of the stage at a creek, and then the mini reservoir from which it emanates.

Bivouac: poor ones shortly after Limonetto; a couple of times on the ridge and a couple of times by descending a bit on the almost 3-hour gravel road after Chalet Le Marmot, frequented by cars and motorcycles except Tuesday and Thursday (when closed to motorized traffic); many good possibilities in the second half of the stage.

GPS coordinates: Follow GTA route out of Limonetto, not the backtracking and detouring GPS coordinates. Just before Chalet Le Marmot, the GPS coordinates make an utterly pointless 1 km (50 m altitude) detour. While GPS coordinates then follow the gravel road, the GTA moves away at times, and towards the end of the almost 3-hour (gravek) road walk may offer better alternatives. The GPS coordinates leave the gravel road abruptly (attention!), then sometimes diverge somewhat from the actual trail, which seems to have undergone significant maintenance with minor rerouting.

Lots of people are up at Chalet Le Marmote at 8:30 (bicyclists, car parking). One might be able to catch a ride up those 600m altitude from Panice Soprana?

For R150-R152 The guidebook only mentions covers the Via Anti-Alpina. Suitable for bad weather. With wrong statistics (distance, altitude gain, time).

A perfect Via Alpina is available. The app Organic Maps shows a high level alpine route to Ormea (and continuing along the river to Garessio). Trails are available to not descend to Ormea and to stay high all the way to Garessio. (The app always only gives the fastest route.)

The guidebook itself (at least twice) suggests to cut out 153 and R152 (which are massive road avoidance and distance killer routes).

These are the alternatives:
(0) From shortly after Porta Sestrera (R150), head East on highline trails all the way to Garassio
(i) From Passo della Croce (R150), cross over in 7h30 to R156
(ii) From Viozene (R151) cross over to R155 in c. 3 hours. (The GTA also heads South starting from Viozene, and does not continue to Ormea.)
(iii) From Ormea (end-R151), cross over into R154 in c. 2 hours. Or cross to Bocchino di Semola in R153, from which onward R153 is pleasant.

There is no grocery store in R153 (after Garassio) - R157 (before Saorge).

R150 Rifugio Garelli – Rifugio Mongioie

Water: no fountain at refugio: 5min along VA notice the small concrete structure and hear a creek emanating from it (hard to reach, overgrown); Lago Raitara is a dirty pond; fountain 20min before Camino Superiore; frequent water afterwards.

Bivouac: many possibilities before Passo delle Mastrelle (though cows after Bivacco Saracco), possibilities between Camino Inferiore and Colle del Camino (esp. at the pass itself).

45min hefore Rifugio Mongioie, a signposted 35min trail to Viozene (35min into R151), begins its gradual descent (bypassing the rifugio).

R151 Rifugio Mongioie – Ormea

Viozene: Kiosk/grocery store as part of/next to Hotel Italia; has very limited supplies, targets hikers, also open Sundays.

After Viozene at first enjoyable road replacement walk for a couple of hours, then massive road avoidance detour, not always in good condition.

Ormea is a small town with a touristy main street. Grocery store closed on Sunday. I got stared at as hiker -- this is no longer hiking territory!

R152 Ormea - Garessio

Distance killer bicycle road walk to Garessio. I most strongly recommend taking the bus, runs at irregular times perhaps ten times a day. VA replaces first 4km of bicycle road walk by 14km(?), 600m altitude gain/loss road avoidance walk. (This stage is a very low and extremely inappropriate stage of the VA. Feels like the Liguria province of Italy wanted its share of the VA cake, too.)

Water at bicycle road out of Ormea. Bivouac difficult due to constant presence of ‘civilization.’

R153 Garessio - Caprauna

Start of the Alta Via del Monti Liguri that the VA follows through R157.

Garessio groceries: ‘OK [Super]Market’ daily 8:30-12:30, 15:30-19:30, closed Sunday afternoon. C. 600m off trail. Also bakery in Garessio (opens 7am but bread may not be available immediately).

Water: fountains in Garessio; Fontana delle Meraviglie (c.2h30 into the stage).

GPS coordinates follow road out of Garessio - instead, follow signs through centers of extended Garessio 'suburbs'; shortly after square of last suburb, signs for VA in two different directions to (i) Colle San Bernardo (unsightly abandoned houses, windmills) and (ii) Colle delle Meraviglie, bypassing Colle San Bernardo. The trail to Colle San Bernardo does not follow the road (unlike the GPS coordinates) except possibly the last 20min (if one opts not to take an overgrown trail).

At the end of R153, the track indicated by the GPS coordinates for Caprauna no longer exists (an alternative trail to Caprauna appears a few minutes later); the signposted routing goes straight to Rifugii dell'Alma in R154 (watch out for small rifugio sign to trail leaving the gravel road on the right, for shortcut). Rifugii dell'Alma is set in a very peaceful expansive meadow (not at all busy when I passed, seemed a good place to rest and read a book).

R154 Caprauna – Colle di Nava

Water fountain behind and slightly up from the rifugio (water did not look good); a few minutes later pipe just below trail (water looked good). No water fountain at Colle di Nava.

C.30min before Colle di Nava vast (mowed) meadow in what appears a communal area, including for camping; not busy. Concrete building may have amenities (didn’t check).

No grocery store at Colle di Nava, contrary to the guidebook.

Bus to Ormea c. 20min ride, several times a day. (May sometimes continue to Garessio.)

R155 Colle di Nava – San Bernardo di Mendatica

Water: c.1 hour into the stage at c. 15min after trail crosses road for first time (where it touches [within 15m] the road again): Fontana della Teglia(?).

San Bernardo di Mendatica: Ghost town; auberge(s)/hotel, cafe all permanently closed.

After first hour, trail becomes a road avoidance trail. Towards end of stage, trail shortcuts the road.

R156 San Bernardo di Mendatica – Colle Melosa

Water: fountain in San Bernardo di Mendatica; possibly at cow trough 20m off VA at 1620m altitude an hour later, then no water(!).

Meals and lodging at Rifugio La Terza 40min before Passo del Saccarello (not mentioned in guidebook) as only possibility in this stage (no water fountain).

R157 Colle Melosa – Saorge

No/limited water. Sella d'Agnaira has cow water troughs fed by a large metal tank, which in turn is filled by a pipe running from at least 1km above -- possible to climb onto the water tank and take water directly from the pipe. On descent at 600m crossing a dry creek bed but sound of water above and below, hard to get to; 5min later trail descends altitude c.30m to creek. At Pont de Castou 428m VA crosses same creek via bridge (has creek access).

Bivouac: 10min after Sella d'Agneira at a pass. From then on switchbacks and cliff walks in steep slope. One possible spot around 1400m halfway through the hillside crossing to Col Corbeau (flat tent-sized spot with steep slopes all around). Possibility just before and at Col Sanderau. Good at Muratone. Thereafter difficult.

Saorge has a very small grocery store the quality of a kiosk.

At Col Corbeau, the Alta Via del Monti Liguri probably continues on the South side of the col, while the VA crosses to the North (French) side: the quality of the trail immediately deteriorates drastically, with often only a narrow track in extremely steep, heavily wooded terrain. This seems to have been a 2m wide road at some point, often hewn into the cliff, but in many places all that is left is a narrow trail, itself sloping. When the trail could widen, the heavily overgrown 'road' (hazelnut bushes, thorny bushes, trees) pushes the hiker to the very edge, onto the crumbling stone wall supporting the 'road.' It is slow and careful going. Since the Alta Via del Monti Liguruli reappears at Muratone, one is probably significantly better off to stay on the Alta Via del Monti Liguri until Muratone. At Muratone, plenty of signposts, none pointing the way the VA just came.

From Muratone, according to the Organic Maps app, it is about as far to to Breil-sur-Roya (end-R158) as to Saorge (end-R157). See hiker comments re R158.

Consider: From Col de Muratone walk the GTA in 7h to Ventimiglia (optional Mediterranean end of the GTA), on the Italian coast and on the train line to Monaco, 20km East of Monaco. From Ventimiglia one could also mostly beach-walk to Monaco in about 5 hours.

R158 Saorge – Breil-sur-Roya

Saorge – Breil gare / gare routiere 5 buses a day (9:02, 11:27, 13:52, 16:22, 16:57). The VA description sounds like a pure distance killer and I took the bus. In retrospect, would walk Muratone (R157) – Breil directly and cut out Saorge (with its ‘hanging’/clinging old town and monastery attractions).

Two buildings down from the train station in Breil is a Carrefour supermarket - first full re-supply since Guillestre/Mont-Dauphin (end-R130). A short walk takes one to the center of town with lake/reservoir, at the far end of which are benches, water (faucet), and trash cans.

R159 Breil-sur-Roya – Sospel

Water: at end of tarred road (fountain with faucet) and same at Col de Brouis. Creek crossing on descent at 600m (questions about water quality).

Bivouac: best at Baisse de Levens or on 300m long flat ridge just above Col de L'Agaisen (300m before the col, follow signs to Baisse de Figuiera, 3min, then walk along ridge to col for many options). Otherwise: many parts of these hills appear to have been populated before, with patches of terraces where there is now forest; one could probably clear a spot. Meadows at Col de Brouis.

Wild boar sighting during ascent.

R160 Sospel-Peillon

R161 Peillon – Monacao-Place du Palais

No water, except at (decorative) fountain in Sospel (ex-post: questionable quality); at Col Saint Jean immediately after crossing the road notice the box set in the stone wall: it contains a water mains and a lever at a short metal pipe facing you, turn lever for water; possibly at low point/bridge before Peille (descend steeply c.7m to water of questionable quality); at fountain in Peille.

Bivouac: at 900m on ascent; at Baisse du Pape; and limited at Col du Farguet. Later only with difficulty, such as shortly after low point before Peille.

Sospel has 2 grocery stores, Spar and Proxi (don't open till 8, after I had already left).

Altitude 600m arduous descent from Col du Farguet is overgrown with thorny and hard bushes. Ascent from Sospel gets early morning sun (hot), descent from Col du Farguet gets late morning sun = oven, turning humans into human jerky. Ideally, bivouac at Col de Pape (to which to ascend in early evening), then make a run for Monaco early the next day.

I collected my one and only tick on the whole VA the day from Sospel to Monaco.

Having little skin left on my legs after the descent from Col du Farguet, I took the road to Peille at the first opportunity (also avoids the VA road avoidance altitude detour). From Peille, with no reason to descend (and ascend and descend, detouring) to Peillon, I let the Organic Maps app show me the way to La Turbie (there is also a bus, worth consideration), parts on road, parts on road avoidance trails, parts on shortcuts, and parts on the just before La Turbie 200m altitude detour VA (best to just walk the road!). I proceeded similarly from La Turbie (with its small-ish Casino grocery store and a perhaps affordable hotel) to Monaco. -- If one could bus from Col du Farguet (hiker-access only) to La Turbie, that would be ideal (one can't).

In Monaco I headed straight for the Jardin Exotique, which, at 17:50, was closed, contrary to what the guidebook says (7pm closure) -- a fitting conclusion to my VA experience, I thought. (A sign at the jardin gates said "Free access Tuesday to Saturday 8:30am to 3:30pm.") The Palais Square is another 30min away, and the Via Alpina commemoration sign is there, barely readable.

I returned to the Jardin Exotique at 10am the next day (Friday) and it was closed, with no other announcement than the (false) opening hours. The souvenir shop (strangely) was open and I was told the jardin is closed for renovation (renovation of a garden?, with no sign of even the slightest work being done). The staff knew about the VA, handed me the book for my entry, and gave me a VA keychain present (it take pliers to open the keychain).

- - - The following is a comparison between AllTrails (AT) statistics and VA guidebook statistics, where even the AllTrails statistics sometimes feel like underestimates (and a couple of times may use slightly different routing than the VA guidebook). The Organic Maps app typically shows longer distances, more altitude changes, and longer walking hours than AllTrails.

R140
AT 14.00km, elevation gain 891
VA 12.39, 715, 4h10 (hiker comment: 7 hours)

R141
AT 8.69, 956, 4hr
VA 8.35, 920, 3h40

R142
AT 13.52, 978
VA 13.47, 972, 5hr

R143
AT 12.55, 785
VA 12.3, 736, 4h55

R144
AT 7.24, 688, 3h30
VA 7.01, 681, 3h05

R145

AT 5.79, 734
VA 5.5, 675, 3h15

R146
AT 8.37, 528
VA 7.9, 446, 3h -- actually, based on signs, minimum 4hrs if not 4.5

R147
AT 8.21, 23, 2h43
VA 7.9, 8, 1h50

R148
AT 16.42, 942
VA 15.76, 738, 5h05

R149
AT 26.39, 1761, 9h39
VA 26.51, 1732, 7h30

R150
AT 13.84, 799, 6h
VA 14.4, 912, 5h40

R151
AT 23.01, 745, 8
VA 23.45, 673, 7h

R152

AT 17.86, 780, 6h10
VA 22.9, 791, 6h55

R153

AT 22.69, 1436, 8h11
VA 18.6, 1395, 5h25

R154
AT 9.56, 427, 3h25
VA 10.8, 372, 3h10

R155
AT 5.79, 734
VA 9 5, 480, 2h45

R156

AT 23.98, 1793, 10h
VA 24, 1262, 8h30

R157

AT 23.5, 1124, 9h52
VA 22.9, 565, 6h40

R158

AT 8.53, 519, 3h45
VA 8.5, 317, 1:45

R159

AT 13.84, 940, 5h37
VA 13, 824, 4:20

R160

AT 19.31, 1236, 7h40
VA 19.1, 1191, 5h44

R161

AT 11.1, 440, 4h04
VA 13.55, 371, 2h50

Old Introductions (2021, 2022, 2023)

2021 (R1-R40)

30 June – 24 July 2021

For navigation, I downloaded the GPS data (.kml file) from the via-alpina.org website. (1) I imported the GPS data into the (free) app Maps.me on my Android phone, then downloaded the (at the time: free) detailed regional maps of Maps.me for the regions that I walked through. The Via Alpina GPS data are of mixed quality; data for some stages are of very poor quality. (2) I also loaded the GPS data into the app Gaia GPS, which only displays one chosen stage at a time whereas Maps.me displays all stages. (3) The app AllTrails has superior (independent) GPS data for all stages and displays the trail well on detailed topographical maps as long as one has cellular reception; to download the maps requires an annual subscription.

I mostly relied on Maps.me. I would also use Maps.me to figure out how to walk from point A to B when I diverged from the Via Alpina (such as in bad weather) or to see alternatives to the official Via Alpina. The trail which Maps.me would chose unfortunately could be anything: a faint track (it’s walkable), a good hiking trail, a forest road, a macadam road, an asphalt road, and even a glacier crossing. In Maps.me all of these might be represented by the same type of dotted line. Routes on Maps.me come with a reliable altimetric diagram and correct distances. In general, Maps.me displays only a fraction of the trails/roads that I actually encountered.

As guidebook, I downloaded one pdf file from the via-alpina.org website covering the sections I was planning to walk. The pdf file came with the title “Via Alpina Guidebook.” The distances in the Via Alpina Guidebook tend to be underestimates (compared to what Maps.me and AllTrails say). The altitude gain in the Via Alpina Guidebook can be off many times. (For example, the actual altitude gain could be five times higher.) The “walking time” given in the Via Alpina Guidebook seems to be for someone doing a day trip covering no more than one stage, without a backpack of any significant size or weight. A long-distance hiker carrying tent, sleeping bag, and several days’ worth of food may take significantly longer. The “detailed description” in the Via Alpina Guidebook often resembles a murder mystery challenging the reader to figure out what are digressions, diversions, or mistakes, and what part of the information is relevant for a hiker walking this stage. Rare are straightforward instructions such as “take signposted trail 36 for two-thirds of the ascent until signposted trail 42 branches off; continue on trail 42 to the pass; descend from the pass on signposted trail 9 to the bottom of the valley where signposted trail 1 branches off on the left; continue on trail 1.” Perhaps authors were given instructions to write exactly 150 words, distracting from getting the right amount (of precise) information to the hiker.

After about R15, hikers’ comments in the guidebook sound increasingly exasperated; some use words such as ‘scam.’ The guidebook entry for Dun (R35) speaks volumes:

Die Via Alpina ist ein Wanderweg, der die lokale Entwicklung fördern soll, sowohl für

which google translates as:

So there it is: The mission of the Via Alpina is not to provide a great hiking experience, but to make money for the businesses along the route.

One might thus question the beginning and end points of stages: Am I going to the end point of the stage solely to drop money into a business’s hands, or am I going there because it provides a nice hiking experience? Am I walking this three-stage detour to enrich someone financially, or because it’s a great trail in a great landscape?

The comments in the guidebook as well as my own experience suggest looking at the Via Alpina route promoted by the guidebook as an excellent way to experience a large part of the Alps, and to use my own judgment as to the exact choice of trails that I take.

Regarding R1 – R40, apart from sometimes questionable beginning and end points of stages, the dilapidated and unmaintained Kaernter Hoehenweg is a very big disappointment, as is the guidebook’s incredibly inappropriate routing through the Zillertal.

The business calculation underlying the money-making objective of the Via Alpina seems problematic. Spending a minimum of around Euro 60-80 per day on food and accommodation in huts adds up to, over 161 stages, Euro 10,000 – 13,000, which isn’t the kind of cash that long distance hikers typically have to spend. (This ignores the long list of suggested hard copy maps to consult for each stage of the Via Alpina, which probably adds up to a thousand maps at Euro 10 each.)

Long-distance hikers may want to pay much more attention to good resupply opportunities and to possibilities to camp/bivouac in each stage than the guidebook provides.

The Via Alpina is *not* consistently signposted and doesn’t have its own paint-marks. There are many stages without a single Via Alpina sign. The Via Alpina is simply the assurance that there is a trail (or road) of some form.

Given the kind of elevation gain that the Via Alpina provides and given the limited possibilities to resupply, I found three days of food (for about 5 stages) most appropriate. Carrying food for more days—I have done a maximum of seven on the Via Alpina—meant an exceedingly heavy backpack, given the elevation gain and the quality of the trail. Ideally, my backpack newly stocked with food for three days and a liter of water didn’t exceed c.10kg of weight.

I twice wrote to mail@via-alpina.org (a month apart) about not being able to post comments at via-alpina.org due to a ‘captcha’ that would not clear, and asked what I am doing wrong or what I should do in order to post comments. I never heard back. [At some later point, I was able to post comments.]

2022 (R41-R100)

July/August 2022

The google map app is highly unreliable for public transport in (at least) Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Austria is well served by the OEBB app, and Switzerland by the SBB app (the respective country-specific public transport apps).

In Switzerland, the Coop supermarket typically has free wifi.

For Switzerland, the Swisstopo app reliably shows trails (and which trails are closed!). Continuous lines, broken lines, and dotted lines indicate trail difficulty.

The Pareto rule also applies to the Via Alpina: 20% of the route accounts for the bottom 80% hiking experiences on the Via Alpina (VA). Identify these 20% and choose a more enjoyable alternative.

The stated mission of the VA is to promote local development. In several stages of the VA, the VA’s listed accommodations or resupply options no longer exist. The VA thus has failed in its mission. To fulfill its mission, the VA would need to be redrawn to promote development where more development is desired by local businesses and administrations, rather than keep the VA in areas where it has failed (and has no chance) to fulfill its mission. On the other hand, the VA goes to places such as Oberstdorf or Leukerbad, which clearly do not need any further development, and it goes via the Fuerstensteig in Liechtenstein, which is clearly not about bringing development anywhere. In other words, the VA in some stages utterly fails in its stated mission and in other stages utterly ignores its mission.

The VA guidebook gives the difficulty of each stage but does not say what the evaluation “difficulty” reflects: Is the stage long? Are there exceedingly steep slopes in the stage that cannot be walked (without aid/ hiking poles)? Does the stage have exposed passages? Does the stage not have a reliable trail but descend into an unmaintained track or worse? Does the stage have ladders and ropes? – What does “difficult” (in the guidebook) mean??

The VA is a jumble of inconsistent stages: one may walk on roads for three days [R41-43] and then find oneself scrambling up and down – with the necessary aid of hiking poles – tracks that are unfit for walking. The guidebook may, in one stage, praise the gorge that one crosses when one has crossed a much more impressive gorge a few days earlier.

The VA guidebook is a historical document of a route that runs on some trails that are about to disappear and on some trails that are no longer maintained, and it lists some accommodation and shops that no longer exist. Given the dates of hiker comments, this historical document was created in 2011 or earlier.

Many/most of the VA stages appear to not have actually been walked by the designers of the VA. The GPS coordinates of many/most stages then presumably were created at a desk. Repeatedly, it is practically impossible for a person who is an ‘Ungeuebter’—non-Alpinist, the German language using ‘Geuebter’ for someone who is comfortable with scrambling / light climbing—carrying a bulky 12-15kg backpack to actually have walked a particular stage and recorded the GPS coordinates.

2023 (R101-R161)

July/August 2023

The app Maps.Me now charges for map downloads exceeding ten downloads and I switched to the app Organic Maps (which resembles the original Maps.Me), including with its free map downloads.

This third summer on the Via Alpina (VA) I found the conflict between “following the Via Alpina” and “having the best possible hiking experience” of increasing interest, the difficulty being to a priori (without sufficient information) evaluate which trail provides the best possible hiking experience at any given point in time. (I am reminded of the Milgram experiment re ‘obedience’ to the leader / VA guidebook, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment, video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdrKCilEhC0.)

I frequently contrasted the VA routing with what the Organic Maps app would suggest, and regularly by-passed long descents/detours at the end of a stage that allow the VA to reach some form of (sometimes no longer existent) accommodation.

Soon after Tignes (R121/122) the presence of cows diminished and I became conscious of to what extent the VA, especially in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, is actually a ‘shitshow’ (often presented on signs along the trail as preserving our [due to climate change probably unsustainable] ‘cultural landscape’): wading through cow dung, eating cow dung (dust), and drinking cow dung (polluted water). The last quarter of the VA offered some unexpected, pleasant surprises.

My notes re bivouac possibilities are possibly biased in that I am particularly aware of bivouac possibilities when I am looking for one myself, and paying less attention to bivouac possibilities early in the day. Similarly for water. My notes on grocery stores are probably more consistent, though I didn’t consistently keep track of their opening hours (google / google maps is reliable most, but not all of the time). When bivouac possibilities are not an issue in a particular stage (if they are plentiful), I don’t cover ‘bivouac.’ Same for water.