Hiking Switzerland

Switzerland may just be the ultimate hiking destination -- spectacular alpine peaks, pastoral meadows filled with cows munching wild flowers, highly developed trail system, villages so quaint that they make you wonder if Disney was in on the design, and a renowned tourist infrastructure. With so much going for the Swiss Alps, you would think a hiking vacation there would be fail proof.

Not so! Without a little advance research and planning, you might spend your entire holiday looking, looking but not finding fabulous views and quaint inns, or on the sidelines with sore knees or blistered feet. Worst of all, you could arrive to find whole villages shut down in their off season and the trails choked with snow. So before you start packing your rucksack, you need to know which regions are the most hiker-friendly, how to get around and where to stay, when to go, and being in the right shape.

Thanks to Karen Walker of Ryder Walker Alpine Adventures for sharing her knowledge about Swiss hiking with us!