The Alpine Pass Route
Web links
- schweizmobil.ch - information on the Via Alpina including a map, brief descriptions of the stages, and nice profile charts of each stage as pdf. Just ignore the first bit from Gaflei to Sargans.
- via-alpina.org - information about several routes across the alps, including a green route which overlaps to some extent with the Alpine Pass Route. Also lets you create your own pdf guide (select sections C3a to C14 for Sargans to Lenk).
- Stephen Rabone - covers it all including a personal step-by-step description of the APR, photos, links and many questions from readers (and their answers). Well worth a look.
Nigel Unlimited (Nbfenn) - brief descriptions of the route from Altdorf to Montreux at a determined pace - a 12-day experience of tiredness, blisters, and camping in the wet and cold.- Ken Baldry - this knowledgeable hiker took over 20 years to research the route, and it shows - an overwhelming variety of options are covered in detail including photos.
- wandersite.ch - includes a host of links and comments in German/English, mostly plagiarised from other sites but a good collection.
Innocents Abroad @ perfectlikeness.com - selected impressions and great photos (now unfortunately removed).- sdkay - brief details about taking on the APR in the opposite direction, from Leysin to Altdorf, including some useful camping information
and lots of photos (now removed).
- Robin Hogan - photos and a route map of a similar route from Engelberg to Gstaad.
- Cam B. - lots of great photos from the APR, with short caption and comments available by clicking for an enlargement.
- Debbie Urbanski - beautiful descriptive writing
and plenty of good photos, covering parts of the APR between Engelberg and Griesalp.
- Pauline Hikes - not just the "Green" version of the Via Alpina, but also a selection of stages from the other colours too. Currently covering from Sargans to Linthal but continuously being updated.
Books
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The Lonely Planet guidebook "Walking in Switzerland" (2001) covers
the Alpine Pass Route as part of a comprehensive walking guide. Because it's a general guide, rather than just covering the APR, there is a lot of
awkward flicking backwards and forwards between the sections, but the descriptions are clear and the maps detailed.
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Cicerone Press has a guide (2004) especially for the Alpine Pass Route, whose author, Kev Reynolds, has achieved something of a cult status
among his fans. His books are authoritative and well-written, but this version is from 2004 and therefore somewhat outdated.
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This updated "Kev Reynolds" book is from 2017 but wasn't actually researched on the ground by Kev himself, so it's strange that he's shown as the sole author. It's an important update though with the new "Via Alpina" signposting and alternative stages.
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This extremely slim volume (generously stated as 72 pages) seems ridiculously overpriced at 20 Euros, and the reviews indicate that it has very little useful information inside.
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A while ago I was getting enthusiastic about the idea of compiling the information from this website (along with more photos, better diagrams and detailed maps) into a self-published book or booklet for sale. But after appealing for interest here over the last 18 months it seems there aren't anywhere near enough potential purchasers to make it worthwhile. Shame.
More Swissness
If you found any of that useful, you may also be interested in trying some more Swiss hiking, either
Day Hikes in Switzerland or Multi-day Hikes in Switzerland, or for
more snowy action you can see Snowboarding in Switzerland as well.
