Is This the Ultimate 10-Day Hiking Trip in the Alps?
In this video, I will summarize
my most recent hiking trip to the central Alps. I completed this hiking trip
last June. And actually most of the videos, the long format videos, both hiking
and scenic drive videos from the trip are already uploaded to YouTube and most of
them are already available for you to watch at this moment and the remaining few will be
available in the next couple of weeks or so. So in this video I will just provide the overview
of the trip listing the things I did and try to remember if there was anything else interesting
worth sharing with you. Maybe I will share with you my current location. So once again we are in
the Mount Eitan area. So this is a mountain in the western outskirts of Jerusalem. And
there used to be an old settlement here, an ancient settlement dating back to the Bronze
Age. And this settlement was one of the major agriculture settlements that were providing the
old city of Jerusalem and other nearby villages with their food supply. So the hiking trip to the
central Alps was 11 days long where the last day was primarily dedicated for commuting back from
the Mont Blanc, the Italian side of the Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) back to Zurich, but then I had 10 days to enjoy the the
area. So it was early June this year and the weather was reasonable for the larger part but
there were a few days where it was a bit rainy and that kind of required making some adaptations
to my hiking plans. So I arrived at Zurich late morning, met with a friend of mine from the
time that I worked in the University of Illinois and we went out for a couple of restaurants
and pastry places enjoying the local food. Later that day at the afternoon I left from
Zurich driving to Liechtenstein. It’s about 2.5 hours drive (it was actually less than 2 hours) and then I had couple
of hours enjoying the evening in Liechtenstein just driving around and exploring the
town where I was staying. The next day, the second day of the trip, I had the
entire day in Liechtenstein. So I went for a fairly long hike. I think that it
was about 18 km long, about 11-12 miles. After completing the hike, I had few more hours
of daylight left. So I drove the car and explored the villages in Liechtenstein. It’s fairly small.
It’s not a small town. It’s small country. It’s quite easy to drive through all the major parts
of the country within few hours. Nothing more. In the morning of the third day, I still stayed
in Liechtenstein exploring other parts of the country that I haven’t had the opportunity to explore in
the second day. And that included taking a walk around Burg Gutenberg, which is a small castle on the
top of a hill with some uh vines uh surrounding it. And after that walk, I started driving
from Liechtenstein to St. Moritz in South Switzerland. After arriving to St. Moritz, I had few more hours
of daylight. So I took a walk around the alpine lakes in that area. The next morning it was
raining and it continued raining until the early afternoon. So I had to make some adjustments for
my plan. So instead of the planned hike, I hiked to the Morteratsch, and I’m probably mispronouncing it,
Glacier nearby. So this is also a kind of a nice it wasn’t that much of a a challenging hike
for the larger part. It’s a paved trail with just little bit of scrambling towards the end
when getting closer to the glacier and the part of the trail that was only more recently
exposed after the glacier was receding. In the 5th day, instead of leaving St.
Moritz early in the morning to Lake Como, I did longer hike that I was planning to
do the day before. So that was kind of a longer loop hike with some panoramic views to
the nearby mountains and the alpine lakes And after completing that hike, I spent the
afternoon driving from St. Moritz to Lake Como via the Maloja Pass. And unlike the weather during
the hike earlier that morning, the weather during the drive from St. Moritz to Lake Como was
less than amazing and it started raining. I started the 6th day by driving from Lake Como
to Val Grande. that required me crossing the border from Italy back into Switzerland and
then leaving Switzerland back into Italy. I mean, there are other ways, other routes, I could have
taken but that was the shortest route actually involved crossing the border twice from Italy
to Switzerland and then back from Switzerland to Italy and then arriving to Val Grande. I was
planning to do quite a long hike, a decent hike there, but because of the weather, because of
the rain, I decided to cut that hike short. And then the rest of the evening
that day I spend in Domodossola where I also stay the night which is kind of a nice
village with a very nice historic district. The morning of the 7th day, I drove from
Domodossola to Ala Valsesia in northern Italy. So, this is a a valley and a natural
preserve on the border between North Italy and Switzerland.
It’s not far from Mount Rosa, which is one of the tallest peaks in the
Alps and also not very far from the Matterhorn. Let me show you around here. This entire area
is covered in this younger pine trees. So these are just couple of years old pine trees and
it’s nice to see that the forest is recovering from the wildfire that was here couple of
years ago. Might have been two years ago, maybe three years ago. It was definitely
after COVID and we can see that there are now many pine trees where there
were more mature trees once. So, who knows? Maybe in my lifetime this part of the
forest will recover. But this may be a topic for another video about the changing landscape. In
many places where I travel, things are changing. Nice. This entire area is recovering. Few
years ago it was quite hard running and hiking here because the ground
was still covered with ash. Back to the Alps. The 8th day the entire morning
and early afternoon still spending it in Alta Valsesia going for a longer hike there.
and enjoying the somewhat better weather compared to what was in the previous day where
much of the views were obscured by clouds. The afternoon of the 8 day
was dedicated for driving from Alta Valsesia in Italy back to
Switzerland. To Zermatt in Switzerland. Zermatt is the gateway to the Matterhorn. And
actually I drove into Täsch which I think that I’m pronouncing it correctly. Täsch which
is a a town located further a bit further north few kilometers further north because you
cannot drive into Zermatt by car. The next day, the 9th day, I hiked the Matterhorn trail and
the weather once again was less than brilliant. The next day, the next morning, the 10th
day of the trip, I drove from Switzerland, from Täsch, from the Matterhorn area to the Italian
Mont Blanc area via the Grand San Bernard mountain pass. So that was kind of taking
the longer route but a more scenic route. And I arrived at the Italian aside of
the Mont Blanc in the early afternoon, which left me with enough time for a short hike. And I spent the rest of the evening
of the 10th day in Courmayeur and also stayed the night there. And then the next morning, the last day of the trip, I drove back
all the way from Courmayeur to Zurich. So, I believe that this concludes the overview
of the trip to the central Alps. And if there are any suggestions, comments or things that
you would like to share uh traveling perhaps the same locations and uh suggesting maybe some
alternative locations to visit in that area. I will be happy if you will share those ideas in
the comments. You’re also most welcome to uh like and subscribe. And of course, you should take
a look at the long format videos from this trip, which include both full length silent hiking
videos and full length scenic drive videos.
Central Alps Hiking Trip, June 2025, Summary and Tips. The full videos from the trip:
Scenic Drive from Zurich to Liechtenstein: https://youtu.be/a3tpzAxU4xA
Silent Hiking the Malbun–Pfälzerhütte Loop | Alpine Route via Augstenberg Liechtenstein: https://youtu.be/yju3wCEcja0
Scenic Drive Through Liechtenstein: https://youtu.be/AwK9dUuMwhI
Scenic Walk Around Burg Gutenberg & Through Vaduz Town Center, Liechtenstein: https://youtu.be/chScta3aY8U
Scenic Drive from Liechtenstein to St. Moritz via Albula Pass, and on to Maloja Pass: https://youtu.be/lOPRkrGLIgw
Scenic Walk the Alpine Lakes Loop, St. Moritz: https://youtu.be/Fnpqhla8pMM
Scenic Drive via Maloja Pass and St. Moritz Alpine Lakes: https://youtu.be/7fi4ZDjfsVg
Silent Hiking to the Morteratsch Glacier, St. Moritz, Swiss Alps: https://youtu.be/L_aiBuIIWeI
Scenic Drive from St. Moritz to Lake Como via Maloja Pass: https://youtu.be/5WzVdAceuno
Silent Hiking the Pontresina – Muottas Muragl – Alp Languard Loop | St. Moritz, Swiss Alps: https://youtu.be/O-CyDKV1i8Q
Scenic Drive from Lake Como to Val Grande National Park via Switzerland: https://youtu.be/u8QPyS1dEk4
Silent Hiking Val Grande in Northern Italy: https://youtu.be/8ezApngJX6U
Scenic Drive from Domodossola to Alta Valsesia: https://youtu.be/Xf9SVJvTNi0
Silent Hiking the Italian Alps | Cascata dell’Acqua Bianca Loop | Alta Valsesia & Alta Val Strona: https://youtu.be/6wHoH-cQ2U0
Solo Hiking the Italian Alps | Alpe Safeiaz – Rifugio Ferrero – Alp Fonflua – Alp Brunne Loop: https://youtu.be/_CfDZgsEjS0
Scenic Drive from Alta Valsesia Nature Reserve to Zermatt Switzerland via Simplon Pass: https://youtu.be/fhTDDPhOIxg
Silent Hiking the Matterhorn Trail, the Swiss Alps | Zermatt to Schönbiel Hut: https://youtu.be/hzJGaopOIDk
Car-Free Mountain Village | Zermatt, Switzerland: https://youtu.be/cQfApjyv1-c
Silent Hiking the Matterhorn Trail Descent to Zermatt | Glaciers and Wildlife Views: https://youtu.be/8wRq9Hfee4U
Scenic Drive from the Matterhorn to the Italian Mont Blanc via the Great St. Bernard Pass: https://youtu.be/SFksMHX1ZLw
Silent Hiking the Italian Mont Blanc Massif | Lavachey–Walter Bonatti Refuge–Arminaz Loop: https://youtu.be/LThbgxDOr7I
Producing such videos takes much effort. You can support this channel at:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/rubihammer
and download the original music tracks at:
https://rubihammer.bandcamp.com/
Primary hiking gear used in this trip (Amazon affiliate links):
* Garmin inReach Mini 2, Compact Satellite Communicator, https://amzn.to/3N2R4aC
* Black Diamond Z-folding Carbon Trekking Poles, https://amzn.to/3R3iUVt
* Salomon Advanced Skin 12L Trail Running Vest Backpack: https://amzn.to/3uG0gcT
* Salomon Advanced Skin 15L Trail Running Vest Backpack, https://amzn.to/3uG0gcT
* Outdoor Research Activeice Sun Gloves, https://amzn.to/3WXTE8u
Gear used for this video marked with **
Video recording gear used in this trip (Amazon affiliate links):
* DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, https://amzn.to/48U0HTF
* Secondary action camera: DJI Osmo Action 4 Adventure Combo, https://amzn.to/3yulRJP
* DJI Osmo Action Freewell 6Pack ND filters, https://amzn.to/4bvPr06
* DJI Osmo Action Extreme Batteries, https://amzn.to/3Vbcrf6
* DJI Osmo Action Extreme Batteries Plus, https://amzn.to/4fVPbJT
* GoPro Performance Chest Mount, https://amzn.to/3NT2Gim
————————————–
* DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo, https://amzn.to/3WTH9uO
* Freewell 14Pack Filter Kit for Osmo Pocket 3, https://amzn.to/3ywE3m8
————————————–
* DJI Mic 2 Wireless Microphone, https://amzn.to/3WUModI
* DJI Mic Mini Wireless Microphone, https://amzn.to/45oxTmD
————————————–
* DJI Mini 3 Pro Drone Fly More Combo, https://amzn.to/3eY5efL
* Freewell ND filters for DJI Mini 3 Pro drone, https://amzn.to/3KWTAQn
* DJI Mini 3 Pro drone protective battery bags, https://amzn.to/3WAMymL
————————————–
* Insta360 X3 – 360 degrees Action Camera, https://amzn.to/3YXjKa4
* insta360 X3 Spare Batteries, https://amzn.to/3IRefnJ
————————————–
* Samsung Pro Plus 512GB MicroSD card, https://amzn.to/3ji66hI
* SanDisk 512GB Extreme MicroSDXC card, https://amzn.to/3BPur4N
————————————–
* SmallRig filming iPhone case, https://amzn.to/3TrvhMI
* Peak Design Cuff Camera Wrist Strap, https://amzn.to/3NC4OYh
* Nitecore NB10000 Ultra-Slim 10000mAh Quick-Charge Power Bank, https://amzn.to/3xQrLoz
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links provided I may receive a small commission, but without any additional charge to you.
Original music was created by Rubi Hammer, using Udio: https://www.udio.com/
#switzerland
#italy
#liechtenstein
#hiking
#scenicdrive
#alps
1 Comment
Central Alps Hiking Trip, June 2025, Summary and Tips. The full videos from the trip:
Scenic Drive from Zurich to Liechtenstein: https://youtu.be/a3tpzAxU4xA
Silent Hiking the Malbun–Pfälzerhütte Loop | Alpine Route via Augstenberg Liechtenstein: https://youtu.be/yju3wCEcja0
Scenic Drive Through Liechtenstein: https://youtu.be/AwK9dUuMwhI
Scenic Walk Around Burg Gutenberg & Through Vaduz Town Center, Liechtenstein: https://youtu.be/chScta3aY8U
Scenic Drive from Liechtenstein to St. Moritz via Albula Pass, and on to Maloja Pass: https://youtu.be/lOPRkrGLIgw
Scenic Walk the Alpine Lakes Loop, St. Moritz: https://youtu.be/Fnpqhla8pMM
Scenic Drive via Maloja Pass and St. Moritz Alpine Lakes: https://youtu.be/7fi4ZDjfsVg
Silent Hiking to the Morteratsch Glacier, St. Moritz, Swiss Alps: https://youtu.be/L_aiBuIIWeI
Scenic Drive from St. Moritz to Lake Como via Maloja Pass: https://youtu.be/5WzVdAceuno
Silent Hiking the Pontresina – Muottas Muragl – Alp Languard Loop | St. Moritz, Swiss Alps: https://youtu.be/O-CyDKV1i8Q
Scenic Drive from Lake Como to Val Grande National Park via Switzerland: https://youtu.be/u8QPyS1dEk4
Silent Hiking Val Grande in Northern Italy: https://youtu.be/8ezApngJX6U
Scenic Drive from Domodossola to Alta Valsesia: https://youtu.be/Xf9SVJvTNi0
Silent Hiking the Italian Alps | Cascata dell'Acqua Bianca Loop | Alta Valsesia & Alta Val Strona: https://youtu.be/6wHoH-cQ2U0
Solo Hiking the Italian Alps | Alpe Safeiaz – Rifugio Ferrero – Alp Fonflua – Alp Brunne Loop: https://youtu.be/_CfDZgsEjS0
Scenic Drive from Alta Valsesia Nature Reserve to Zermatt Switzerland via Simplon Pass: https://youtu.be/fhTDDPhOIxg
Silent Hiking the Matterhorn Trail, the Swiss Alps | Zermatt to Schönbiel Hut: https://youtu.be/hzJGaopOIDk
Car-Free Mountain Village | Zermatt, Switzerland: https://youtu.be/cQfApjyv1-c
Silent Hiking the Matterhorn Trail Descent to Zermatt | Glaciers and Wildlife Views: https://youtu.be/8wRq9Hfee4U
Scenic Drive from the Matterhorn to the Italian Mont Blanc via the Great St. Bernard Pass: https://youtu.be/SFksMHX1ZLw
Silent Hiking the Italian Mont Blanc Massif | Lavachey–Walter Bonatti Refuge–Arminaz Loop: https://youtu.be/LThbgxDOr7I