Camping along Via Alpina in Switzerland

Hi Justin,
I would not plan out camping spots on the map ( not sure that is really possible in this case).
Hard to say which farmers will dislike German speakers more than English speakers :)
I am a Swiss native and speak one of the dialects, plus High German; some of the other dialects are very difficult for me to understand. If you speak German they will understand you but you are correct that it may be difficult for you to understand their version of High German. Try and not take it personal if they are somewhat rude; Swiss mountain folk are a gruff people and some do not even warm up to city people in their own Canton. I have come across all kinds….but it helps to be humble and show that you are trying and given your post I think you will do fine.
Have a great time.

Hi Justin

We camped some of the route a few years ago. But sometimes the weather sent us indoors, and sometimes stopping in a town gave less choice. But they often have a camping place in town.

Above 2,500 m camping is permitted. Below that – well, ask or be discrete. Out of sight in the forest is smart. But do NOT light fires! That WILL get them unhappy.

Um – you will need a GOOD tent if you want to camp high. The weather can change.

We met some very nice locals on our trip. Be polite, and they will be polite, and helpful. The other 'tourists' were often the bigger problem. We met a cheesemaker way up in the pastures once – he was great.

Gas canisters – most towns. Not a problem.

Language – sometimes English seemed to be the second language – rather than the language used over the the 'other side' of the mountains. Chuckle.

Thanks for your replies!

And Roger, when you say it's allowed to camp above 2,500 m was that an estimate or a typo? Because there's only two points on the whole trail that are above 2500 m (Sefinenfurgge and Hohtürli, both of which are stated to be protected areas/no-camping zones). The pamphlet I read didn't mention an elevation, just that above the tree line is usually okay.

We were planning to camp at least the first two nights on/near Foo pass and Richetli pass and see how it goes after those.

Tent+footprint situation is good. I should be able to get weather reports daily but am prepared for a whole lot of rain (spent two months in the south island of NZ last year)

Thanks again

Hi Justin

That was from memory, but I may be wrong. It may apply to other countries.

I checked in my Cicerone Alpine Pass Route guidebook (highly recommended), and all it said was that off-site camping is officially prohibited in Switzerland. However, as far as I understand things, that refers more to CAR camping. What you want to do is usually called bivouacing (just for one night), and you can usually get away with it if you are discrete. Asking never hurts.

You will often find a small camping area in towns – they have hot showers and toilets! They often have food kiosks which can sell you what you need for dinner. I do remember buying the bits for dinner at one campsite, then going back and buying two glasses of red wine as well. The guy provided the wine in a small jug and two glasses. Couth!

You can also often camp outside the Refuges up in the mountains, IF you buy a few drinks or dinner. Just ask. they are used to it.

Reality: Switzerland is VERY VERY popular for walkers, the Swiss are very experienced hosts, and trying to rough it is just wasted effort.

Cheers

Thanks! I know the mountain huts and refuges are some of the best in the world, I just from experience enjoy the solitude more. It's nice to create my own space in a area that's not so desolate.

Two more questions:
1) How often are there designated camping areas in towns? Most likely not in the smaller ones?

2) Thunderstorms. I've heard that these usually hit around late afternoon. On the days we plan to camp higher up on the passes, we probably won't get there till later in the day since we'll be hiking 20-30 km/day. Just wondering in general if these are frequent, and indeed confined to afternoon. This will actually be my first time camping in such an exposed area. I've done mountain huts and camping high up in New Zealand before, but not on the mountain passes

Hi Justin

> How often are there designated camping areas in towns?
Quite often.
The thing to remember is that the Swiss have many hundreds of years experience (literally) at hosting visitors to their mountains. Really! Tourism is a really BIG industry. We used to be concerned about walking into a hotel in a town in our wet muddy gear – until we realised that 3/4 of the other people there were also walkers.
If you can't see a camping place, just ask at a shop.

> Thunderstorms.
They happen, but our experience so far has been that the hype is a little bigger than the reality. I am led to believe that some years are worse than others, and that late in the season may also be worse. We have had heavy rain a few times, for sure, but full blown donner und blitzen – nope.

> This will actually be my first time camping in such an exposed area.
Good tent stakes! We take enough Ti wires for all guys – they DO hold well in the alpine areas, plus a few long tube stakes for the critical corners. look for the prevailing wind when pitching.

Be pepared to stay in a Refuge if the weather is bad: you'll enjoy them.

Cheers

> Good tent stakes! We take enough Ti wires for all guys – they DO hold well in the alpine areas, plus a few long tube stakes for the critical corners. look for the prevailing wind when pitching.

I actually do have Titanium stakes from my time in New Zealand. It was probably overkill for most of the situations I was in, but glad to have them for Switzerland!

> Be pepared to stay in a Refuge if the weather is bad: you'll enjoy them.

Refuge = mountain hut? Most of these seem to occur further west on the trail and not all too frequently. I have the official trail guide from the Swiss Hiking Federation and they don't seem to show any until after Meiringen and Grindelwald.

Thanks!

You can walk the SAR without a tent. People do.

Step 1: buy the Cicerone guide to the Alpine Pass Route by Kev Reynolds. It has everything you need to know, including shops, Refuges and hotels, with their phone numbers and operating dates! Seriously.

Cheers