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Trekking in the Silvretta and Ratikon Alps

Tour of the Silvretta, the Prattigauer Hohenweg and the Ratikon Hohenweg plus 12 day routes

This guide describes three treks, between 5 and 8 days, in the Silvretta and Rätikon Alps starting near Klosters, and 12 half-day hut-to-hut routes. These contrasting ranges form a line on the borders of Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein. The Tour of the Silvretta, the Prättigauer Höhenweg and the Rätikon Höhenweg.

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Quick facts

  • Location: Switzerland, Austria, and Liechtenstein – the Silvretta and Rätikon Alps
  • Treks covered: 3 hut-to-hut treks of 5–7 days; 12 additional hut-to-hut day routes (3–11km/2–7 miles; 2–5 hours)
  • Trek 1: Tour of the Silvretta Alps – 90km (56 miles); challenging; several remote and demanding high passes; suitable for experienced trekkers
  • Trek 2: Prättigauer Höhenweg – 59km (37 miles); moderate; 5 days starting and finishing near Klosters
  • Trek 3: Rätikon Höhenweg – 65km (40 miles); moderate; 7 days traversing the dramatic limestone ridges of the Rätikon
  • Difficulty: No technical difficulty under normal summer conditions; Tour of the Silvretta challenging and remote; Prättigauer and Rätikon Höhenwegs moderate; all routes require some alpine experience
  • Key centres: Klosters, Lavin, St Antönien, Nenzinger Himmel, Brand
  • Highlights: Piz Buin, Piz Linard, Dreiländerspitz, Schesaplana, Sulzfluh, Drusenfluh, Vereina Pass, Furcletta, Pass Futschöl, villages of Lavin, Guarda, and St Antönien
  • Navigation/mapping: Sketch maps included for all routes; Kümmerly and Frey Wanderkarte, DAV Alpenvereinskarte 26 Silvrettagruppe, and Schesaplana Wanderkarte recommended for on-the-ground navigation
  • Accommodation & logistics: Detailed information on mountain huts and their facilities, transport, and practical planning advice
  • Best time to go: Late June to end of September when high passes are snow-free and all huts are open

Detailed overview

Trek through the Silvretta and Rätikon Alps and discover two of the most rewarding and contrasting mountain ranges on the borders of Switzerland, Austria, and Liechtenstein, where the snowfields and glaciers of the Silvretta give way to the dramatic limestone ridges and grandeur of the Rätikon. Easily accessible from the Swiss resort of Klosters, this is a corner of the Alps that rewards the adventurous trekker with outstanding scenery and a genuine sense of remoteness far from the crowds.

Suitable for trekkers with some alpine experience, this comprehensive Cicerone guidebook describes three hut-to-hut treks of 5 to 7 days and 12 additional hut-to-hut day routes across the Silvretta and Rätikon Alps. The treks cover the Tour of the Silvretta (90km/56 miles), the Prättigauer Höhenweg (59km/37 miles), and the Rätikon Höhenweg (65km/40 miles), with day routes ranging from 3 to 11km (2–7 miles) and taking 2–5 hours to complete.

Choose from three contrasting hut-to-hut treks of 5 to 7 days across the Silvretta and Rätikon Alps, from the challenging and remote Tour of the Silvretta with its high glacial passes to the moderate Prättigauer Höhenweg and the spectacular Rätikon Höhenweg traversing the dramatic limestone ridges above Brand and St Antönien.
Extend your time in the mountains with 12 additional hut-to-hut day routes of 3 to 11km, taking in some of the finest high mountain terrain in the Silvretta and Rätikon, including routes between the Wiesbadener, Tilisuna, Carschina, Schesaplana, and Douglass Huts.
Discover the highlights of the Silvretta and Rätikon Alps, including the iconic summit of Piz Buin, the Vereina Pass and the Furcletta, the dramatic peaks of Schesaplana, Sulzfluh, and Drusenfluh, and the charming villages of Lavin, Guarda, and St Antönien along the way.
Navigate every route with confidence using sketch maps included for all routes, with detailed guidance on the recommended Kümmerly and Frey, DAV Alpenvereinskarte, and Schesaplana Wanderkarte map sheets covering the full area.
Prepare thoroughly for trekking in the Silvretta and Rätikon Alps with comprehensive practical information on mountain huts and their facilities, transport to and from Klosters, clothing and equipment, mountain safety, wildlife, and alpine flowers throughout the region.
Plan your visit for the best conditions, with the treks best tackled from late June to the end of September when the high passes are clear of snow, and all mountain huts are open.


Explore the huts, passes, and peaks of the Silvretta and Rätikon Alps with confidence using this trusted Cicerone guidebook. From the glaciers of Piz Buin to the limestone ridges above Brand, this is the essential companion for hut-to-hut trekking in one of the Alps' most rewarding and least-visited border regions.

Where and when to go

Seasons

When snow has melted from the high passes and all the huts are open, the treks are best tackled from late June until the end of September.

Centres

Since these are multi-day routes there are no bases as such, but the treks either bein at, or pass through, Klosters, Lavin, St Antönien, Nenzinger Himmel and Brand.

Difficulty

No technical difficulty or special equipment will be required to tackle these routes under normal summer conditions, but the 7-8 day Tour of the Silvretta has several challenging and remote passes to cross and is suitable for experienced trekkers. The 5-day Prättigauer Höhenweg and 7-8 day Rätikon Höhenweg are both moderate.

Must See

Three great trekking routes among such peaks as Piz Buin, Piz Linard, Dreiländerspitz, Schesaplana, Sulzfluh and Drusenfluh, crossing the Vereina Pass, Furcletta, Pass Futschöl, Hochmaderer Joch, Gross Furgga, Verajöchl and Plasseggenpass, and visiting villages like Lavin, Guarda and St Antönien. The Silvretta has snowfields and glaciers, the Rätikon is limestone and almost dolomitic in grandeur.

Table of contents

Introduction

The Silvretta and Rätikon Alps
Trek Outlines
When to Go
Getting There
Accommodation
Notes for Walkers
Clothing and Equipment
Recommended Maps
Safety in the Mountains
Wildlife and Alpine Flowers
Using the Guide
Information at a Glance

The Treks

Trek 1: A Tour of the Silvretta Alps

Prelude: Klosters Platz to Berghaus Vereina
Stage 1: Berghaus Vereina to Lavin
Stage 2: Lavin to Chamanna Tuoi
Stage 3: Chamanna Tuoi to the Jamtal Hut
Stage 4: Jamtal Hut to the Wiesbadener Hut
Stage 4a: Jamtal Hut to the Bielerhöhe
Stage 5: Wiesbadener Hut (or Bielerhöhe) to the Tübinger Hut
Stage 6: Tübinger Hut to Klosters Platz
Stage 6a: Tübinger Hut to Schlappin
Stage 6b: Schlappin to Klosters Dorf

Trek 2: The Prättigauer Höhenweg

Stage 1: Klosters Platz to Schlappin
Stage 2: Schlappin to St Antönien
Stage 3: St Antönien to the Carschina Hut
Stage 4: Carschina Hut to the Schesaplana Hut
Stage 5: Carschina Hut to Seewis

Trek 3: The Rätikon Höhenweg

Stage 1: St Antönien to the Carschina Hut
Stage 2: Carschina Hut to the Schesaplana Hut
Stage 3: Schesaplana Hut to Nenzinger Himmel
Stage 4: Nenzinger Himmel to the Douglass Hut
Stage 5: Douglass Hut to the Lindauer Hut
Stage 6: Lindauer Hut to the Tilisuna Hut
Stage 7: Tilisuna Hut to St Antönien

Hut to Hut

Route 1: Wiesbadener Hut - Rote Furka - Silvretta Hut
Route 2: Wiesbadener Hut - Litzner Sattel - Saarbrucker Hut
Route 3: Saarbrucker Hut - Schweizerlücke - Plattenjoch - Seetal Hut
Route 4: Schlappin - Schlappiner Joch - Gargellen
Route 5: St Antönien - Tilisunafürggli - Tilisuna Hut
Route 6: Tilisuna Hut - Plasseggenpass - Sarotla Joch - Gargellen
Route 7: Tilisuna Hut - Tilisunafürggli - Carschina Hut
Route 8: Carschina Hut - Drusator - Lindauer Hut
Route 9: Douglass Hut - Lünerkrinne - Heinrich-Hueter Hut
Route 10: Douglass Hut - Cavelljoch - Schesaplana Hut
Route 11: Douglass Hut - Totalp Hut
Route 12 Totalp Hut - Gamsluggen - Schesaplana Hut

The Huts

Appendix A Useful Contacts
Appendix B Language Notes and lossary
Appendix C Further Reading

Index

Which format is best for me?

Printed book

A guidebook with detailed route descriptions, stage breakdowns, accommodation listings, profiles and maps — everything you need on the trail.

ISBN9781852846961
AvailabilityPublished
Published16 April 2014
Pages208
Weight 230g

eBook

The complete digital edition of the guidebook, with full route descriptions, accommodation listings, profiles and maps, ready to use on any device.

Updates

  1. Updated

    Updates

    Hut to Hut Routes:

    Route 3: Due to glacial shrinkage great caution is advised in the guidebook for the crossing from the Saarbrucker Hut to the Seetal Hut via the Plattenjoch. There is now the additional hazard of rockfall, causing the DAV to effectively close the route. A new alternative route directs walkers and climbers across the Seelücke. No further details available. With thanks to Richard Rutz for this information)

    May 2019

    Please note that the Totalp Hut used on the ascent of Schesaplana as a side trip from the Rätikon Höhenweg, and on Routes 11 and 12 in the Hut to Hut section of the book, has been destroyed by avalanche and will therefore be out of use until it can be rebuilt.

    Aug 2018

    page 63: Please note there is a small shop attached to the hotel/restaurant at the eastern end of the Bielerhöhe

    page 65: The route to the Tübinger Hut is now signed from the track/dirt road you join after crossing the Kromer Bach. Walk up the track for about 20m where you will then find waymarks on the right.

    page 126: Brand has an ATM if you’re running short of cash.

    May 2014

    Since this guide went to print, the following website addresses have changed:

    INTRODUCTIONWhen to go

    www.meteoschweiz.ch/en has changed to www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/web/en.html

    TREK 1Stage 2 Lavin to Chamanna Tuoi

    www.engadin.net/guarda has changed to www.engadine.com/guarda

    TREK 2

    www.st-antonien.ch has changed to www.st-antoenien.ch

    Appendix C

    www.engadin.net/guarda has changed to www.engadine.com/guarda

    www.st-antonien.ch has changed to www.st-antoenien.ch

Meet the author

A lifelong passion for the countryside in general, and mountains in particular, drove Kev's desire to share his sense of wonder and delight in the natural world through his writing, guiding, photography and lecturing. Spending several months every year in various high-mountain regions researching guidebooks made him The Man with the World's Best Job.

Kev enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Cicerone from the 1970s, producing 50 books, including guides to five major trekking regions of Nepal and to numerous routes in the European Alps and Pyrenees, as well as walking guides for Kent, Sussex and the Cotswolds. 'A Walk in the Clouds' is a collection of autobiographical short stories recording 50 years of mountain travel and adventures. He was also the contributing editor of the collaborative guide 'Trekking in the Himalaya' and Cicerone's celebratory anniversary compilation 'Fifty Years of Adventure'.

A frequent contributor to outdoor magazines, Kev also wrote and illustrated brochures for national tourist authorities and travel companies. When not away in the mountains, Kev lived with his wife in a small cottage among what he called 'the Kentish Alps', with unrestricted walking country on the doorstep. But he also travelled throughout Britain during the winter months to share his love of the places he wrote about through a series of lectures.

Sadly, Kev passed away in 2021. He will be remembered fondly by all who knew him and by many more he inspired through his writing and talks.