A guidebook to 3 trekking routes and 12 day walks in the Silvretta and Rätikon Alps. Exploring the border regions of Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein, the routes are suitable for trekkers with some Alpine experience.

The hut-to-hut day walks range from 3 to 11km (2–7 miles) in length and can be enjoyed in 2–5 hours. The treks range from 5 to 7 days and include the Tour of the Silvretta (90km, 56 miles), the Prättigauer Höhenweg (59km, 37 miles) and the Rätikon Höhenweg (65km, 40 miles).

• Sketch mapping is included
• Detailed information on mountain huts and transport
• Advice on planning and preparation
• Easy access from Klosters
• Highlights include Piz Buin

Mountain safety

Map key

Overview maps

Introduction

Trek outlines

Linking all three treks

Hut-to-hut routes

Wildlife and alpine flowers

When to go

Getting there

Accommodation

Notes for walkers

Clothing and equipment

Recommended maps

Safety in the mountains

Using this guide

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 Schesaplana Hut to Seewis

Trek 3: The Rätikon Höhenweg

Stage 1 St Antönien to the Carschina Hut

Stage 1a St Antönien to the Carschina Hut via Partnun

Stage 2 Carschina Hut to the Schesaplana Hut

Stage 3 Schesaplana Hut to Nenzinger Himmel

Stage 4 Nenzinger Himmel to the Douglass Hut (or Brand)

Side trip Ascent of the Schesaplana

Stage 5 Douglass Hut to the Lindauer Hut

Stage 6 Lindauer Hut to the Tilisuna Hut

Side trip Ascent of the Sulzfluh

Stage 7 Tilisuna Hut to St Antönien

Hut-to-Hut routes

Route 1 Wiesbadener Hut – Rote Furka – Silvretta Hut

Route 2 Wiesbadener Hut – Litzner Sattel – Saarbrücker Hut

Route 3 Saarbrücker 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

Appendix A Route summary table

Appendix B The huts

Appendix C Useful contacts

Appendix D Language notes and glossary

Appendix E Further reading

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.

All but a very small section of the Tour of the Silvretta Alps is found on the Kümmerley + Frey Wanderkarte, Unterengadin (Engiadina Bassa) map at 1:60,000 scale. The only section missing includes Klosters and Monbiel at the start and finish of the trek, but this is covered by the same publisher’s Prättigau-Albula sheet. Trails and huts are clearly marked in red on both maps, whose scale should be perfectly adequate for most occasions. Should you require greater detail, the DAV has produced an excellent 1:25,000 sheet covering all the Austrian side of the Silvretta, as well as a good proportion of the Swiss flank, under the heading Alpenvereinskarte 26 Silvrettagruppe.

Kümmerley + Frey’s Prättigau-Albula not only overlaps a section of the Tour of the Silvretta, it’s also ideal for trekkers following the Prättigauer Höhenweg where the whole route is covered.

The same sheet (Prättigau-Albula) includes all of the Rätikon Höhenweg, although if you plan to approach Nenzinger Himmel or Brand from the north, you will need an Austrian map such as Freytag & Berndt’s 1:50,000 scale WK374 which covers the Austrian flank of the Rätikon and Silvretta Alps as far east as the Fimbertal.

Available locally, a very fine map at a scale of 1:40,000 with the title Schesaplana Wanderkarte shows all the huts and footpaths highlighted in red (the Prättigauer Höhenweg is marked in green). On the reverse is a depiction of the main footpaths with estimated walking times between selected points. This sheet includes the whole of the Prättigauer Höhenweg trek and that of the Rätikon Höhenweg, but does not extend into the Silvretta range.

August 2019

Updates

Free Royal Mail 48 postage on UK orders. European postage is £3.50 per item. Worldwide postage is £5.50 per item. If you're not happy with your purchase for any reason, we'll give you a full refund.