The hardest hikes in Switzerland, by the numbers
Of the 270 trails in Switzerland in our dataset, 40 (15 percent) rate strenuous or very strenuous on the gain-and-distance scale we use and run 3 to 30 miles with at least 1,500 ft of climb; these are the 25 with the highest rating.
Tour des Dents Blanches leads with 10,804 ft of gain over 18.6 miles, 581 ft per mile, with a steepest pitch of 88 percent.
Across the 25, gain runs from 2,449 to 10,804 ft and distance from 4.6 miles to 18.6 miles; the median gain is 4,239 ft and the median distance 9.6 miles.
22 of the 25 are point-to-point routes; the rest are loop (2) or out-and-back (1).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tour des Dents Blanches | 18.6 | 10,804 | 581 | 88% | 4,522 to 8,363 | 634 | |
| 2 | Aletsch Panoramaweg | 17 | 4,723 | 278 | 49% | 5,058 to 8,148 | 400.7 | |
| 3 | Via Alpina | 12.7 | 6,133 | 483 | 58% | 2,637 to 8,463 | 394.7 | |
| 4 | Tour Monte Rosa | 12.5 | 5,142 | 411 | 45% | 5,352 to 7,693 | 358.5 | |
| 5 | Via Alpina | 13.3 | 4,452 | 335 | 30% | 1,958 to 6,410 | 344.1 | |
| 6 | 03-Sentiero Cristallina | 9.7 | 5,232 | 539 | 33% | 3,768 to 8,417 | 318.6 | |
| 7 | Via Alpina | 9.6 | 5,240 | 546 | 67% | 3,839 to 9,036 | 317.2 | |
| 8 | Via Alpina Red R104 | 11.6 | 4,239 | 365 | 83% | 3,859 to 7,577 | 313.6 | |
| 9 | Tour Monte Rosa | 11.7 | 4,146 | 354 | 45% | 5,468 to 9,309 | 311.5 | |
| 10 | Tour Monte Rosa | 9.4 | 5,038 | 536 | 66% | 4,328 to 7,623 | 307.8 | |
| 11 | 05-Tour pédestre du Val d'Hérens | 7.8 | 5,607 | 719 | 41% | 4,220 to 9,755 | 295.8 | |
| 12 | Valle Verzasca TrailTicino | 15.1 | 2,878 | 191 | 39% | 1,596 to 3,039 | 294.8 | |
| 13 | 04-Tour pédestre du Val d'Hérens | 7.7 | 5,626 | 731 | 53% | 5,507 to 9,744 | 294.3 | |
| 14 | 02-Sentiero Cristallina | 7.4 | 5,585 | 755 | 47% | 3,082 to 8,417 | 287.5 | |
| 15 | Via Alpina | 9.4 | 4,197 | 446 | 70% | 3,843 to 7,755 | 280.9 | |
| 16 | 02-Tour pédestre du Val d'Hérens | 9.9 | 3,631 | 367 | 60% | 6,636 to 9,508 | 268.1 | |
| 17 | 19-Alpenpässe-Weg | 10.3 | 3,079 | 299 | 27% | 5,106 to 7,458 | 251.8 | |
| 18 | 01-Lötschberg Panoramaweg | 11.4 | 2,761 | 242 | 40% | 3,052 to 5,186 | 250.9 | |
| 19 | Cimetta TrailTicino | 8 | 3,804 | 476 | 51% | 2,404 to 6,066 | 246.7 | |
| 20 | 03-Lötschberg Panoramaweg | 6.4 | 3,767 | 589 | 46% | 5,036 to 8,836 | 219.6 | |
| 21 | Via Alpina | 8.2 | 2,940 | 359 | 36% | 3,499 to 6,375 | 219.6 | |
| 22 | Pilatus Mountain / Pilatus KulmLucerne Pilatus | 4.6 | 5,191 | 1,128 | 66% | 1,488 to 6,667 | 218.5 | |
| 23 | Lauterbrunnen Valley TraverseBern | 7 | 3,358 | 480 | 68% | 2,585 to 5,428 | 216.8 | |
| 24 | Grindelwald - Kleine ScheideggBern | 6.4 | 3,649 | 570 | 35% | 3,103 to 6,751 | 216.1 | |
| 25 | Tour du Lac des Toules | 8.8 | 2,449 | 278 | 40% | 5,276 to 7,554 | 207.6 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band strenuous (150 to 200) or very strenuous (200 and over), 3 to 30 miles, at least 1,500 ft of gain, ordered by rating desc, gain per mile desc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "Switzerland" here means the 270 trails in Switzerland in our dataset, not every trail in Switzerland.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with Tour des Dents Blanches.
Hardest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other countries in our dataset.