VIA ALPINA: A LONG TIME COMING

As for the previous trip logs the voice you’ll read will be mine – Corky, with occasional posts from my partner in life, Hammer.  Hammer and I got married in Switzerland in 1993. Twenty years later we returned to Europe to celebrate, to reminisce and rekindle old memories and visit some new places. We experienced something of the European outdoor life culture and having followed a few European hiking bloggers at the time, we were inspired to come back for more. 

In the meantime the wilderness areas of the United States which we experienced in our 3 months touring in 2010, created a greater pull and as soon as we could carve out time, we returned to hike the Triple Crown  – the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016/2017, the Continental Divide Trail in 2019 and the Appalachian Trail in 2023.   

Fast forward to 2026. We’re older, carrying the usual collection of niggling running injuries, and acutely aware of how quickly time slips by. Tethered to our phones, it became too easy to be pulled under by the weight of global news. We needed something to hold onto — a quiet anchor, a reason to look up and remember the sheer beauty of the world. That old dream of hiking in Europe came back to us, quietly at first, then insistently. And now, with just one week until we leave, we’re finally making it real — setting out to walk the Via Alpina.

So what is the Via Alpina? From their website it is described as: 

“… a vast network of five long-distance hiking trails traversing eight Alpine countries (Monaco, France, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia). Spanning over 5,000 kilometers, the network is most famous for its challenging, 19-stage Swiss route, which crosses 14 stunning alpine passes.

The Via Alpina is a European project in which private and public participants from the eight Alpine countries grouped together, since 2000 to develop their heritage and to exchange experiences across their borders. 

While the Swiss (Green) trail gets the most attention, the full Via Alpina features five distinct color-coded trails spanning the entire Alps: 

• Red Trail: The flagship route that connects Trieste (Italy) to Monaco, spanning 161 stages across all eight Alpine countries.
• Green Trail: A 15-stage route cutting through Liechtenstein and Switzerland, emphasizing lush meadows and waterfalls.
• Blue Trail: An Italian route exploring the Maritimes and Cottian Alps.
• Purple Trail: An Austrian trail through the Eastern Alps.
• Yellow Trail: A route across the Italian and Austrian Dolomites

The Alps region is the largest natural space in Europe, cradle of mountaineering and refuge for unique species of flora and fauna; but also the home to nearly 14 million inhabitants, rich in tradition and for centuries a scene of cultural exchanges. 

The trails are well-serviced by a mix of traditional alpine huts, mountain villages, and campsites.” 

We are planning to hike the Via Alpina – Red Route, commencing in Trieste, Italy and finishing in Monaco; a distance of 1,918km with 110,642m of elevation gain. 

How does this compare to the three US long distance trails we’ve completed?

• The Pacific Crest Trail is 4,265km with 149,000m of elevation gain. We averaged 26.6km/day.
• The Continental Divide Trail is 4,663km with 142,473m of elevation gain. We averaged 32km/day.
• The Appalachian Trail is 3,537km with 141,567m of elevation gain.  We averaged 26.6km/day.

As we are not European Union citizens we have a tourist Visa which is valid for 90 days. Allowing for arrival and departure we estimate that we have 85 days to cover the distance, which requires us to hike an average of 23 km/day to cover the whole trail. Based on the long trails we have completed to date, it is not an impossible target. However our aim for this hike is to hold this goal lightly. We may never pass this way again so we want to experience as much of the natural and cultural diversity and beauty of the areas we will be passing through. And of course there is the weather variable. After the misery of our Appalachian Trail hike – how much more bad weather are we willing to bear?