Hikes in the Alps in June

June is the month when the mountains reopen: the huts are staffed again, the summer lifts start turning and the high paths shed their snow, first on the sunny slopes and then, sometimes weeks later, on the shaded ones. The list changes completely from spring and includes all our summer hikes, from the Dolomites to Mont Blanc, but early in the month it should be read with caution: a north-facing pass or a traverse beneath a rock face can still hold hard snow in the morning. In return, the days are the longest of the year and the paths are not yet crowded.

In the Dolomites, the Rifugio Firenze and Seceda, perhaps the best hike in all the Dolomites, and the Alpe di Siusi plateau up to the Rifugio Bolzano on the Sciliar are grade T hikes, and so suit anyone who is not looking for technical sections. In Switzerland, the Aletsch Glacier from Fiesch is the classic of classics, while in the Aosta Valley Monte Fortin and the Rifugio Elisabetta in Val Veny look out over Mont Blanc and the Miage Glacier. Closer to Milan, the Via delle Creste Orientali on the Resegone and the Piani Resinelli with the Rifugio Rosalba make excellent first outings of the season.