Summer hikes

In summer, especially from July onwards, the absence of snow means every corner of the Alps can be explored safely, while the open mountain huts offer comfort and support along the trails.

Summer is the ideal time for hiking in the Alps because, especially from August onwards, the snow retreats, leaving every corner of these mountains open to safe exploration. The alpine huts, usually open from the first weekend of June until mid-September, offer support and refreshment to visitors, making the experience even more enjoyable.

Summer brings long, sunny days, which leave more time for exploring magnificent landscapes and discovering alpine flora and fauna. Thanks to the milder temperatures, hikers can take on more demanding trails and reach summits with wide views without worrying about difficulties caused by the weather.

Summer also offers many opportunities to take part in events and activities organised in alpine resorts, such as festivals, concerts and markets, which add further to the experience of the mountains.

Storms and UNESCO landscapes

The real limit of the alpine summer is not the heat but the afternoon thunderstorm. Between May and August the tendency towards afternoon heat storms is high, and they often form locally, in ways that are hard to forecast precisely: the German Alpine Club advises starting as early as possible, reaching your objective by around midday and keeping a shelter or a descent route in mind. If fewer than thirty seconds pass between lightning and thunder the storm is close, and that is the moment to leave ridges and summits, not to take one last photograph. It is one more reason why, on the longer walks on this page, a night in a mountain hut beforehand changes the whole day.

Many of these walks cross landscapes recognised by UNESCO. The Dolomites have been a World Heritage Site since 2009, and the listed groups include the Sciliar, Puez-Odle and the Brenta Dolomites; the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch site, inscribed in 2001 as the first natural World Heritage Site in the Alps and extended in 2007, has the Great Aletsch Glacier at its heart. In the Engadine, the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula and Bernina landscapes, listed in 2008 between Thusis and Tirano, is also a comfortable, car-free way to reach the trailheads around the Bernina.