On the right-hand side, the narrow hiking trail winds its way forwards along the slope. Far below in the valley you can see Lake Lauenen in a blue/green colour. Behind it, the Lauenenhorn and the Wasserngrat with its green flanks rise up on the right. The long ridge towards Wispile can be seen on the left. The sky is blue with a few white cumulus clouds. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Katrin Espiasse / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

View of Lauenensee

Two hikers with rucksacks look out into the distance. It's early tomorrow morning and the sun will soon appear. On the left you can see the stony Gastlosen peaks, the hikers are standing on a green alp. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Melanie Uhkoetter / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Abländschen

Sanetschsee shines in a green colour and the mountains are reflected in it. On the left-hand side you can see the narrow hiking trail along the steep shore. This side is in the shade while the sun is shining and the sky is light blue on the rest of the picture. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Yannick Romagnoli / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Sanetschsee

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Long-distance Hikes

Discover unspoilt nature and remote places up close - that's what makes long-distance hiking a special experience. Three different multi-stage tours lead through the Gstaad holiday region.

The AlpnessTrail (13 stages through the Saanenland and the Obersimmental)
Tour du Wildhorn (4 stages around the Wildhorn massif)
Via Alpina (2 stages in the Obersimmental and Saanenland)

Some sections can be hiked individually without an overnight stay. The attraction of the long-distance hikes, however, are the nights spent in a hut or mountain lodge. The alpine terrain also harbours some risks, so the long and challenging hikes should be well planned. If you are unsure, a hiking or mountain guide will be happy to accompany you.

Route Planner

AlpnessTrail

The AlpnessTrail is a circular hike with 13 stages across the Alps of the Saanenland and the upper Simmental. Whether at over 2,300 metres above sea level or on the valley floor, you can spend the night on the alp, in simple huts or mountain inns.

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On the right-hand side there is a signpost with various signals in yellow and brown. The view goes into the valley and in the centre there are various dark wooden chalets or barns. The meadow on the right has hardly any flowers and is cut short. The meadow on the left is full of flowers. Towards the back of the valley rise the rocky mountains, where there is even snow on the shady slopes. The sky is blue with a few white clouds. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Patrick Bauer / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Alpnesstrail Gsteig

From a grassy mountain peak, you can see a shimmering blue mountain lake deep in the valley. All around are green pastures and forest. Behind the lake, three rocky mountains rise into the sky. The sky is light blue with white clouds. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Patrick Bauer / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Alpnesstrail Arnensee

A stony track runs along the grassy slope on the left-hand side. Behind it you can see the snow-covered mountains and the green valley floor. There are a few white cumulus clouds in the blue sky. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Patrick Bauer / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Alpnesstrail

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From the top you can see the blue Iffigensee. On the left side of the lake the alpine meadows are lush green and on the right side steep rocks rise up. More mountains can be seen in the background, some still with patches of snow. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Katrin Espiasse / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Lake Iffigen

In the centre of the picture you can see the small Lac d'Audannes. The Valais mountains rise up behind it. There is a sea of mist in the valleys. The sky is blue and the sun is shining. There is still snow on the shady side (right). ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Katrin Espiasse / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

View towards Valais

A wooden post with white/red/white markings for the mountain paths stands on a brown rock slab. Next to it is a large pile of stones. Further back in the picture you can see more rocky mountain peaks. There are still patches of snow everywhere. The sky is blue with a few streaks of cloud. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Katrin Espiasse / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Mountain peak

In the foreground, white/brown cows are feeding in the tall grass. Behind them are two steps with steep rocks. A large waterfall falls twice above them. The sky is simply blue without clouds. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Katrin Espiasse / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Waterfalls

Two hikers with large backpacks climb up into a large karst field. The hiking trail is marked with pink dots on the rocks. The sky is grey but the sun is shining on the hikers. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Katrin Espiasse / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Karst fields

From the hiking trail you can see the Geltenhut and the small hut for the chicken. A Swiss flag flies on the hill behind it (white cross on a red background) and high rock faces rise behind it. The sky is blue and clear. ©  CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Katrin Espiasse / Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus

Geltenhut

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Tour du Wildhorn

The Tour du Wildhorn is an alpine hike around the Wildhorn mountain (3250m above sea level). This four-day stage hike takes you between two linguistically and culturally different regions of Switzerland, Valais and the canton of Bern.

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Via Alpina

Starting from the second smallest Alpine country in terms of area, the Principality of Liechtenstein, this trail crosses Switzerland and follows an astonishing sequence of the most beautiful Alpine peaks, changing valley at each stage and finally ending at Lake Geneva. Two stages lead through Obersimmental and Saanenland and are also suitable as day tours.

Via Alpina Etappe 16: Lenk - Gstaad
Via Alpina Etappe 17: Gstaad - L'Etivaz

Stages