Bern plans cooler hiking routes as heat reshapes trails

Switzerland’s hiking trail network needs to be adapted to rising heat, with more shaded routes, water points and possible rerouting, SRF reported. The changes are intended to make hiking more comfortable beyond the cooler morning and evening hours.

High-altitude routes can offer lower temperatures, but steep climbs and descents become more difficult in hot weather. The high mountains are also becoming less safe as glaciers melt, increasing the risk of rockfalls.

Lowland routes face problems too. In the Grosses Moos, an area with extensive agriculture, there is little shade and few water sources. “It is incredibly hot there. We have little shade and a lot of agriculture. Hiking there is currently not pleasant,” said Jerun Vils, managing director of the Bern Hiking Trails Association.

The canton of Bern has around 10,000 kilometres of hiking trails, one of the largest networks in Switzerland alongside Graubünden. Many routes in the lowlands run along unsheltered farm tracks.

Vils said the association would launch an initiative to adapt the network. Plans include creating more shaded spots and adding water along trails, potentially through biotopes, playgrounds and rest areas. The association could build some of these facilities itself, or examine where hiking and mountain trails could be moved and new routes established.

Rerouting trails would require careful planning and coordination. Decisions involving water, forests and nature conservation would have to be agreed with cantonal authorities, municipalities, landowners and the farming sector.

Some of Bern’s existing trails already run along rivers or through gorges and forests. Vils recommends choosing these routes during hot weather. Hikers should also consider going at the cooler edges of the day, carrying enough water, protecting themselves from the sun and choosing light functional clothing.

Tags: Switzerland, hiking, climate change