(MENAFN- Swissinfo) A federal law on hiking trails came into force exactly 40 years ago. The trails are more popular than ever but are suffering the consequences of overuse by hikers and cyclists as well as extreme weather conditions. This content was published on October 4, 2025 - 11:00 6 minutes

I cover topics related to the Swiss Abroad and Swiss specialities, also producing a daily briefing for the Swiss Abroad community. I studied communication sciences, then worked as a reporter and video journalist for private radio and television. I have worked for SWI swissinfo in various roles since 2002.

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Do you enjoy hiking? Perhaps right now, in the golden autumn, when the leaves change colour and the forests are bathed in a sea of colour? Switzerland is certainly one of the most popular countries for wandering in nature.

Why is that? Let's start with some figures: You can indulge your wanderlust on more than 65,000 kilometres in Switzerland. For comparison: according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Switzerland has 85,000 kilometres of roads and 5,300 kilometres of railways.

Almost two-thirds (62%) of these footpaths are accessible to all (signposted with the familiar yellow signposts), 36.5% are mountain hiking trails marked in white-red-white, and 1.5% are Alpine hiking trails with white-blue-white signposting.

At certain altitudes, maintaining hiking trails is a real challenge. An Alpine hiking trail on the Calanda on the St Gallen side of the mountain. Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

Mountain and Alpine hiking trails require surefootedness, a head for heights and a good level of fitness.

The network is also divided into national, regional and local routes: National routes can be hiked in one-month tours or in sections, regional routes in two to three days and local routes are suitable for day hikes.

Around 50,000 signposts have been erected throughout the country. Maintaining them costs an average of around CHF800 ($1,000) per kilometre. Around 2,000 volunteers are involved in this work.

More More What you need to know about hiking in Switzerland

This content was published on Aug 2, 2022 Switzerland is perfect for hikers. With 65,000km of marked hiking trails, there are routes for every ability level.

Read more: What you need to know about hiking in Switzerlan

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