Hiking at Swiss National Park – Best Trails to Trek
Swiss National Park is the oldest national park in central Europe and the only one in Switzerland. The park maintains a very strict ruleset which has allowed its beauty and natural wildlife to flourish for so long.
A great way to really appreciate the natural beauty that adorns these lands is through a good old fashioned hike. Let the serenity of nature all around you guide you through an amazing experience. With 21 walking routes, divided into 3 difficulty levels, to choose from, you’re spoiled for choice. So, here are some of the best trails you can take on.
Val Trupchun Hike
Located in the southern part of the park, this return loop hike up the valley of Val Trupchun is one of the most popular and easiest hikes in the park. You can take a round trip by heading up the left side of the valley and then loop back to the more popular path. The hike covers a distance of 14 kilometres and takes a total of 4 hours and 30 minutes to complete.
The popularity of this path comes from it being well-known for spotting wildlife and, during autumn, witnessing the beautiful golden-brown spectacle of the Larch trees. However, as beautiful as some views may be, you can’t stop just anywhere to take a break and have a bite to eat. There are specifically designated spots for this in order to preserve the beauty of the park.

Lais da Macun Hike
Now we go to the opposite end of the spectrum with this hike as it is one of the hardest you’ll come across at Swiss National Park. This one’s for the more experienced hikers only and takes a total of 8 hours to complete. Lais da Macun or Lakes of Macun are an incredible sight to see and make for a truly worthy reward for those that brave this tough ascent. These crater lakes swell with crystal clear waters of varying shades of blue and the path back down will take you around a few of these alpine lakes as you head to Lavin, which is the final destination for this hike.

Val Minger to Il Fuorn
For this hike, you’ll need to take a bus to Val Minger in the middle of, what seems like, nowhere. It could be a bit intimidating when you first arrive, but solider on through to the Sur Il Foss pass alongside a small river and then head up to the next valley for a somewhat challenging climb due to the scree laden land. As you make your way through you’ll arrive at the Fuorcla Val Botsch pass and from there descend into the trees, to the road down near Il Fuorn. The whole hike takes about 5 hours and is ranks in the middle of the preceding two choices on this article in terms of difficulty.
When the hike is complete the last destination you reach makes the whole journey sort of a full circle as it is another area, seemingly, in the middle of nowhere. Luckily for you, there’s a car park close by from where you can catch a return bus to the hotel.