Swiss Walking Maps

The maps you want are the Kummerly & Frey hiking maps.

Look at this site for them. http://www.omnimap.com/catalog/int/switz.htm#p4

You will need only the 1:60,000 Jungfrau Region map. You do not need the detail of a 1:25,000 map believe me. The hiking trails are very well marked and easy to navigate. I am used to using 1:25,000 when hiking in Canada and the US but see no reason to buy more detailed maps to hike trails in Switzerland. If you aren't sure, I would suggest you buy the 1:60,000 online from Omnimap to plan your route from first. If you then don't think you will have enough detail in the map to keep you happy, wait till you get to Meiringen and you can buy all the maps you want at the tourist office in Meiringen. They have a full range.

I have hiked extensively in the area you plan on covering. It's a good choice you've made. Be sure to try and stay here http://www.myswitzerland.com/en.cfm/offer-Home_Summer-Sunsets-17261.html It is the oldest alpine hotel in Europe.

The MySwitzerland site I linked to for it is probably the best site for finding info on Switzerland in general.

Trails as I said are well marked. They are marked in time not distance. You will find that is a far more intelligent way of doing things once you get used to it. It assumes an average on flat land and then allows for how much elevation gain or loss between the two points. Once you have hiked a few sections and compared your time to the time that was posted, you will know if you are moving faster or slower than the average. Once you know that, you can plan accordingly.

Thinking of the Berghotel Faulhorn, here's a tip. The last time I was there (month of May) the Meiringen side of the ridge had some dicey snow/ice on it still. It's the shadow side and so gets less sun. It is a fairly precipitous trail and a slip could be deadly. I've recently seen rubber slip-ons with traction spikes that I think I would carry in my pack if planning to hike at altitude in spring/fall, just in case. Here is what I mean http://www.men-shoenet.com/catalog185535.html Cheap and light weight. Far lighter than crampons but would do in a pinch I think.

Switzerland is my favourite place for hiking/trekking. I do what I call credit card camping there. Unlike N. America where backpacking/trekking requires tent, sleeping bag, stove, etc. All you need is a change of clothes, a quality lightweight rain jacket, fleece vest and a credit card. You will find places to stay throughout the mountains in places you will not believe. The Berghotel Faulhorn is a perfect example. Little hotels are scattered throughout the mountains and I've often sat on a hotel sun terrace in mid-afternoon with a large cold beer, admiring the view and deciding whether to carry on another couple of hours or quit for the day, take a room and have another beer before dinner. Truly civilized hiking.

Another tip. Most hotels and hostels will do a packed lunch for you to take with you in the morning if you asked the night before.

Wow! Thank you sojourner46 for the speedy reply. Funny how a plan just seems to come together. I live outside Denver, and while I truly enjoy backcountry camping, I'm looking forward to some "civilized" hiking! I'm sure my teenager doesn't feel so strongly..

Happy Trails,
Robboflo

Robboflo, I just added a tip on packed lunches to my response.

I once did a horse packing trip from Beaver Creek to Aspen. Nice country round there.

Meiringen by the way has 2 claims to fame.

If you recall Sherlock Holmes and his arch rival Moriarty, they supposedly fell to their death from Reichenbach Falls which is a short walk out from the village of Meiringen. There is a statue of Sherlock and a museum in Meiringen. Meiringen is also the birthplace of merinque (the dessert not the dance) and you will find bakeries selling it on the main street in Meiringen.

The supermarket in Meiringen has a great little buffet restaurant. Great for lunch.

Who was your outfitter for the BC-Aspen ride? I used to guide out of the Flat Tops and know some of the outfitters in the area.

You can download free of charge the whole map of Switzerland (with all foot paths) under http://www.swisstopogeodata.ch/geodatenviewer/ (scales from 1:3 million up to 1:1000).

In order to get to your map, you first choose the language (top right hand corner), then pixel maps (on the left side), then you click several times in the map at the place you are interested in (for instance between Lake of Thun and lake of Brienz for Interlaken). You will first see the name Interlaken (scale 1:400.000), click there again and the names of the other villages will appear. Click then at a place between Grtindelwald and Brienz and the Faulhorn will appear. At the the scale 1:80.000 you will see the most important hiking trails. go to the scal 1:20.000 and you will see all of them in detail.
In this manner you can get an idea of all paths in Switzerland.

You may also get infos about restaurants and bus stations by using the site http://map.search.ch/. Enter the name of the village you look for and click on traffic, gastronomy etc. If you click upon a symbol in the map, you get the address of the hotel, the bus timetable, etc.

I Have a friend who owned a small ranch just outside Beaver Creek, no outfitter required. Unfortunately, he lost the ranch in his divorce settlement, ouch.

Wow, neckervd, that's a good website. I had a look at the Meiringen/Hasliberg area and while the trails are there as you say, they are in black which makes it harder to read than the K&F hiking maps. So I would still use K&F but this site is certainly useful for planning a route overall. Thanks for the site, I've bookmarked it.

When I lived on the island of Rhodes in Greece, I was never able to get a topo map of the island. Greece does not allow maps to be sold as they don't want Turkey to be able to buy them. (As if Turkey doesn't have all the satellite map info they want from the USA) To be found with a topo map for anyone not in the military is a criminal offense. In the case of Switzerland in contrast, here you have a link to the most detailed topos you could want, provided by the Swiss Department of Defense.

Any recommendations for hotels in Mieringen? Looking for price range 80-120 Swiss Francs per night.