Peak Performance The highs and lows of an overnight Alpine hike with kids in Switzerland By Claudia Laroye
THE ALPINE SPA TOWN OF LEUKERBAD
Planning an overnight Alpine hike with our sons during a family holiday in Switzerland, we knew we needed a journey that would energize their bodies and ignite their imaginations – along with a healthy number of snacks and luck with fickle mountain weather. Fortunately, the country’s extensive national hiking network of more than 40,000 miles of trails is perfect for planning experiences of nearly any length and difficulty. There is always a charming restaurant around the bend, or a cable car to save tired legs from a final descent down a mountain. We’ve done many family hikes and day trips throughout the Swiss Alps. For this particular sleepover hiking adventure, we settled on the Gemmi Pass. This high mountain pass connects
two Swiss cantons, Bern and Valais, across the Bernese Alps. It’s graced with excellent hiking terrain, cable cars, a fascinating touch of Roman Empire history, and a fabulous, kid-friendly spa finish. Most importantly, it’s not so long as to produce calls of ‘are we there yet?’ or turn the kids off of hiking completely. It was the ideal choice for a comfortable overnight journey in the mountains. We began our hiking trip on the Bernese side in the small scenic village of Kandersteg. After ascending up the steep rock face on the Sunnbüel cable car, we headed along the trail in a southerly direction with the sun high overhead.
2021 | Ultimate Family Vacations
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