Swiss adventures: high moments, low impacts

Rural settlements, like the village of Seewen on Lake Lauerz, have developed as places for living, working, industry, and recreation in a way that is environmentally sustainable. They reflect the deep connections the Swiss have with nature and the great outdoors that go back to the country’s roots as a rural-based economy. Today, many of the mountain and valley habitats are protected as parks and conservation spaces, allowing biodiversity to thrive.

The popular way to the top of the Jungfrau―the highest railway station in Europe―is to take the cogwheel Jungfraubahn funicular train, which climbs all the way to the top from Kleine Scheidegg in the Bernese Oberland. At an altitude of 9,800 feet, the railway, which travels mostly through a tunnel, is still an impressive feat of engineering. Alternatively, take the Eiger Express cable car from Grindelwald up to Eigergletscher station; from here you can travel the last leg of the journey to the top by cogwheel train. Either way, you’ll be rewarded with spectacular views of lush valleys and snow-capped mountaintops.

It’s believed that pastures like these surrounding the Val Bugliet alpine lake in the Canton of Graubünden, Engadine, were farmed as far back as 4,000 BC. Since then, generations of Swiss have tended cattle in these stunning lakeland meadows, and today nearly half of the milk produced is turned into the nation’s legendary cheese—of which there are more than 450 varieties.

With a rich alpine terroir and sunny climes like those of the Lavaux terraced vineyards by Lake Geneva, it’s no wonder that wine has been produced in Switzerland since Roman times. Wine is cultivated in all 26 cantons, though there are six main regions known for their volume and quality. Each region imbues its wine with a distinctive character, from Vaud on the shores of Lake Geneva to Valais in the heart of the Alps―home to Europe’s highest vineyard at Visperterminen. Well-established grape varietals thrive, including Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Merlot, but so, too, do many indigenous types, such as Chasselas, Garanoir, and Amigne.

The Glacier Express might be the best-known train journey in Switzerland, but many locals will insist that you get just as good a view of glaciers and alpine scenery on the Bernina Express, which runs all year round from Chur to St. Moritz. In fact, this train rolls right through a UNESCO World Heritage site―and right over the more than 200-foot-high Landwasser Viaduct. Along the way, you’ll pass Pontresina up to the breathtaking Bernina Pass, along alpine creeks in view of the Morteratsch glacier before ambling up through the upper Engadine lake region in the Canton of Graubünden.

It’s as much the length (550 feet) as the height (nearly 330 feet) that makes the Trift Bridge such an epic walkway―it’s one of the longest and highest pedestrian suspension bridges in the Alps. The journey up to it is an adventure in itself: take an aerial cable car up from the postal bus stop at Nessental, Triftbahn (30 minutes by bus from Meiringen); from there it’s a challenging 1.5-hour uphill, high-terrain hike. The reward for your low-impact exploration of this remote landscape is a spectacular view of the turquoise-blue waters of Lake Trift and beyond to the tongue of the impressive Trift Glacier.

The Swiss National Park is not only the oldest national park in the Alps, but it is also one of the most protected. Thanks to its status as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, this safeguarded environment is home to a huge variety of wildflowers, birds, and animals, including the lynx, ptarmigan, golden eagle, marmot, brown bear, and wolf. One of the best ways to enjoy this specially protected area is on a bike, with options for both beginners and experienced cyclists on both paved and natural surfaces through picturesque villages and pine forests, alongside fast-flowing rivers and crystal-clear lakes, and up to mountain passes and glorious alpine landscapes.

The jagged pyramid-shaped peak of the north wall of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps is one of Switzerland’s most iconic images. While scaling this elite, 14,690-foot sculptured beauty requires a high level of ice-climbing experience and fitness, you can admire its size and backdrop on day hikes from Zermatt.  More adventurous hikers can choose from one of several multi-day trek options up to Zermatt via an extensive network of trails through alpine meadows and pine forests, staying overnight in a mountain hut. The best time to for a hike like this is June to late September.

Heading off the beaten track at Muottas Muragl in the Upper Engadine, intrepid hikers are often rewarded with remarkable sunsets over the mountain peaks and glaciers of the Bernina Massif. It’s an experience that has inspired artists and poets for centuries. The trip up here is made easier thanks to the vintage funicular mountain railway up from Punt Muragl; with luck you may spot families of marmots dashing across the meadows as the train climbs up the 2,300 feet from Punt Muragl. Stay overnight at the Romantik Hotel, the first “energy-plus” hotel in the Alps, powered with solar and geothermal energy.

The tranquil mountain reflections in the turquoise lakes of the Jöriseen—amid surrounding barren rocky peaks—are the highlights of the one-day circular walk to the Jorifless Pass, Graubünden, from Davos. Starting and finishing at the bus stop at Wägerhus, the terrain changes from pasture to scree as you traverse this popular high-elevation rocky trail that’s clearly signposted with waymarks. The more intrepid can take the steep detour (with a bit of rock clambering and cables to aid in climbing) up to summit of Jörihorn for wonderful views of the Swiss Alps.

Swirling mist and clouds provide the backdrop to the Eiger’s treacherous north face—a vertical mile of limestone and black ice. One of the best places to see this epic geological marvel is from the cable car station at First (pronounced Feerst)—a minor summit on the slopes of the Schwarzhorn above Grindelwald in the Bernese Oberland. It’s the base for lots of popular hiking trails, including a path to the ridiculously gorgeous, and much photographed, Lake Bachsee—a small but perfectly formed mountain lake with crystal-clear waters amid alpine meadows at the foot of the Faulhorn.

Amid the alpine peaks of the Bernese Oberland, there’s little disturbance to the ecological balance during a gentle paddle around Lake Oeschinen. Fresh mountain air, birdsong, the sound of the paddle dipping into the still, turquoise water: a low-impact activities like this are rewarding ways to be at one with nature and the great outdoors. Just a 40-minute drive southwest of Interlaken, take a gondola up from Kandersteg; then it’s a short one-mile hike over a river and through a narrow, forested trail and a sculpture garden to this idyllic mountain oasis.

The Pilatusbahn mountain railway is the steepest cogwheel funicular in Europe and a testament to the long history of innovative Swiss engineering that has made the mountains accessible to millions. Commissioned in 1889, the original steam train took over an hour to travel from Alpnachstad on Lake Lucerne up a 48-percent gradientto the 6,800-foot summit at Pilatus Kulm. Today the more environmentally friendly trains are electric powered and the journey takes just half an hour, providing passengers with wonderful views of the mountains and Lake Lucerne from the top of the world.