A hike to the headwaters of the Rivers Rhine, Reuss, Ticino and Rhone The Four Headwaters Trail through the St. Gotthard Massif La ke Gr - r La imse e e Sidelen ke Göscheneralp l i n Göschenen Lak c e o Ob a Hut SAC e Headwaters l raar h R G of the Rhone Belvédère Grimsel Pass Lake Tiefenbach Tote Andermatt - otthard Oberalp Pass orn-G B) 5 Furk Matterh y (MG a mo Railwa Furka Pass (st unt Oberwald eam ain ake ra s L lp ilw e bera a ct O Gletsch y) io ne n l Realp Ulrichen ho e Hospental R n ) n s tu s e Münster e r s p Headwaters 4 a x B E B - - l GB) r B of the Rhine ne hn (M a e hi rd-Ba k e d R ha i d n S ott Obergesteln r r -G c r l orn u s n a erh F a a e att l s u h h Lake Toma M G u t t n ( t t e t n d o o u R a t G G o Tschamut y r a Vermigel Sedrun w l i Maighels Lake a Hut SAC r Hut SAC Headwaters Lucendro s of the lp Gotthard Pass a Nufenen Pass 2 1 N Gotthard-Reuss e Lake Val Maighels k a Piansecco Sella L Hut SAC Lucendro Pass Maighels Pass Lake Gries Cruina 3 Ti Headwaters cin Bedretto o Villa Airolo of the Ticino All’Acqua Ronco Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 2044 m 2345 m 2314 m 2421 m 2042 m 2042 m 2375 m 2701 m 2776 m 2256 m 2091 m 2091 m 2182 m 2522 m 2128 m 2015 m 1996 m 1938 m 1982 m 1982 m 2093 m 2003 m 2440 m 1925 m 1762 m 1533 m 1355 m 1355 m 1368 m 1550 m 1757 m 2170 m 2429 m 2271 m Oberalp Lake Maighel Maighel Vermigel Vermigel Summer- Sella Giübin Lake Gotthard Gotthard Alpe di Lucendro Rosso Ri di Ri di Ri di Piansecco Piansecco Nufenen Alpe di Nufenen Ladstafel Hosand Kittbrigg Ober- Ober- Ober- St Nicholas Gletsch Muttbach Furka Hotel Pass Toma Hut Pass Hut Hut matten Pass Sella Pass Pass VillageLucendro Pass di Fuori Cavanna Bedretto Ronco Hut SAC Hut SAC road Cruina Pass gesteln gesteln wald chapel (station steam railway) station Pass Belvédère INFORMATION ABOUT DAY HIKES4 Stages can also be 3e_500cmyk_LT_feb10Platinum sponsors: 3 2500 m 2500 m 2500 m 2500 m 2500 m 5 House/Hut 4 5 6 STAGES 1- 5 7 done as2 day hikes 3 3 4 5 2250 m 5 6 2250 m 6 2250 m 2250 m 2250 m 3 2 Source of the 4 Source of 1 7 1 4 the Rhine Food Gotthard-Reuss 1 2 EFFORT1 Distance: 85 km/Time:8 about 32 hrs./ GETTING THERE/AWAY Starting and end 5 2000 m 2 2000 m 2000 m 2000 m Headwaters of 2000 m 6 7 the Ticino 6 Headwaters of the Rhone 1750 m 1750 m 1750 m 1750 m 1750 m 3 Ascent: 6,161 m/Descent: 5,932 m Accommodation 7 points are serviced by buses or trains Dr. Christoph Blocher, 2 1 1500 m km 1 234567 8910 11 12 13 14 15 1500 m km 1 234567 8910 11 12 1500 m km 1 234567 8910 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 1500 m km 1 234567 8910 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 1500 m km 1 234567 8910 11 12 13 14 15 16 8 DIFFICULThrs./min. 1/50 > 2/50 Y > Continuous, 4/05 > 5/20 > mostly hiking on MAPShrs./min. 1/19 > Switzerland 2/40 > 4/24 > 5/15national > map 1:50,000, hrs./min. Bus 1/35 > 2/45 > 3/35 > 4/35 > 5/30former > 5/50 > Federal 7/30 > Councilorhrs./min. 1/31 > 1/55 > 3/25 > 4/55 > 5/25 > 6/15 > 7/00 > hrs./min. 0/40 > 1/20 > 3/05 > 4/45 > 5/45 > 7/15 > marked trails (SAC rating: T2/T3) No. 5001 “Gotthard.” Excerpts reduced Train START Oberalp Pass 15 percent (see pages 10, 16, 22, 28, 34). Shopping Support from: FINISH Furkapass or Hotel Belvédère INFORMATION www.vier-quellen-weg.ch 2044 m 2345 m 2314 m 2421 m 2042 m 2701 m 2776 m 2256 m 2091 m 2182 m 2522 m 2015 m 1996 m 1982 m 2003 m 2440 m 1925 m 1355 m 1368 m 1757 m 2429 m 2271 m Oberalp Lake Maighel Maighel Vermigel Sella Giübin Lake Gotthard Alpe di Lucendro Ri di Ri di Piansecco Alpe di Nufenen Ladstafel Ober- Ober- Gletsch Furka Hotel Pass Toma Hut Pass Hut Pass Sella Pass Lucendro Pass Cavanna Bedretto Hut SAC Cruina road gesteln wald (steam railway) Pass Belvédère 2500 m 2250 m Source of the 2000 m Source of Headwaters of Headwaters of the Rhine Gotthard-Reuss the Ticino 1750 m the Rhone 1500 m 5 hrs. 20 min. 14.4 km > 5 hrs. 15 min. 12.8 km > 7 hrs. 30 min. 20.6 km > 7 hrs. 19.8 km > 7 hrs.15 min. 17 km > Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 through the St Gottard Massif StGottard the through Trail Headwaters Four Four Headwaters Foundation Trail Edited by Rhine, Reuss, Ticino and Rhone A hike the to headwaters of the Rivers Table of Contents 5 Four Headwaters Trail through the St Gotthard Massif 7 Off to the headwaters in the Gotthard Massif! 8 From the Oberalp Pass to the Source of the Rhine Stage 1: Oberalp Pass – Lake Toma (Source of the Rhine) – Maighel Pass – Vermigel Hut 14 From the Vermigel Hut to the Gotthard Pass Stage 2: Vermigel Hut – Sella Pass – Piz Giübin – Lake Sella – Gotthard Pass 20 From the Gotthard Pass to the Source of the Reuss Stage 3: Gotthard Pass – Lake Lucendro – Source of the Reuss – Lucendro Pass – Piansecco Hut 26 From the Piansecco Hut to the headwaters of the Ticino All rights reserved Stage 4: Piansecco Hut – Headwaters of © 2012 Four Headwaters Trail Foundation, Altdorf the Ticino – Nufenen Pass – Obergesteln 32 From the Upper Goms to the Source of the Rhone CONTENT MAP AND TRAIL DESCRIPTIONS Stage 5: Obergesteln – Gletsch – Furka Pass – Josef Arnold-Luzzani, Schattdorf Rhone Glacier (source of the Rhone) – Hotel Belvédère 38 Rivers and Paths Shape Development DESIGN AND LAYOUT The Gotthard Region – A cultural overview Armin Furrer, Furrer Graphic Design, Lucerne 52 Rich Diversity of Plants and Animals EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION A natural history journey in five stages Edith Jörg, pr-work jörg, Lucerne 60 How Mountains Grow and Recede A five-stage hike through geological history TR A NSL ATION Tim Neville, www.timneville.net 70 Reservoirs of Water Power Harnessing water in the St Gotthard Massif PRESS 76 Practical Information Gamma Druck und Verlag AG, Altdorf 79 Appendix, bibliography and credits 1st edition 2012 80 Acknowledgements Four Headwaters Trail through the St Gottard Massif The Rhine, Reuss, Ticino and Rhone rivers all begin in the Gotthard region and that gave Paul Dubacher from Seed- orf the idea for the Four Headwaters Paul Dubacher, Trail. He’s something of a specialist founder and project when it comes to hiking trails and was leader of the Four instrumental, for example, in forming Headwaters Trail routes like the “Swiss Path” around Lake Lucerne and the “Railway Trails” of the Gotthard region. Things to know about the Gotthard In 2009 Dubacher got to work once The hiking guidebook to the Four again. That same year the Four Head- Headwaters Trail includes trail descrip- waters Trail Foundation was founded tions as well as fascinating background with well-known people from the four information on the region’s cultural his- cantons that make up the Gotthard re- tory, flora and fauna, geological phe- gion. The inauguration followed in nomena, climate change and the har- 2012. For more information please visit nessing of water for hydropower. www.vier-quellen-weg.ch. In this way a hiker can make sense of and learn more about the area. The Mountain hiking in five stages best bits of background information The Four Headwaters Trail is a family- will become apparent: How have hu- friendly trek of about 85 km through mans throughout the ages impacted the the alpine country where the Rhine, Gotthard region; why mountains are Reuss, Ticino and Rhone rivers begin. It never at ease; which plants are worth a is broken up into five segments, each of closer look; and how important is it to which with starting and end points that turn the region’s water into power. are serviced by public transport. Hiking through portions of cantons Uri, Graubünden, Ticino and Valais takes you through unique landscapes and highlights the central role that wa- ter has played for man, animals and plants. 4 5 Off to the headwaters! Water and springs have a magical pow- Hiking lends wings to thoughts er of attraction. Springing discretely Glaciers have held stores of water for from the depths and flowing eventually millennia and have become a symbol into the sea, water lends itself to a for security, hope and confidence. By cross-cultural metaphor for the fate of contrast their disappearance triggers a us all: The lively, happy-go-lucky brook fear of the future, but fear and hardship of youth matures into the wide ship- also foster human ingenuity. From that bearing current of adulthood before has sprung an environmentally friendly fading away into the infinity of the sea.