Not all paths are the same and this is especially true when hiking. Some hiking trails are flat and wide, others narrow and stony. Yet another runs airily next to a ridge and the next is just a barely recognizable trail. From the flat valley to the steepest peaks, there are around 65,000 kilometers of hiking trails in Switzerland and their composition and layout varies enormously. If you are planning a hike, sooner or later you will come across yellow, red and blue lines on the map as well as markings in the terrain and designations such as T1, T2 or T3 (overall, the classification goes up to T6). In this article, we explain which categories there are for Swiss hiking trails, what the corresponding signage looks like and how this knowledge can help you plan a hike that suits your ability.
The SAC hiking scale
The SAC hiking scale was introduced back in 2002 and has been revised several times since then. The latest version appeared in 2023, but the basic idea behind it, namely to categorize trails according to certain criteria, to standardize them and thus make them comparable, has always remained the same. The scale has a total of six levels, with T1 being the easiest and T6 the most difficult. Incidentally, the T in the abbreviation stands for "Trekking".
Each of the six levels describes the nature of the trail and terrain as well as the demands you should be able to cope with as a hiker and indicates the corresponding marking color (if the trail is marked - not all hiking trails in public areas have official markings). Example tours are also given for each category to make it easier to assess comparable routes. Official hiking trails in Switzerland are rated according to the SAC hiking scale. However, the scale can be used to assess all trails and therefore also serves as an aid for tours that do not necessarily follow an officially marked trail. When classifying a route, it should always be noted that the assessment is based on optimal conditions, i.e. assuming good visibility, dry weather and no snow.
The designation of the individual levels of difficulty is defined as follows
- T1 – Hiking trails
- T2 – Mountain hiking trails
- T3 – Challenging mountain hiking trails
- T4 – Alpine hiking
- T5/T6 – Challenging & difficult alpine hiking
Yellow, red, blue on Swiss national maps
Before setting out into the countryside, it is essential to have a look at a hiking map. The Swiss national maps are the best map material for planning hikes and finding your way in the terrain, whether in paper format or as a digital version. Official hiking trails are marked in yellow, red or blue, depending on their category. The paper maps are available at scales of 1:50,000 and 1:33,333, while the digital national map allows you to zoom in and out. In the digital version, which is also available for smartphones in the swisstopo app, you can also display up-to-date information on closed hiking trails, alpine pastures with livestock guarding dogs or other information. You can print out individual map sections as PDFs or download them as offline versions in the app.
Trail markings in the field
You will find trail markers at prominent locations such as central trailheads, valley and mountain stations, and pass crossings or intersections along the trail. However, the distances between these points can be long, so the trails are always marked with intermediate signs. The yellow, white-red-white or white-blue-white signs are usually placed on tree trunks, rocks, a fence, a wooden post or a street lamp. The signs are often small colored signs or simply painted on with weatherproof paint.
The signs are usually placed so that it is always clear where the trail leads from both directions. If the trail goes around a corner between two houses, the sign is placed at the intersection in the direction of the trail. Sometimes a sign is made as an arrow, or a white-red-white mark is painted on stone at an angle to indicate a turn or a hairpin bend. Intermediate markings help you stay on the right path and make it easier to find your way when, for example, sheep trails branch off the path and lead into the woods.
Read hiking signs correctly
One sign, one direction. If that's the case, it's clear: this way. But there are also crossroads where there is much more than just a signpost and since, contrary to the saying, not all roads lead to Rome, it is good if you know how the information on a complex hiking sign is organized. This way, you can do much more than just read the direction and draw the right conclusions for your route decision.
- The actual signposts are yellow. If the path indicated is a mountain hiking trail, you can recognize this by the white-red-white top. If it is an alpine hiking trail, the top is marked white-blue-white.
- The white signs show the current position with the exact altitude. This makes it easy to find your position on a map or calibrate your altimeter.
- Basically, the places that lie in the same direction are ordered from top to bottom based on their distance.
- A black dividing line indicates that the hiking trail in the indicated direction will later split at a junction.
- Behind the names you will often find further symbols for viewpoints, restaurants or huts, mountain railroads and public transport.
- Yellow signs with green markings containing numbers and route names are indications of particularly recommended tours, which you can find online at Schweiz Mobil.
Why are Swiss hiking signs yellow?
The hiking signs in Switzerland are yellow with black lettering. This combination was determined by teacher Johann Jakob Ess back in the 1930s. According to his son, he initially wanted to put up green signs, but as these were not nearly as visible in the lush green of nature, the decision was finally made in favor of the yellow version. The yellow signs are omnipresent and in the almost 100 years since their introduction, around 50,000 of these small, eye-catching helpers have been installed in towns, forests, meadows and mountains.
Other scales
In addition to the SAC hiking scale, there are other scales, for example for the assessment of snowshoe tours, alpine tours or ski tours. There are also other assessment criteria for climbing.
Different conditions apply to the many different types of mountain sports, which justify a distinction in the assessment. While it is generally assumed that hiking does not involve rope safety, this is completely different for (ski) mountaineering and climbing. The equipment for alpine sports is also more extensive than for hiking. In contrast to equipment such as a helmet, ice axe, crampons and climbing harness, hiking equipment is often somewhat less extensive and rarely requires specific material. Nevertheless, appropriate clothing and good footwear should be worn on every tour and a certain amount of basic safety equipment such as a first aid kit and bivouac sack should be in your rucksack.
Conclusion
In summary, it can be said that the hiking trails in Switzerland offer a fascinating variety, ranging from flat, easily accessible and even barrier-free paths to challenging trails. With a network of around 65,000 kilometers of hiking trails, divided into six difficulty levels from T1 to T6, you are sure to find the right route for you. The coloured markings in the terrain help you to find your way and the clear signposting makes hiking in Switzerland an easy-to-plan experience.
