Rockfall, rockslides and landslides These hiking trails are closed due to natural hazards

This weekend could be the last with good hiking weather. But more than 70 hiking trails are currently closed due to natural events or hazards. Landslides, rockfalls and falling rocks are becoming more frequent.

"Closed due to rockfall", "Closed due to landslide" or "Closed for safety reasons". This and similar information can currently be found on over 70 hiking trails, from the Lower Engadine in the far east of Switzerland to Lower Valais on the border with France.

There are also temporary closures due to forestry work, renovation measures or because a trail is always closed in winter. These are not included in the list above.

The spokesperson for the umbrella organization Schweizer Wanderwege cannot say whether the number of hiking trails closed due to natural hazards or events has increased in recent years. However, Vera In-Albon lists four trends that have a significant impact on safety on hiking trails: summers are getting drier, rainfall is heavier, hotter days are increasing and winters are getting less snow.

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Rockfall, rockslides and landslides are on the increase

The consequence of this: "Prolonged and intense precipitation favors rockfalls, torrents and landslides in some places. Rockfalls tend to increase in alpine and high alpine terrain where the permafrost is thawing, while landslides could also become more frequent in the foothills of the Alps or in the Jura."

Rockfalls, landslides and rockslides naturally mainly affect paths in the Alps. But even ten kilometers from Zurich, in the Sihl Valley near Langnau am Albis, a path has been closed for years due to a landslide. The Thurweg near Bischofszell TG is also impassable, also as a result of a landslide.

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The closed paths are marked in red and white on the Schweizmobil online hiking map. It should be noted that not every footpath is an official hiking trail. Closures on such paths are not marked on the Wanderland Schweiz map. Especially in the vicinity of hiking trails closed due to natural hazards, it is to be expected that the other trails are also impassable.

Closures not only, but especially in the Alps

The best-known closed areas through which hiking trails pass are Brienz in the canton of Graubünden, the Spitze Stei near Kandersteg BE and Lake Oeschinen in the same Bernese municipality.

A particularly large number of paths are closed in the canton of Valais. A look at the map shows that there is hardly a side valley without a closure. The flood that pushed an avalanche of debris through Saas Grund and caused further damage in the Saas Valley is still fresh in our minds. The severe storm damage in the Maggia and Bavona valleys in Ticino is also unforgotten, as a result of which various hiking trails are still impassable today.

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Hiking trails are a public task. As a rule, the communes are responsible for their care and maintenance. In many cantons, they are supported by the hiking trail organizations, the offshoots of the umbrella organization Schweizer Wanderwege.

Vera In-Albon explains what happens when a debris flow occurs in the area of a hiking trail or a slope begins to slide: "After a natural event, the affected section is usually inspected by the responsible municipality or by the cantonal hiking trail manager. If a danger is identified, the decision is made to temporarily or permanently close or divert the route. This is signaled in the terrain."

So that hikers do not only find out about the closure in the middle of their tour, those responsible also enter the closure on the online national map, on which the Schweizmobil hiking map is also based.

Personal responsibility applies on hiking trails

When asked how well hikers adhere to the closures, In-Albon replies: "We assume that most hikers respect the closures, especially if they are clearly visible and clearly signposted and provided with information signs about the reasons for the closure." However, it does happen that closures are circumvented, either due to ignorance or underestimation of the risk.

Vera In-Albon reminds us that personal responsibility always applies when hiking. "It includes careful tour planning, appropriate behavior and the awareness that natural hazards cannot be completely controlled. There is no such thing as one hundred percent safety in nature."

This means that even if a trail is not closed, a rockfall, landslide or rockslide can still occur.

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The following list is a snapshot of the situation in mid-November and is not exhaustive. However, it gives an impression of how many hiking trails have been hit by rockfalls, rockslides, landslides and storm damage, or are threatened by them.

And: Anyone planning a hike would be well advised to zoom in on the online map of Hiking in Switzerland in order to recognize closures and restricted areas.

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