🥾 Via Alpina - Blue Trail
Long-distance hiking route across the Western Alps: Switzerland, Italy, and France
📌 Fast Facts
- Length: approximately 829 kilometers (515 miles)
- Duration: six weeks or more
- Total elevation gain: approximately 50,100 meters (164,400 feet)
- Number of stages: 61
- Best hiking season: June to September
- Difficulty: High — long-distance, high elevation, alpine terrain experience required
- Route: Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (Italy) to Sospel (France)
- Markings: Blue and white Via Alpina signs
The Blue Trail is a long-distance hiking route of the Via Alpina system that traverses approximately 829 kilometers across the Western Alps, passing through Switzerland, Italy, and France. Comprising 61 stages with significant elevation gain, the trail connects the Piedmontese Alps in the north to the Maritime Alps in the south, ending at Sospel where it joins the Red Trail. The route combines alpine landscapes with exposure to regional cultures, historical trade routes, and alpine heritage ...