Walking time as vier-quellen-weg.ch states it for this stage; measured on the mapped line: 6 h 10. Climb measured on the mapped line, on terrain heights. Vier-quellen-weg.ch
18.8 kmStage distance
691 mAscent, measured
7 hOfficial time
4Stage number
From the Piansecco-Hütte by Alpe di Cruina towards the Nufenenpass, then down by Ladstafel, Hosand and Kittbrigg to Obergesteln: 20.0 km, 7 h, 857 m up and 1,479 m down, SAC T1 to T2; SchweizMobil gives 19.5 km and 6 h 15. The foundation takes this stage over the Nufenenpass (2,440 m). OpenStreetMap maps the last bit up to the pass road as a spur of about 600 m, walked up and back, so our line keeps to the through path below the pass: walk the spur as a side trip. The Capanna Corno-Gries, about 0.9 km off the path near Cruina, is unguarded now; its winter room must be booked online.
Best season: About mid-June to mid-October, depending on the weather. The foundation that runs the trail gives about mid-June to mid-October, depending on the weather; the trail is not walkable in winter, and snow can lie in high places from the end of August. On 10 October 2026 it reported the whole trail walkable and recommended boots with good tread and poles. But the season for beds is ending: the Vermigel-Hütte is closed until 28 December 2026, the Piansecco-Hütte has been unguarded since 12 October, and the Camona da Maighels is guarded only until 18 October. Before you go
Facts read from the operators' own pages and OpenStreetMap on 13 October 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with the hut before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage start
Piansecco-Hütte
Staffed mountain hut · Swiss Alpine Club, section Bellinzona e Valli
Season
2026 5 June 2026 to 11 October 2026 Guarded from 5 June to 11 October 2026.Outside the season: From 12 October to 18 December 2026 the hut is guarded only now and then, by arrangement; otherwise it is open unguarded, with 12 places and a kitchen, booked online.capannapiansecco.ch, read 13 October 20262026/27 19 December 2026 to 11 April 2027 Guarded again from 19 December 2026 to 11 April 2027.Outside the season: Between its guarded seasons the hut stays open unguarded, with 12 places and a kitchen, booked online.capannapiansecco.ch, read 13 October 2026
Places
42 places in total
Booking
Book onlineBook online only, in the guarded and the unguarded periods: not by e-mail or phone. The foundation says a booking is compulsory.
Stage 4 ends in Obergesteln, in the Goms valley, with trains of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn; the foundation also names hotels in Ulrichen. Hotel Hubertus here closes after 18 October 2026, until 25 November; the Hotel Astoria in Ulrichen is closed until 27 November.
A town or village: find accommodation yourself. TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
No permit is needed, but the Vermigel-Hütte and the Piansecco-Hütte must be booked, online only; the Camona da Maighels books online too, and hotels book direct. In October, plan each night from the operators' own pages. On 13 October 2026: the Vermigel-Hütte is closed until 28 December, with no winter room; the Piansecco-Hütte is unguarded, with 12 places and a kitchen; the Camona da Maighels is guarded until 18 October; the Hotel Belvédère and the Hotel Glacier du Rhône are closed; Hotel Hubertus in Obergesteln closes after 18 October; and the Hotel Astoria in Ulrichen is closed until 27 November. The Gotthard Pass hotels publish no season: ask when you book.
Oberalppass to the Furkapass
The foundation's five stages, a night at the end of each.
Loading the forecast for low point (1,349 m) and high point (2,447 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this stage: at the lowest point (1,349 m) and the highest point (2,447 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
Monthly climate averages and daylight
Month
Weather
Poor
Poor
Poor
Poor
Poor
Poor
Good
Good
Mixed
Mixed
Poor
Poor
High point, day / night
-4°/-9°
-4°/-10°
-2°/-8°
-1°/-6°
3°/-1°
9°/3°
11°/5°
12°/5°
8°/2°
5°/0°
0°/-5°
-2°/-8°
Low point, day / night
2°/-5°
3°/-6°
5°/-3°
8°/0°
12°/4°
18°/8°
19°/10°
19°/10°
15°/7°
12°/4°
6°/-1°
3°/-4°
Rain, mm
82
65
89
98
115
133
133
130
104
121
121
91
Snow at high point
Likely
Likely
Likely
Likely
Likely
Likely
–
–
–
Possible
Likely
Likely
Daylight
8 h 58
10 h 18
11 h 49
13 h 31
14 h 58
15 h 48
15 h 29
14 h 15
12 h 38
11 h
9 h 28
8 h 37
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Prepare for the Vier-Quellen-Weg
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Hut seasons in October
Closed now: the Vermigel-Hütte (20 beds), until 28 December 2026, with no winter room. Unguarded now: the Piansecco-Hütte (42 beds) since 12 October, guarded only now and then by arrangement until 18 December, otherwise 12 places with a kitchen, booked online only; guarded again from 19 December. Open a few more days: the Camona da Maighels (92 beds), guarded until 18 October, then a winter room for up to 14 until its winter season starts on 5 or 6 December. The Capanna Corno-Gries near Cruina is unguarded, with a winter room booked online (the huts' own pages, read 13 October 2026).
The old mountain path from the Oberalppass to the Tomasee is closed after a rock fall, from 7 July 2026 to at least 31 December 2026. Our line already follows the new, signposted path, about 30 minutes longer. A harder route over the Pazolastock takes 3 h 50 to the Tomasee (SchweizMobil's detour record and the foundation's stage 1 page, read 13 October 2026).
The foundation takes stage 4 over the Nufenenpass at 2,440 m. Our line keeps to the through path below the pass and leaves out the spur of about 600 m up to the pass road: walk it up and back as a side trip (the foundation's stage 4 page, read 13 October 2026).
The Ospizio, the Albergo and a group hostel on the Gotthard Pass publish no season. In Obergesteln, Hotel Grimsel is open (its restaurant closes on Wednesdays) and Hotel Hubertus closes after 18 October until 25 November; the Hotel Astoria in Ulrichen is closed until 27 November. Hotel Furka in Oberwald takes guests; the Hotel Belvédère at the end and the Hotel Glacier du Rhône at Gletsch are closed (the hotels' own pages and the foundation's stage 5 page, read 13 October 2026).
On 10 October 2026 the foundation reported the whole trail walkable: wear boots with good tread and take poles. The stages are graded T1 to T3 on the SAC scale and signposted throughout; stages 2 and 3 are the hardest. SchweizMobil warns of sheepdogs with the flocks on stages 3 to 5 (the foundation's news page, read 13 October 2026).
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
To the start at the Oberalppass
The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn crosses the Oberalppass between Andermatt and Sedrun and stops at the pass, from Uri or from Graubünden (the foundation's stage 1 page, read 13 October 2026).
From the Vermigel-Hütte, Andermatt is 2 h down on foot; only vehicles with a permit use the road. PostAuto buses cross the Gotthard Pass from Uri and Ticino, and reach All'Acqua and Alpe di Cruina in the Val Bedretto from Airolo station. Obergesteln has Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn trains and PostAuto buses. The pass roads close in winter.
The trail ends at the Belvédère bus stop on the Furkapass road. The PostAuto runs from there towards Valais and Uri, to Realp, Hospental and Andermatt, or down to Gletsch. It is a seasonal pass bus and we could not read its timetable: check before you set off.
Prepare each stage while you still have a connection: the signal can be weak on the passes and in the side valleys.
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Route & sources
Route map & sources
The Stiftung Vier-Quellen-Weg im Gotthardmassiv, which runs the trail, and SchweizMobil (regional route 49) publish the same five stages, from the Oberalppass to the Furkapass at the Belvédère bus stop, with an official stage time for each. The figures shown beside ours on every stage are the foundation's: 14.5, 13.0, 21.5, 20.0 and 17.0 km, 86 km in all (its home page says about 85). SchweizMobil's stage lines measure 13.2, 12.4, 19.8, 19.5 and 17.0 km (82 km), closer to ours, with shorter times. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (relation 3094421, from the planet of 11 October 2026): 80.6 km, the whole trail, a line from one pass to another, not a loop. It is cut at the five stage ends and walked in the foundation's direction: 13.6, 12.0, 19.3, 18.8 and 16.8 km. On stage 1 it already follows the new path round the rock-fall closure below the Tomasee. On stage 4 it keeps to the through path below the Nufenenpass and leaves out the short spur up to the pass. Our climb is measured on terrain heights, so short steep steps are smoothed out.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.