Four Springs Route: Stage 1 From Oberalppass to the Rhine source

Hike from source to source and stay overnight along the route: The Four Springs Route in the Gotthard region allows you to explore the area where four rivers originate in five daily stages. Experience the water divide and weather divide of Europe on the Four Springs Route. In the legendary Gotthard massif, you hike to the four sources Rhine, Reuss, Ticino and Rhone, which flow in all four cardinal directions. The alpine hiking trail is divided into five daily stages.

The first stage starts at Oberalppass and ends at the Vermigelhütte. The path leads to the source of the Rhine at Tomasee. The Rhine then flows through the canton of Graubünden to Schaffhausen's Rhine Falls. From there, the Rhine flows via Basel through Germany to the sea in Holland. From Tomasee, the route continues over the Maighelspass where the idyllic Portgerensee invites you to linger. Then you begin the descent to Vermigelhütte.