The Hiking World

Vier-Quellen-Weg

Verified OSM relation: SchweizMobil regional hiking route 49, Vier-Quellen-Weg, Oberalppass to Rhonegletscher, 81.8 km OSM 2-D. Vertical figures sampled from Copernicus GLO-30.

Byline

  • The Hiking World editorial · author

    Desk byline for seed records. Named surveying editors replace this once a trail is verified.

Rhône Glacier and the Gotthard massif on the Four Springs Trail

Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.

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Facts46.660, 8.671
Distance81.8 km
osm:relation:3094421 · 2026-09-09 · osm
Ascent+4,238 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · 2026-09-09 · dem · provisional
Descent4,008 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · 2026-09-09 · dem · provisional
High point2,745 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · 2026-09-09 · dem · provisional
Low point1,348 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · 2026-09-09 · dem · provisional
Routepoint-to-point
Days5
Seasonunverified
GradeWanderland: technical mittel, physical schwer · SAC T2–T3 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1

Editorial v1 · Provisional catalog

DifficultyWanderland: technical mittel, physical schwer

Challenging (Gotthard alpine stages)

SAC T2–T3 (mapped — no official SAC grade)
Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful. through Demanding mountain hiking. Exposed sections possible; hands may be needed for balance.
YDS Class 1
Class 1. Walking on an established path; low fall risk.
schweizmobil.ch · 2026-09-09
Wikidata Q104034622

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Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 3094421 (ODbL). The mapped line and 2D length are derived from that geometry. Ascent, descent, and high/low points are sampled from Copernicus GLO-30 (copernicus-dem:glo-30) and remain provisional. Water, permits, and hazards were not taken from OSM tags and must be verified.

OSM 2D length is 81.8 km (relation 3094421; network=rwn, operator=Wanderland Schweiz, ref=49). lengthKm is verified: 81.8 km is 0.25% over the official 81.6 km (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/route-49; ch.astra.wanderland Route attributes (opendata.swiss langsamverkehr-wanderland-schweiz, dataset 2026-02-25, parsed 2026-09-09)). Official km is the ±3% cross-check, not this DataPoint.

DEM high 2,745 m. GLO-30 cumulative ascent 4,238 m is the same order as the official 4,671 m figure (ch.astra.wanderland Route attributes (opendata.swiss langsamverkehr-wanderland-schweiz, dataset 2026-02-25, parsed 2026-09-09)). High point left as Copernicus.

typicalDays 5 is the official SchweizMobil stage count (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/route-49, checked 2026-09-09), not Math.round(lengthKm/12) and not a duration statute. A calendar season is not published on the federal Route record; it is not invented here.

Water was not mapped to named WaterSource points (no honest atFraction). Villages and inns exist; they were not positioned from an official named list this pass.

Water

No water sources recorded.

Permits & fees

No permit required.

Getting there

Sourced legs to the Oberalppass (OSM line start) base start station — where this trail record begins. This is not a route planner: durations are approximate and marked provisional until an official transport page confirms them.

  1. Rail · Zurich (ZRH) → Oberalppass

    Zurich Airport is the usual air gateway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurich_Airport, checked 2026-09-09, CC BY-SA). Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn toward the Oberalp Pass (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberalp_Pass, checked 2026-09-09, CC BY-SA). SchweizMobil route 49 (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/route-49, checked 2026-09-09).

    en.wikipedia.org · 2026-09-09 · wikidata · official · provisional

No walking permit on the Swiss public Wanderland network (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland, checked 2026-09-09). SAC and private hut booking is logistics.

Plan from your location

Type a city, then pick a match. These links open external search tools — they do not fetch fares or timetables.

Trailheads

  • Oberalppass (OSM line start) car-free: yes
  • Rhonegletscher (OSM line end) car-free: yes

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Hazards

  • Alpine/mountain weather on this line: official 4,671 m of walking ascent over 5 stages (ch.astra.wanderland Route attributes (opendata.swiss langsamverkehr-wanderland-schweiz, dataset 2026-02-25, parsed 2026-09-09)). DEM high 2,745 m is a Copernicus sample, not a glacier grade.
  • No walking permit on the Swiss public Wanderland network; SAC and private hut booking is logistics, not a trail permit (https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland, checked 2026-09-09). There is no walking fee on that page.

Questions

Do I need a permit for Vier-Quellen-Weg?

No trail permit is listed on this record for Vier-Quellen-Weg.

How difficult is Vier-Quellen-Weg?

Vier-Quellen-Weg is graded Wanderland: technical mittel, physical schwer · SAC T2–T3 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1. A sourced hazard on this record: Alpine/mountain weather on this line: official 4,671 m of walking ascent over 5 stages (ch.astra.wanderland Route attributes (opendata.swiss langsamverkehr-wanderland-schweiz, dataset 2026-02-25, parsed 2026-09-09)). DEM high 2,745 m is a Copernicus sample, not a glacier grade.

How long is Vier-Quellen-Weg?

The OSM 2-D length on this record is 81.8 km (verified). Published figures may differ. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail

How do I get to Vier-Quellen-Weg?

The record’s base start is Oberalppass (OSM line start). A primary gateway on the record is Zurich Airport (ZRH). Trailhead transit notes are not included in this public FAQ.

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