Streatching between Chamonix, France and Zermatt, Switzerland, the Haute Raute is one of the world’s premiere treks. Hiking from alpine hut to alpine hut along this famous but remote path, Wilderness Ventures’ groups have the opportunity to experience one of world’s most breathtakingly beautiful environments while sleeping in the traditional high alpine huts operated by the French and Swiss Alpine Clubs. Many people wait their entire lives to have the chance to complete the Haute Route trek, and Wilderness Ventures students are lucky enough to have this amazing opportunity in their teenage years.
Unlike the high alpine environments of North America’s Rocky Mountains, people have been living and working in the highland environments of the Swiss Alps since the origins of European civilization. This human presence brings cultural enrichment to the Haute Route Trek and this European summer camp as a whole. At the same time, this pristine environment offers plenty of unspoiled alpine scenery — craggy spires, ancient glaciers, alpine meadows and breathtaking peaks — to make a scenery lover of each of our students.
Each day, this European summer camp will hike along the ancient high alpine routes, over breathtaking mountain passes and through pastoral fields before resting each night indoors in picturesque Swiss Huts, many perched above tree line with a terrace that overlooks the top of Europe. Each evening, our wilderness adventure students will dine on a hearty Swiss dinner before crawling into bed. Because we sleep indoors and eat breakfast and dinner inside these huts in the company of other travelers, we are able to travel light, covering more ground during each day.
The Haute Route is a 13-day component to our 21-day European Alps International Adventure, one of the many fun and substantive European adventure camps that combine natural exploration with cultural immersion. Aside from completing the Haute Route, Teens on our European Alps international teen adventure camp also climb the famous Breithorn and experience the international splendor of Geneva, the French Commune of Chamonix (bordering both Mont Blanc and Switzerland) and Zermatt, long considered Europe’s foremost ski destination.
For more information on the Haute Route, any of our European summer camps or our teen adventure camps, please contact Wilderness Ventures: 800-533-2281.
