Swiss Alps vs. Rocky Mountain National Park

"One last intangible in its favor is that the Alps afford me the opportunity to get away from Americans. We're exhausting, especially during election season"

I am currently on a tour with all Americans. Politics is one subject that is not discussed. In fact, being on tour like this insulates me from all the political morass in the US. Now this is generally true of all the tours I have taken, not just in election season. Overall I am enjoying their company.

I've been thinking recently about similar comparisons of the Berner Oberland to the California Sierras. This year we had the good fortune to spend 6 nights in the Berner Oberland, 4 nights in the Tahoe Sierra, and 4 nights in Yosemite. We are able to get to the Sierras for a few nights most years, and we have done many easy to moderate hikes in both the Tahoe and Yosemite areas, but this was our first visit to the Berner Oberland. I loved them all, but there are some interesting comparisons. Each of the three locations has outstanding and uniquely beautiful features and great trails.

The California Sierras have more of a wilderness feeling, but like you, I enjoyed the transportation options and cultural advantages of the Berner Oberland. We mostly have to do relatively easy hikes now, and the Berner Oberland was great.

One thing I was reflecting on is daily costs, because we hear so much about the high costs of Switzerland. We just got back from Yosemite, where we stayed in the Yosemite Valley Lodge (mid-range for Yosemite). The per night lodge price in Yosemite was more than at the lovely Edelweiss Hotel in Wengen. The Edelweiss included a good breakfast, a friendly and helpful front desk, and was spotless and charming. The Yosemite Lodge did not have those advantages, although the room was much larger and the mattress seemed to be new and was good. Yosemite is remote, and restaurants in the park are limited. A good restaurant meal in Wengen or Murren was slightly less expensive and much better than the best restaurant at the Yosemite Valley Lodge, and the half-board dinner in Wengen was much less expensive. Yosemite does have the historic Ahwahnee lodge, where we had a good buffet breakfast, but the lodging prices there are very high. For both lodges you usually need to reserve a room many months in advance. Tahoe has much more variety of lodging and food options where we stay (near Tahoe City). The price for a good dinner in the Tahoe area is about the same as the cost for a comparable quality dinner at a restaurant in the Berner Oberland.

Overall, if it weren't for the time and expense of flying to Europe, I would probably give the edge to the Swiss Alps. But I am very grateful to be able to get to Tahoe and Yosemite with just a half day drive.

To FastEddie. Try the Italian Dolomites.

Paul beat me to it. Definitely try the Dolomites. I thought they were more visually stunning than the BO area. And the food was sooooo much better, not to mention cheaper. You get the Austrian and Italian cultures, due to the area belonging to both countries over time.

Actually the Dolomites were part of Austria, not Germany, until after WWI. The language may be German , but the culture and food are Austrian.

I could not resist telling this true anecdote. My parents were in the Adirondacks in a gift store and my dad was commenting on how beautiful they were, the trees, lakes and wonderful mountains. The shopkeeper said " you have no idea what you are talking about if you want to really compare things then see the Rockies like I have"! He turned to her and agreed that he had not seen the Rockies. " But if you really want to compare things perhaps you could think of the Himalayas which I have seen! " needless to say she went silent. When they left the store my mother started to chide him for his sarcastic remark. He told her the woman was totally rude and even though he had seen the mountains from troop train he was correct. I just love that story.

Fast Eddie - you went at the right time of year. The area around Grand Lake in September is stunning. I lived in Colorado for 50 years and saw a lot of beautiful fall color, but this took the cake for me.

In 2022, I was in the Berner Oberland for the first time. I loved it but, interestingly, had absolutely no desire to go to any of mountaintops (Jungfrau, Schilthorn, etc.). I'd been living around 14,000-foot peaks since 1962.

Staying in Ortisei in the Dolomites was wonderful, too - I loved that area as well.

Purely subjective, but I give the edge to the Rockies. They are newer, more rugged, and about 30% taller than the Alps.

Au contraire. They are not newer, in that the Rockies ere formed about 55 to 80 million years ago, where as the Swiss Alps were formed 44 million years ago. The Alps are much more rugged IMHO, and the only reason that the Rockies are 30% taller is that they are rising from a plain that is already 5000 feet above sea level, where as the Alps are rising from near sea level. BTW, Mont Blanc in the Alps is 15,771 feet above sea level. Anything in the Rockies that high? I don't think so.

I was born and raised in Colorado and currently live about 1 hour from RMNP. I've also been to the Berner Oberland 5 times. I don't think many areas can compare to the BO. One thing that always strikes me is how "manicured" the mountains in the BO seem. I give Switzerland the edge in natural beauty. There are two places in Colorado that IMHO come close to the beauty in the BO. The first one is Brainard Lake recreation area - very near RMNP. The 2nd is Maroon Bells near aspen. Southwestern Colorado around Telluride and Silverton is also very beautiful, but honestly I think the swiss alps have them beat! I've only been to the southern Dolomites and didn't think them very striking at all.

The main thing to be aware of is that the Alps are not a natural landscape. You are not in a wilderness. You are in a place that has been intensively lived in for at least 2 millennia. That is one of the things that makes the landscape unique, and why it is for example important that we make sure that the mountain villages maintain a permanent population, and that traditional agricultural practices are not lost.

Hello Fellow travelers,
Has anyone been to Denali NP. For me it is one of the most beautiful park I have ever seen. The mountains are stunning, and the tundra is very colorful. Maybe it was so pretty as I went in the last week of August, early September. We also seen Caribou, a Red Fox, a. Grizzlies but far in distance. I have been to Rocky Mt NP but many years ago. If anyone’s been to Denali, I would like to hear your input. BTW We got to see Denali mountain 3 days in a row, which was extremely rare since 30 percent are lucky to view this mountain. Larry

Hard to beat seeing all the elk in RMNP

Swiss Alps wins in terms of landscape beauty and safety but literally there are no wild animals except the cows:(

Way more wiild animals in US National Parks but can be deadly as well:)

I lived in Colorado for a number of years and while the mountains there are pretty, I personally prefer the Canadian Rockies for its turquoise lakes and tourism infrastructure. There really is not much to Estes Park compared to Banff. Banff is also much easier to navigate without a car compared to RMNP. I don't know what the situation is in the Swiss Alps with climate change, but one thing with anywhere in the Rockies to be aware of these days is that wildfires are happening with much more frequency and can really put a damper on your trip if you happen to go when it's very smoky.

Two different beasts despite the aesthetic similarities.

I live in Denver and spend weekends just south of RMNP. Hiking is much more challenging in Colorado due to the lack of lifts. Plus, there are no restaurants at the top of the mountains in Colorado.

The food is fair to middling at best in Estes Park. Middling to good in Switzerland. Culture??? Hands downs for Switzerland.

The Dolomities are my EU favorite for hiking. By Far. However, the best place in the world for me are the San Juan mountains in Southern Colorado. I lived there for 10 years. Paradise with world class food as well.

@Jason - I lived in Montrose, Colorado, for 35 years. A professor friend from Colorado Springs visited and we went to Ouray. He gazed around and said, "The San Juans are the CLASS mountains of Colorado." Agreed!