Alpine route

Sign on the alpine route at Piz Uccello, Switzerland
Swiss signs: hiking trails in yellow,
mountain path in white-red-white,
Alpine Route in white-blue-white

An alpine route (German: Alpine Routen) or high alpine route (German: Hochalpine Routen) is a trail or climbing route through difficult terrain in high mountains such as the Alps, sometimes with no obvious path. In the Alps, the various alpine clubs define and mark an alpine route, also called alpinweg or alpinwanderweg (alpine hiking trail). More generally, the term is used for routes of crossing the Alps, such as Roman crossings and Napoleon crossing the Alps. It is also used to describe routes (trails, roads, and railroads) in other mountains with alpine conditions.