Start
Friedrichshafener Hut
Ziel
Heidelberger Hut
Weg
Follow the trail that leaves directly from the outdoor patio at the hut and descends. For most of the time, the trail descends directly, cutting the switchbacks of the access road to the hut. Follow the signs to descend to Mathon, taking a left turn away from the trail that descends to Valzur. This will lead you to a fairly direct descent alongside a small stream. Note that on the lower section of the descent, the trail is shared with downhill mountain bikers. While hikers officially have the right of way, be aware of the mountain bikers as they are likely to be moving fast.
When you reach a small, paved road, turn left. Just a few minutes after this, there is a small road that descends to the right signed out for the Lareintal-Lareinalpe and the Ritzenjoch-Heidelberger Hütte (this road is not on all maps). Take this to descend to the main road, unless you need groceries or want stop at a small bakery in Mathon, in this case continue straight for about 10 minutes and return afterward to take this turn.
Cross the main road and you'll find yourself in a large parking lot for a small zoo, called Wildpark Silvretta. To continue the hike, take the dirt road downhill that leaves from the far end of the parking lot to cross a small bridge. From here, there are various routes to the Heidelberger Hut via the Larein Alpe/Lareintal, all of which are well-signed out. You can follow our route, or choose your own. A couple things to note with the signage...""Abk." is short for "Abkürzung," which means shortcut. Taking one of these turns means you'll be on a steeper, but shorter trail. Anything that says "Sackgasse" or "sackweg" is a dead end. Don't take that.
The Lareinalm is a great lunch stop. You can also purchase delicious cheese there, courtesy of their own cows, whom you will hike among for the next several hours.
The hike beyond the Lareinalm continues on the dirt road (if this road is closed, you may have to bypass this closure by descending from the Lareinalp to the parking area and continuing along a fence until you are able to take a series of steps back up to the road). This is a beautiful, peaceful, and scenic gentle walk through the valley. As you near the head of the valley, you will begin to recognize an old hut. This is a former customs hut. Just before the hut, leave the road and cross over the stream onto a trail (note: in 2020 there is a detour in place due to rockfall danger that routes you well beyond the hut - once you arrive back at the stream, return to the hut along the stream (left) where there is a good bridge allowing you to cross and regain the main trail).
You will ascend to the Ritzenjoch (Ritzen Saddle), marking the Austrian-Swiss border. At the saddle/pass, follow the signs for the trail that heads uphill to the left for just a few meters before turning downhill to descend to the Heidelberger Hut. Although this hut is in Switzerland, it is operated by the German Alpine Club. Prices and payment are in Euros, so there is no need to carry Swiss currency.
