GPS Off-Road Tour Guide to the Western Alps and Lake Garda

Book including data download

For this GPS Off-Road Touring Guide, we spent two months exploring adventurous trails in Italy and France. The result is a collection of 35 off-road routes through breathtaking mountain scenery. We drove and documented every route ourselves. On some of the trails, we were accompanied by nature photographer Christian Stein.

GPS Off-Road Touring Guide to the Western Alps

This touring guide features 35 detailed off-road route descriptions together with the corresponding waypoint lists.

Some routes follow mountain ridges with spectacular panoramic views, others lead to driveable high points at elevations of up to 3,000 metres, while others take you through magnificent gorges. The guide also includes information about military roads and forts dating from the First World War, as well as useful off-road driving tips.

Each route is given a difficulty rating (SG), making it easier to assess the route in combination with the vehicle classes (FZK). We have also rated the routes using a star system based on our impressions of driving enjoyment, scenic beauty and the overall experience. These star ratings are, of course, highly subjective.

Data Download

With the data download, you will receive the following for each route:
– all GPS tracks and waypoints (GPX)

The ‘GPS Data’ folder contains two subfolders. These include the track and waypoint list for each off-road route in two different file formats: a KML file for viewing in Google Earth and a GPX file, the standard exchange format for navigation software and GPS devices.

We hope you enjoy this touring guide and wish you an exciting and memorable journey.

Sabine and Burkhard Koch

Frequently Asked Questions about the Off-Road Touring Guide to the Western Alps

Can I drive the routes in my Unimog?

Of the 35 routes described in the guide, three or four are suitable and permitted for vehicles the size of a Unimog.

All routes are ideally suited to off-road vehicles such as the Defender, Land Cruiser, Patrol, G-Class, etc.

Almost all routes can be driven in vehicles such as a 4×4 Sprinter, Bremach or 4×4 Daily, provided the vehicle does not exceed 2.7 metres in height and retains its standard factory ground clearance, i.e. no underfloor tanks have been fitted.

Vehicles up to 3 metres high can tackle 28 of the 35 routes. For vehicles over 3 metres high, 26 of the routes in the 4×4 Touring Guide are suitable.

Can I drive the routes on my own, or should I travel in a group for safety reasons?

During the summer months, all routes are regularly used by travellers and local residents. In the event of a technical breakdown, simply stay with your vehicle. You will have good mobile phone reception in around 99% of the areas covered.

Do I need a winch and MT tyres?

No. Neither a winch nor Mud-Terrain (MT) tyres are required. All-Terrain (AT) tyres are perfectly adequate.

Do I definitely need four-wheel drive?

That depends on the route, the time of year and the weather conditions.

In midsummer, when all routes are free of snow and dry, four-wheel drive is not necessarily required. Without four-wheel drive, however, you may need to fill diagonally crossing ditches with stones before driving over them. Sufficient ground clearance and short overhangs are more important than four-wheel drive.

Can I drive the routes in my VW T5 4Motion with a Seikel conversion?

Yes.