Alpine Trails is played in rounds in which all players play at the same time. Everyone draws two tiles from the bag at random. Both tiles will need to be placed somewhere on each player's individual map.

All the tiles are double-sided. One side features a segment of trail with a terrain type. The other side displays two icons of a terrain type (often different from the terrain on the reverse side). Players need to choose which side of each tile to play on their own map.

Players simultaneously add their tiles to their own map. Trails must connect to base camp, campsites or other trails. Terrain edges can be adjacent to anything.

If you have a trail that is at least 6 miles long you can spend one of your tiles to build a campsite and put an adorable tent on it which will score major points at the end of the game. Whenever you complete a loop with your trails, you'll get a waterfall to add to your map. Surround your waterfalls to score more points.

Other players' actions can cause you to discover wildlife which you can add to your map–but only if you have an empty place for them.