While the first half of our Walker’s Haute Route had been a mix of weaving in and out, the second half is notable for most days being on a theme of up→over→down into the next valley.
Day 8 | La Sage → Cabane de Moiry | 10.29km ↑1661m ↓542m
After a long day the day before, we opted to get the post-bus from Les Haudères up a couple of hundred metres to La Sage and start from there. As with most of the days, heading roughly west to east towards Zermatt means that the morning ascents are in the shade for the most part, and for this day with 1600m of ascent to come, the shade was welcome as we steadily gained height.
A final scree scramble to the Col du Tsaté (2868m), and then down past Lac de la Bayenna to the road-end above Lac de Moiry. From there the path ambled steadily up a ridge of lateral moraine before a steep zig-zag climb up the last 150m to Cabane de Moiry (2825m).
Cabane de Moiry (2825m, CHF109pp) is a spectacular mixture of the historic hut from 1924 (fully refurbished) joined to a new modern extension built in 2010 (for a combined total of 128 beds) with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Glacier de Moiry close by. We were really glad to be able to get a booking at this popular hut, the popularity due to its relative proximity (about 1.5hr hike) to the Postbus-served road-end above Lac de Moiry in the valley below.
Day 9 | Cabane de Moiry → Serebois | 12.14km ↑594m ↓975m
Little bit of light rain briefly this morning, but steady progress back down the valley, sidling along well above Lac de Moiry before climbing steeply up and over to the Serebois ski area above Zinal. In the interests of preserving our creaky knees (and feeling like we’d earned it anyway after all the up!) we treated ourselves to a gondola ride down the last 800m to the village of Zinal. Unfortunately the cloud that had drizzled on us earlier in the day remained, blocking what should have been spectacular views of the Weisshorn & Zinalrothorn, etc.
Getting into September, it definitely feels like shoulder season already in these valleys. Zinal is a lovely village though, still a good selection of places to choose from for a meal out, and a comfortable night’s rest at Hotel La Pointe de Zinal.
Day 10 | Zinal → Gruben | 16.58km ↑1261m ↓1085m
Now getting used to the regular steep early climb out of the morning valley, once again in the shade fortunately. Beautiful views back to the peaks at the head of the valley, including the Dent Blanche (4357m). Long sidle along the valley before another steady climb up to the Col de la Forcletta (2875m). We stopped for a lunch break here, enjoying the view all the way back to Mont Blanc, now 80km away as the chough flies.
Then on down past farmlets and through the woods to the hamlet of Gruben (today’s hike also notable for switching from the French-speaking part of Switzerland to the German) in the Turtmanntal. This valley doesn’t have a Postbus service and is effectively occupied summer-only even though the Hotel Schwarzhorn in the hamlet is a substantial building.
Day 11 | Gruben → St Nicklaus | 13.76km ↑1158m ↓1350m
As the Cicerone Press guide Trekking Chamonix to Zermatt says, “this stage is one of the finest of them all, and a walk to stand comparison wuth amost any other day’s outing in the Pennine Alps”. The trail over the Augstbordpass has been used since the Middle Ages as a trading route between the Rhone Valley and Italy.
Once over the Augstbordpass, there are a couple of boulder-fields to navigate on the sidle round to Twära (2500m) where the track turns relatively abruptly round the corner and the magnificent view up the Mattertal opens up, with the Nadelhorn, Lenspitz & Dom across the valley, the Weisshorn, and then the Breithorn, Castor & Pollux etc at the head of the valley. The Matterhorn itself remains tantalisingly unseen for now.
The track wends its way down the steep valley sides to the hamlet of Jungen/Jungu (1955m), still 900m above the valley floor. A beautiful collection of old chalets and haybarns, a lovingly maintained little chapel, and a mountain restaurant. Once again, we decided to be kind to our knees and braved the tiny 4-person cablecar down to St Nicklaus. No room inside for packs, so they go in racks on the outside; no lift operator either, so it’s simply a question of making sure you don’t fall off the platform while getting in, and then pay at the bottom.
Plenty of accommodation options in St Nicklaus; we stayed at Hotel La Reserve, very comfortable rooms, restaurant meal was delicious!
Day 12 | St Nicklaus → Europahütte | 11.35km ↑1313m ↓182m
The first half today was a gentle walk up a side road from St Nicklaud to Herbriggen before turning left and grinding our way up towards our final hut of the trip, the Europahütte (2265m; 90CHFpp). Again a very popular hut, with a spectacular location near the treeline facing the Weisshorn across the valley and with continuing views to the other big peaks at the head of the Mattertal along with a little glimpse of our final destination of Zermatt (but still no Matterhorn!).
Day 13a | Europahütte → Täsch | 7.38km ↑104m ↓906m
After watching tame ibex grazing almost within arms length around the hut, today became a day of two halves. We dropped down from the hut to cross the 500m long Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge, the longest pedestrian bridge in the Alps.
After the bridge, there is unfortunately a long term closure of the Europaweg high track towards Zermatt. Various options are available, but they all basically involve dropping back down to the valley floor. We followed a pleasant track down towards Randa spotting ibex, chamois & squirrels, and then on up valley to Täsch (a busy village as this is where the road ends in the Mattertal, with visitors to the car-free town of Zermatt taking the train onwards from Täsch).
Day 13b | Täschalp → Zermatt | 11.97km ↑335m ↓857m
From Täsch, we booked a shuttle bus to take our group of eight back up to Täschalp, where we had a delicious final lunch to fuel us for the final leg sidling up the valley.
It doesn’t take long after turning the corner back out of the Täschalp side valley for the Matterhorn to finally show itself and the view from the Europaweg track doesn’t disappoint.
While the tracks get busier and busier with other hikers and tourists as you get closer to Zermatt itself, there is something pretty special about the peace and quiet of car-free Zermatt as a gentle re-introduction to the hustle and bustle of real life.
Zermatt
Thanks so much to Jo, Stew, Kath, Greg, Jon & Eamon for the support, camaraderie, games of Uno, and laughs, on this trip. We were so blessed with the weather, the views, the logistics, everything basically! Can highly recommend the Haute Route!
