Walker’s Haute Route – East

The hike starts off easy, without tackling the high mountains immediately. The route from Arolla to Les Hauderes takes you past typical Swiss villages and through lush forests; in between, you can detour to the fairytale-like Lac Bleu. The day ends at the tiny village of La Sage.

You’ll start by climbing up from the valley floor towards a ridge above Val d’Hérens, crossing it at its lowest point in Col du Tsate. After a descent to the small Lac Châteaupré, you’ll head up along the Moiry Glacier. After the terrain becomes rocky and you start to get a closer look at the glacier, switchbacks will take you to your goal and one of the best-situated huts on the route. The Cabane du Moiry has a great atmosphere and is for many people a destination on its own.

After breakfast at the panoramic windows of the dining room at our hut, continue down the path you took yesterday to Lac de Moiry. The ascent then leads towards Col de Sorebois, an outstanding view over Val d’Anniviers and its iconic peaks like Weisshorn (4505 m). The descent to Zinal is steep and long but can be shortened about halfway by a cable car.

Today, you'll be entering territory in Switzerland that's primarily German-speaking. The trail ascends high above the Zinal Valley and offers great views of the valley's head each time you look behind. The shortest route to the Turtmanntal Valley is across Forcletta Pass. If you have more time, you can extend the hike by staying overnight at the Victorian Hotel Weisshorn and then hiking across Meidpass the next day. Either way you the stage in Gruben, a small village inhabited only in the summer.

If you decided to stay the night at Hotel Weisshorn, you’ve made the right choice. The hotel interior is like from an old story, while the views are incredible. After the morning breakfast, you will make your way up alpine meadows to Meidpass. There, a gorgeous view will open up with the 4505 m tall Weisshorn dominating it. Descend down both rocky and green alpine landscape, pass some Swiss hamlets, enter the forest, and finally end up in the village of Gruben, richer for an extra day of beauty.

Today’s walk is full of contrasts. From the green forests above Gruden, you’ll pass over the Augstbordpass, once a historical trade route used by traders carrying salt and cattle to Italy. After you come around the corner and see the Mattertal valley before you, your jaw will drop. Although you won’t see Matterhorn yet, you can admire the sight of Dom (4545 m), the highest peak entirely in Swiss territory. Past the lovely hamlet of Jungen, you then descend into St. Niklaus.

The last two-day stretch on the Walker’s Haute features one of the best hikes in the alp, the Europaweg. Redesigned in 2021, because of a landslide, its first part now takes you from Gasenried to Herbriggen at a lower altitude. But we suggest you skip this part, taking the valley route from St. Niklaus to Herbriggen. Otherwise, this stage is needlessly long without any extra great views. From Herbriggen, a long but grand ascent to the Europahutte begins. With epic views at every stop, including panoramas with Weisshorn, you’ll cross bridges and soon arrive at the hut.

The end of your journey will be marked with a crossing over the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world, high above the valley floor, with a view of the imposing Matterhorn at the end of the valley. After Sunegga, descend down into Zermatt — the end of your Haute Route.