A 12-Day Hiking Route in the Swiss Alps
Here's the 2 week hiking route I took in Switzerland. This is the Classic Walker's Haute Route, which starts in Chamonix, France near Mont Blanc and ends in Zermatt, Switzerland by the Matterhorn.
While there are guided and group options, I think the cost is completely unnecessary. I did this completely solo and self-guided - the route is well traveled, you almost always have cell signal, and you're never far away from civilization. In fact, you can cut down on the mileage or skip portions using buses, trains, and gondolas. In order to stay on schedule, I ended up doing this twice because of bad weather + poor distance estimation.
| Day | Activity | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 0.1 | Fly into Geneva | Free day in Geneva (or you can continue to Chamonix. If you are really short on time then you can take a shuttle to Chamonix and then take the train to Argentiere, so you cut off 2 days). Send off luggage at the SBB to pick up at the end, in Zermatt (more on that later) | |
| Day 0.2 | Shuttle or car to Chamonix | There's a number of shuttles (around $20 euro) to Chamonix, since Chamonix is the start of the Mont Blanc circuit as well. I used a carpooling service and paid $8 for the 1.5 hour ride. | Bla Bla Car |
| Day 1 | Free day in Chamonix | Chamonix is a touristy alpine village. Popular in the summer for hiking and in winter for skiing. You can take a cable car up to Aiguille du Midi if weather is good. There is also the glacier you can see from the town. You can also hike 2 hours to Argentière and stay there overnight, in order to avoid taking the morning train. | |
| Day 2 | Trek Argentière to Trient/Forclaz (Distance: 14km. Altitude: +1100m / -1100m) | Take a morning train from Chamonix to Argentiere (20 mins) and begin the ascent. There is a Gondola in Le Tour midway, however it wasn't working when I was there. | AllTrails Map |
| Day 3 | Trek Trient/Forclaz to Champex via Fenêtre d’Arpette (Distance: 16km. Altitude: +1411m / -1200m) | A very long but majestic day. Starts off with an easy stroll and goes into a brutal steep ascent through spectacular scenery up the high pass known as the Fenêtre d'Arpette. Then a steep descent through the Val d'Arpette to Champex. | AllTrails Map |
| Day 4 | Champex to the Cabane de Mont Fort (Distance: 20km. Altitude: +1305m / -1200m) | The prior day destroyed my body, so I skipped most of the trek this day by using a bus to get to Verbier and then the Gondola up to Les Ruinettes. From there it is an hour walk to the mountain hut Cabane de Mont Fort. No regrets - I got to enjoy the views from the Cabane for longer. | AllTrails Map (Part 1), AllTrails Map (Part 2) |
| Day 5 | Cabane de Mont Fort to the Cabane de Prafleuri (Distance: 19km. Altitude: +1500m / -500m) | This is a long day with 4 mountain passes. All are beautiful, but you really have to work for it. The trail involves some scrambling over rocks multiple times. Because it was late June, it also involved snow for me. Make sure to stay in Cabane De Prafleuri or one of the nearby cabins (book in advance). The town lodging is too far away. | AllTrails Map |
| Day 6 | Cabane de Prafleuri to Arolla (Distance: 18km. Altitude: +730m / -1000m) | A very nice day that starts with walking around Lac De Dix, then a steep ascent to Pigne d'Arolla. After, you must get around Col de Riedmatten, which you can do by either climbing steeply up (in volcanic-ish finer grained sand), or take a more direct route up the Pas de Chèvres ladders. The ladders are very sturdy, just don't look down. | AllTrails Map |
| Day 7 | Arolla to Molignon/La Sage (Distance: 10km. Altitude: +300m / -500m) | This was a pleasant short day. Make sure you take the trail through Lac Bleu. If you are too tired, a bus will have you in La Sage in 25 minutes. | AllTrails Map |
| Day 8 | Molignon/La Sage to Cabane De Moiry (Distance: 14km. Altitude: +2000m / -500m) | This is an extra stop - you could instead go straight to Zinal (may need a bus). However, Cabane De Moiry is situated right up against a glacier with very nice views. For this hike, its 2 mountain passes, then a descent to the lake, and topped up with a final ascent to the cabin. You can cheat and take a bus to the lake, but the final ascent to the cabin is only by foot. | AllTrails Map |
| Day 9 | Cabane de Moiry to Zinal (Distance: 19km. Altitude: +700m / -1000m) | The first part of this hike is pleasant. Then there is a giant steep hill with cow manure (and cows) to make it up to Corne de Sorebois. To make this day less painful, Corne de Sorebois has a gondola that will take you down straight into Zinal. If you want to skip this walk altogether, descend from the Cabane (1 hour) and take a bus straight into Zinal. If you have FOMO, take the Gondola up to Corne de Sorebois. | AllTrails Map |
| Day 10 | Zinal to Gruben (Distance: 19km. Altitude: +1400m / -8000m) | A very nice day with one mountain pass (through Forcletta) and a lot of glacier views. | AllTrails Map |
| Day 11 | Gruben to Randa/EuropaHutt (Distance: 14km*) | The true mileage of this day is over 30km, so it cannot be done in a day without the use of a Gondola and a train. 13km/1000m elevation gain to hike up Gruben to Jungu, then take a gondola down to St. Niklaus. From there, take a train to Randa. If you want to stay in EuropaHutt (highly recommend), then it is another 1.5 hours uphill trek to make your final day easier. I had very bad weather on this day so I took a bus/gondola/train combination from Gruben to Randa and only hiked up to Europahutt. The all-foot alternative is to make this into two days: Gruben to Grachen, then Grachen to Europahutt. | AllTrails Map |
| Day 12 | EuropaHutt to Zermatt (Distance: 17km. Altitude: +1060m / -900m) | Take the Europaweg (the high pass) route to cross the super cool Charles Kuonen suspension bridge and see amazing views of the Matterhorn. If the weather is bad, there is a valley floor option (or just take the train at that point) | AllTrails Map |
| Day 13 | Train to Zurich (or Geneva) | Take a wonderful Swiss train to Zurich or Geneva, depending on where you fly out of. I highly recommend the Zurich option. |
Tips
- The Haute Route is one of the harder treks in Switzerland, though it stays under 3000m in elevation, so you do not ever feel the effects of altitude. It's open end of June through September, when there is no snow. An easier (and introductory) route is the Mont Blanc circuit, which I saw many a middle-aged folk undertake.
- While there are many tour operators (some offer a guide, and some offer a "self-guided" version where they just do the bookings and map for you), you most definitely don't need a guide. The lodging must be booked in advance and it can be a pain.
- Best write up for self-guided Haute Route is here. His AllTrails map is what I used as my guide. This is also the best resource if you want to camp instead of staying in huts/lodges. Here are some other resources: hikingclub, montblanctreks, knifeedgeoutdoor, guide. There is even a book about this route, which details each stage, alternatives, and tips: book link
- Some people opt to have luggage transfered to each of their stages - this usually costs a couple extra hundred dollars, in addition to the tour operator cost. If you are doing entirely self-guided, be prepared to carry everything you need for the two weeks. You do not need to carry all your food, as each hut will give you breakfast and dinner, you can order a lunch picnic, and most villages have a grocery store. I did it with a 28L backpack that was bursting at the seams (in hindsight, a 35-40L is what you should bring, with waist belt support). Also bring some air freshener because after 2 weeks, no matter how diligently you did laundry, your clothes will not smell fresh.
- The Haute Route is point to point, so if you don't want to return to Geneva, you need to do something about your luggage, if you had any. After some research, I found that the Swiss rail will send your luggage to your destination for ~50 euros. I send my suitcase from Geneva to Zermatt with no issue: luggage transport.
- Switzerland uses the Swiss Franc, not the Euro. However, every place I went took credit card, so cash wasn't needed (though I kept $100 for emergency)
- The paths are well-marked for the most part, however I strongly recommend a GPS and offline navigation. I used the AllTrails App to navigate offline, as some of the remote areas did lose cell service.
- Bring powdered laundry detergent, as you'll be washing your items in the sink for the two weeks.
- Switzerland has one of the best and densest public transportation networks available. Google maps will plot the best route using bus, gondola, and trains. The schedules are accurate down to the second. Pretty much any day on this route can be skipped and done via public transit (without the view of course) The Swiss app is called SBB, where you can buy all your tickets. Omio is another great option for train tickets. You do not have to purchase in advance, but the trains do get pricey on the same day (think $40 for a one way).
- Switzerland is very green. That also means it is rainy. On average, at the end of June I ran into rain about every 2-3 days. It is miserable to trek in rain, so the best thing to do is to avoid it. Start earlier (6am) to be done by the afternoon, when rain showers are most likely. If the weather is very bad, consider just skipping - even if you slog up up that mountain, if its covered in clouds you won't see a thing.
- Book all your lodging ahead of time. It's a very popular destination, not just for multi-day trekkers, so space fills up quickly.
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