Walking in Zermatt and Saas-Fee

Map key

Map of the valleys

Route summary table

Introduction

The walking

The valleys

The Matterhorn

The shape of the mountains

Plants and wildlife

When to go

Getting there

Travel in the region

Accommodation

Other local facilities

Weather

Maps

Apps

Equipment

Preparation

Using this guide

Zermatt and the Mattertal

Walk 1 The Trift gorge and Hotel du Trift

Walk 2 Ascent of the Mettelhorn and Platthorn from Trift

Walk 3 Two-day expedition – Schönbielhütte via Höhbalmen

Walk 4 The villages of Zmutt, Zum See and Blatten

Walk 5 Balcony route to Zmutt and the Kulturweg

Walk 6 Zermatt to Sunnegga – the Findeln villages

Walk 7 Gletschergarten and Gorner gorge walk

Walk 8 Schwarzsee and Stafelalp – under the Matterhorn

Walk 9 Schwarzsee to the Hörnlihütte

Walk 10 The Matterhorn Glacier Trail

Walk 11 Gornergrat to Riffelsee, Riffelberg and Riffelalp

Walk 12 Riffelalp and a woodland walk to Grüensee

Walk 13 The Gornergletscher and Monte Rosa Hütte

Walk 14 The mountain restaurants of Findeln

Walk 15 Blauherd to Sunnegga via Tufteren

Walk 16 The Five Lakes Walk in the Findeln valley

Walk 17 The Oberrothorn

Walk 18 Blauherd to Pfulwe and Täschalp

Walk 19 Täsch to Täschalp and the Täschhütte

Walk 20 Täschalp to Zermatt

Grächen, Randa and the lower Mattertal

Walk 21 The Europahütte and Hängebrücke to Täschalp

Walk 22 Schaliberg alp

Walk 23 Jungen, Sparru and the Jungtal

Walk 24 A tour of the villages – Grächen and Gasenried

Walk 25 Grächen leat paths – the Chilcheri and Eggeri

Walk 26 The Ried glacier and the Grathorn

Walk 27 Hannigalp to Grächen via Hohtschugge and Bärgji

Walk 28 Grächen to Hannigalp via Stafel

Walk 29 Ascent of the Wannehorn

Walk 30 The Grächen to Saas-Fee Höhenweg

Saas-Fee and the Saastal

Walk 31 Fee, Almagell, Grund and the Feevispa gorge

Walk 32 Hannig from Saas-Fee

Walk 33 The ascent of Mällig – The Ibex Trail

Walk 34 Gletschergrotte, Spielboden and Längflue

Walk 35 The Gemsweg – a tour of the Saas-Fee valley

Walk 36 The Mischabelhütte

Walk 37 Plattjen

Walk 38 The Britanniahütte by the glacier route

Walk 39 The Felskinn–Plattjen traverse

Walk 40 Saas-Grund to Saas-Fee – the Kapellenweg and Saumweg

Walk 41 Saas-Grund to Saas-Fee via Bideralp

Walk 42 Saas-Grund to Triftalp, Kreuzboden and the Weissmieshütte

Walk 43 The Gspon Höhenweg

Walk 44 The descent of the Saastal – Mattmark to Saas-Balen

Walk 45 Almagelleralp and the Almagellerhütte

Walk 46 The höhenweg from Saas-Almagell to Kreuzboden

Walk 47 Furggstalden and the Furggtälli

Walk 48 Schwarzbergalp and circuit of the Mattmark

Walk 49 The Monte Moro Pass

Walk 50 The Ofental, Jazzilücke and Antronapass

Appendix A Useful contacts

Appendix B 4000m peaks

Appendix C English–German terms

Swiss mapping is excellent and clear. However, it is crucial you buy a Wanderkarte, a map marked with the footpath network – versions without the paths highlighted may be things of beauty, but they are very difficult to use for walking.

Recommended maps are as follows:

Swisstopo 3306T Zermatt–Saas-Fee at 1:33,000 1km = 3cm is essentially a blown-up 1:50,000 scale covering the Zermatt and Saas-Fee centres, including the surrounding mountains but only extending as far north as Täsch and Saas-Balen. Water resistant.

Swisstopo 5028T Monte Rosa – Matterhorn at 1:50,000, 1km = 2cm comprises high-quality mapping in the Swiss style but the scale is perhaps a bit big for walking.

Kümmerly + Frey Zermatt and Saas-Fee at 1:60,000, 1km = 2.5cm covers the whole valley, including Grächen; a match for the Swisstopo in clarity. Water resistant.

Rotten Verlag publishes three maps at a scale of 1:25,000, one each for Zermatt, Grächen/St Niklaus and Saas-Fee. These maps show path numbers, walking times and outline a few walking routes. Although showing more paths at a small scale on a similar base, these can feel a bit harder to use than some of the others.

Map sources are given in Appendix A.

The route maps provided in this guidebook are at 1:50,000, 2cm = 1km. These are derived from open-source data but have been reviewed in detail by the authors. Spellings and heights have been standardised as far as possible against Swisstopo mapping, but be aware that different maps have a range of heights and that signpost heights and spellings may differ from those on the maps.

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