Itinerary

The Haute Route Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Geneva, Switzerland airport and take a shuttle to Chamonix (about 1:30 hours). We will spend a night at a hotel in Chamonix, France. We will have a trip meeting at 5pm in the hotel lobby followed by dinner.

• Chamonix altitude: 1,035 m/3,395 ft.

Day 2

Chamonix – Le Tour – Col de Forclaz

After coffee and croissants, we can either take the lift system of Le Tour up to Col de Balme, or instead, we can hike up the winding trails of the Aiguille de Posettes. At the Col de Balme, we cross into Switzerland and descend down steep forested trails to the village of Trient. On the other side of the small valley, we climb up a few hundred feet to the col de Forclaz, where we stay the night in a small mountain hut. We have great views of the wild north side of the Aiguille du Tour and the Glacier des Grandes. The col de Forclaz has a few bits of WWII history hidden under boulders and in disguised houses.

• Le Tour 1400m/4590ft
• Col de Balme 2200m/7217ft
• Trient 1300m/4265ft
• Col de Forclaz 1527m/5009ft
• 15km/9mi hiking and 1200m/4000ft of ascent
• Travel time trekking: 5.5-6.5hrs

Day 3

Col de Forclaz-Champex

Our destination today is the quaint Swiss village of Champex. We traverse the northern extent of the Mont Blanc Massif, with views into the Rhone Valley and beyond. After a quick cup of coffee at the Bovine (amidst the jingling of cowbells) we continue down steep terrain into Champex-Lac where we rest in another mountain hut for the night.

• Col de Forclaz 1527m/5009ft
• Bovine: 1975m/6480ft
• Champex-Lac: 2,462m/8,078ft
• Vertical gain trekking: 14km/8.7mi hiking, 1000m/3280ft of ascent
• Travel time trekking: 5-6hrs

Day 4

Champex-Ruinettes-Louvie
We take a taxi to Le Chable, where some may restock provisions since we will spend the next two nights in remote mountain huts. Next, we take a lift up into Verbier. One more lift takes us to Les Ruinettes where we begin one of the more arduous days along the Haute route, but the views are worth it. After 11km and 1000m of elevation gain, we arrive at the Cabane de Louvie for the night.

• Ruinettes 2250m/7382ft
• Cabane de Louvie 2240m/7350ft
• 11km/6.75mi trekking, and 450m/1500ft of ascent
• Travel time trekking: 5.5 -7 hours

Day 5

Louvie-Prafleuri
An early departure from Cabane de Louvie allows us to appreciate the soft morning light on the surrounding peaks. Trails through wildflowers, around lakes, and beneath glaciers take us to the Col de Louvie at 2910m. From here, the trail becomes much more wild and rough, as it navigates beneath the glaciated Rosablanche and Grand Mont Calme, just above us. The Col de Prafleuri is the end of most difficulties and we enjoy the descent down to the Cabane de Praefluri for the evening.

• Cabane de Louvie 2240m/7350ft
• Col de Louvie 2915m/9564ft
• Col de Prafleuri 2985m/9793ft
• Cabane de Prafleuri 2650m/8694ft
• 11.5km/7mi of trekking and 1250m/4100ft of ascent
• Travel time trekking: 6-8 hrs

Day 6

Prafleuri-Arolla

A night at the Prafleuri allows us to savor the simplicity of a mountain refuge. Once we head out the door we immediately ascend the Col de Roux (2804) to view the immense Lac de Dix, which we hike around. A long flat trail around the lake provides perfect wildflower viewing. Upon arrival at the end of the lake, we must gear down for the ascent to the Col de Riedmatten (2918m) before a final descent down the grassy ski pistes into the character-rich Hotel Kurhaus in Arolla.

• Cabane de Prafleuri 2650m/8694ft
• Col de Roux 2804m/9200ft
• Col de Riedmatten 2918m/9573ft
• Arolla 2069m/6788ft
• 16km/10mi of trekking and 700m/2300ft of ascent
• Travel time trekking: 6-8 hrs

Day 7

Arolla to St Luc
We use a taxi to shorten the day just a little bit, and start our hiking in La Sage/Mayens du Cotter. An early start to beat the heat keeps things comfortable as we walk up a steep trail through sheep pastures, with jagged glaciated peaks in the distance. Our high point is the Col de Torrent. The other side provides an opportunity to savor more views and wildflowers, and at the dam we often can get a soft drink or ice cream cone while waiting for a public bus or taxi to take us to St Luc, where a Funicular delivers us within a 30 minute walk from the Cabane de Bella Tola.

• Le Sage/Mayens du Cotter 2050m/6725ft
• Col de Torrent 2916m/9567ft
• Moiry Dam 2248m/7375ft
• Cabane Bella Tola 2347m/7700ft
• 11km/6.8mi of trekking, 1000m/3280ft of ascent
• Travel time trekking: 4.5-5.5hrs

Day 8

Cabane Bella Tola – Gruben
We travel another straightforward walk up fields of alpine wildflowers. However, this time we are treated to views of the Weisshorn (4505m), Zinal Rothorn (4221m), and other jagged peaks surrounding the Zermatt valley. If we are lucky, we can even see the tippy top of the Matterhorn (4478m). After passing the steep and bouldery Meidipass, a more gentle descent brings us down to Gruben, where we stay in the Schwarzhorn hotel.

• Cabane Bella Tola 2347m/7700ft
• Meidipass 2789m/9150ft
• Schwarzhorn Hotel Gruben 1320m/4330ft
• 12km/7.5mi of trekking, 700m/2297ft of ascent
• Travel time trekking: 5-6 hrs

Day 9

Gruben-St Niklaus
Our final day of trekking will bring us to the Mattertal valley and Zermatt. One long climb up the trail brings us to Augstbordpass, where we savor the views before our final descent. After a few km, our trail takes us steeply around the Twära – someone has done a lot of trailwork to place these big stones so perfectly! After a few hundred more meters, we find ourselves in Jungu- a tiny village accessed only by cable car (or steep trail!). We take the relaxing mechanized option down to St Niklaus, where a short train ride brings us into downtown Zermatt, our hotel, and views of the Matterhorn.

• Schwarzhorn Hotel Gruben 1320m/4330ft
• Augstbordpass 2892m/9488ft
• Jungu 1954m/6410ft
• 12km/7.5mi of trekking, 1070m/3510ft of ascent
• Travel time trekking: 5-6 hrs

Day 10

Depart Zermatt via train to Geneva or Zurich. When booking flights, trekkers should be aware the train ride is 4–4.5 hours. The first train departs around 5 a.m.