Two-Day Hike from Crans-Montana over the Rawil Pass -- Part 1

(This post created and published on February 27, 2025)

Thursday and Friday September 5 & 6, 2013 -- I did this hike on my own about 25 years earlier and had such great memories, we just had to do it again. It was even better this time. We took transit to Crans-Montana in the French part of Switzerland (near Lake Geneva and best-known for World Cup Downhill skiing) and walked four hours to the Tseuzier Dam way up in the valley of the Liène River.

The trail takes you along the stunning historical water canal "Bisse du Ro", built in the 14th century and completed in 1903. It is incredible to think how they built the canal into the vertical rock faces; walking the plank bridges requires no fear of heights! It was quite exciting. 

The walk to the Tseuzier Dam is about 11 kilometers and takes about four hours. We started in Crans-Montana at about 11:30, and reached the stunning dam and reservoir at about 4:15 p.m.  

We got a small room for the night at the restaurant by the dam, and since the owner had to go into the valley for supplies, he left us in charge of our own breakfast and locking up in the morning!  (Photos from the second day are HERE).

From Sierre, the bus climbs the winding roads up the vineyards toward Crans-Montana. This is in the Rhône Valley.   

As the bus reaches the village of Lens, we are now in the valley of the Liène River, looking down the Rhône Valley. 

Passing through the village of Lens

In Crans-Montana there are very many chalets as it is a resort town. The geraniums on the balconies are spectacular. 

After traveling for almost four hours, we started on our walk at about 11:30, heading toward the "Barrage de Tseuzier" (Tseuzier Dam). According to this trail marker, 3 hours and 20 minutes, but we took a longer trail to get to the dam. 

The walk from Crans-Montana to the Tseuzier dam takes almost four hours, and follows the ancient irrigation channel called "Ancien Bisse du Ro". We got to the dam at about 4:30 p.m., so took about five hours to walk this. 

The first view we got of the dam at the very back of the valley. (On the second day, we continued behind the reservoir lake and crossed the pass in the center of the photo). 

The start of our hike was along a standard irrigation channel on a nice footpath. 

Then we got to the exciting part along wooden walkways, secured with hand-rails here. The channels were hand-hewn into the cliffs, and therefore there were overhangs at several places. 

Walking along the wooden planks, with hand rails! The channel was no longer carrying water. 

Lovely walk through the forest.

Another look at the dam, the goal of our hike. 

There were workers along the trail, fixing up sections of planks to make it safer to walk. 

A fixed up section of the trail, planks attached to vertical cliffs. 

We came across workers doing upgrades to the trail, to make it safer

It's looking good!

Another look at the dam

A zoomed view of the fabulous Tseuzier Dam. (We descended to the dam from the right). 

Not everyone would want to walk along these boards!

The overhang here was so large that Urs had to go down on his knees to get past here!

VIDEO:

Poor Urs has too duck to pass along this overhang!

Now we got to the really exciting part of the hike! The warning sign has the most unusual English translation: "On the fellows 200m of this trail a certain risk of stony falls exists. On this trail it is officially forbidden to stop and it is recommended do not leave this trail."

There was a cable mounted on the cliff wall to give a sense of security. But the narrow trail looks a bit "dodgy". This is the 200-meter stretch with risk of "Stony Falls"!

Those planks are simply laid on top of each other here. And who would want to risk leaving the trail here! But I did have to stop to take this photo, even with the risk of "stony falls". 

This narrow trail was around the inside of a section of the mountain which had come down at some point. After getting back on a "safer" section of trail, we look back to see the planks which we have just crossed!

VIDEO:

This was the very exciting section of trail, 

where we had to walk very carefully!

Panorama view into the valley, steep below us!

Heading up the mountain now along a side valley called "Les Toules"

One option would have been to take a trail through that clearing and reach the dam (around the corner) from there. But we chose to go on a higher trail. 

From here we can now look down the entire valley toward the south. It's too bad that it's so hazy. 

We are now higher up than the lake. This is why we chose the higher trail, so we could see the lake from above!

Final stretch now down to the lake. 

Now we are at the level of the dam. It's now close to 4:30 p.m. 

Crossing the fabulous Tseuzier Dam. 

A look directly down from the dam to the Liène River. We walked up the valley along the left side of this photo. 

We went to check in to the hotel, but had to wait to have our dinner, which we had ordered beforehand. (The restaurant was closing at 6 p.m. and then we had a private dinner!) It was very windy now at shortly before 6 p.m., but we spent some more time outside watching the evening light on the lake. At the arrow is where we are going to cross the next day. 

This is the "Restaurant du Barrage de Tseuzier" which serves visitors during the day till about 6 p.m. There was a double-room which we reserved for the night, and were the only guests there!

We were the only guests after 6 p.m. and were able to enjoy a private fondu for two (included with the cost of the overnight)! After this, the host had to return out of the valley to pick up some venison, and he left us up here by ourselves for the night! (Because we were planning to head out on our walk before he returned, he showed us where all the stuff was for our breakfast, i.e. where the orange juice was, where we could make our own coffee, and the cheese, sausage and bread which he had prepared for us!)

Region of the Tseuzier Lake between Sion and Sierre. Our hike took us from the French-speaking Canton Valais over the Rawil Pass and toward Lenk in the German-Speaking Canton of Bern. 

This is the room in the basement where we spent the night. Unfortunately the restaurant telephone rang some time in the middle of the night, and woke us up! (We didn't know where it was, to answer it). 

A 7:30 the next morning we helped ourselves to all the stuff in the fridge and the sideboard which the host had prepared for our breakfast. This was so much fun, being all alone in the restaurant!

Our breakfast at 7:30 in the morning all alone in the restaurant! (We didn't know where the light switch was, so it was pretty dark in here!). The host had told us where to exit the restaurant so we didn't have to lock up. At 8:15 we were all ready to head out on the second day of our hike!