Following the Rhone River from its Source and down the Goms Valley

One of Europe's most important waterways, the Rhône River, has its source at the Rhône Glacier near the Furka Pass in the Swiss Alps. From the glacier lake near the Hotel Belvedere along the Furka Road, the river cascades down smoothly sanded rock walls into the valley, passes through the little town of Gletsch and then roars through a narrow ravine before leveling out in the Upper Goms Valley on its way to Lake Geneva.

The Rhone Glacier on the back, right, and from the lake the Rhone River flows down the rock wall.

Before the Furka Base Tunnel was opened in 1982 (providing year-round rapid vehicle transport by train instead of having to drive the winding pass road or not getting through in winter at all), the area was serviced by a high altitude train whose overhead electric lines had to be removed in winter and the railway line closed due to high levels of snow. The old railway line was later reopened as a Heritage Line for tourists.

After visiting the Rhône Glacier and Ice Grotto early in the morning we took a bus back to the Furka Pass and headed down to the old Furka Summit Tunnel to watch the crossing of two of these Heritage Steam Trains. 

From there we continued along the valley bottom following the path of the river to Gletsch, the home base of the old railway line and hub for the various pass roads which join here (Furka Pass and Grimsel Pass). 

Approx. route we took. Our goal was Oberwald in the Goms Valley below the ravine. On the left is the Furka Pass road to the East and on the right the Grimsel Pass Road heading West. 

Gletsch. In the early 1900's the Rhone Glacier reached all the way down the wall in the back. 

Along the way, as we stopped for a picnic above the ravine, we got treated to one more run of the heritage steam train coming up from Oberwald.

Our plan was to walk all the way to Oberwald in the Upper Goms Valley at the entrance to the Furka Base Tunnel, but 30 minutes short of our goal dark clouds rapidly filled the sky, and we were able to make it back to the pass road to catch a bus back home, this time over the Grimsel Pass, just before the rain started. 

Thirty minutes short of our goal we headed up the hill to the right to catch a bus back up to Gletsch.

In the mountains, the weather changes quickly.... 

Here some more photos of the hike (10 km, 3.5 hours)

From the bus back to the Furka Pass (on the left) we can see the tunnel of the original Furka Summit Railway line. The steam trains cross just this side of the tunnel. 

Heading down from the Furka Pass. To the West is the Grimsel Pass (our way home)

Zoom view of the "Dead Lake" (Totensee) at the Grimsel Pass. The road comes up from Gletsch.

First the train from Realp to the East....

Then the train from Oberwald from the West.

And here they cross. 

First we visited the ice grotto in the Rhone Glacier, then took a bus back to the Furka Pass, from where we walked into the valley and followed the Rhone River almost to Oberwald.

Back in the early 1900's the Rhone Glacier filled the entire curve in the back (that is just rock now) and flowed down to the valley floor.

Where the Glacier used to be.

Rhone River heading to Geneva.

A Eurasian Nutcracker, participates in reforestation.

Heritage train coming up through the ravine where we are headed.

                                 

Looking back to the Grimsel Pass Road. We were headed up that way later.

Heading down the valley toward Oberwald

The Rhone River tumbles through the ravine on its way toward the Goms Valley, and eventually to France.

Dudes are blocking our path. We actually had to walk around them.

We were going to head home through the Furka Base Tunnel at Oberwald, but caught a bus back over the Grimsel Pass instead.

The weather changes quickly in the mountains. When it looked like rain, we caught the bus back up the valley and crossed over the Grimsel Pass back to Central Switzerland.

From the bus near the Grimsel Pass you get a super view of the Rhone Glacier, what there still is to see of it, and the basin where it used to be, not 30 years ago.

The Grimsel Pass. Beautiful even in stormy weather.

A Quick Visit to the Rhone Glacier

The Rhône River, France's second longest River and one of the most significant waterways in Europe, has its source at a Glacier near the Furka Pass in the Canton of Valais in Switzerland. The river flows down the Goms Valley from where it eventually travels to Lake Geneva and on to the Camargue Region of France where it empties into the Mediterranean.

Our hike this day (July 30) started at the Furka Pass and followed the Rhône River through this first portion with a plan to end at Oberwald in the Goms Valley. But first we wanted to see the Rhône Glacier (Switzerland's 5th largest glacier by volume), which I had seen the first time 28 years ago (1988). At that time it was so large it hung over the cliff, and from our vantage point at the Hotel Belvedere we had looked directly onto a huge wall of ice.

In the meantime the glacier has shrunk so massively that you can no longer see it from the hotel, but have to walk about 10 minutes beyond the hotel. Now there is only a huge basin with a glacier lake at the tip of the glacier tongue. You can see where the ice used to fill this basin, and it is phenomenal to think about how this massive wall of ice has shrunk over the years (25m per year in recent years...Predictions are that the glacier will have totally disappeared by the year 2100)

Every year a 100m-long ice grotto gets carved into the glacier here, so you can experience the inside of the glacier, but they have to continually maintain it as the glacier moves 10cm per day here. By the end of the summer, the grotto has shrunk by 30m, and each year they have to carve the grotto further up. They do try to prevent shrinkage by covering the glacier with a huge plastic sheet. 

This view is back along the Urschener Valley, as we ascend the Furka Pass Road by bus.

As we travel by bus along the Urschener Valley, up ahead is the Furka Pass Road that leads to the Rhone Glacier.

Furka Pass Road heading to the Rhone Glacier. Below is the original railroad, and top left is the Pass.

As we approach the Hotel Belvedere (1882) there is nothing left of the glacier in the basin. 28 years ago this was full of ice.

Comparing a photo I took in 1988 from the Hotel Belvedere, and now in 2016.

To reach the glacier tongue (at the right, in the back) you have to walk 10 minutes (and pay $10). 

Heading to the Rhone Glacier early in the morning.

This basin used to be full of ice up to the moraine line and not that long ago (50 years or less).

Imagine the glacier filling this basin and flowing over on the left.

At the place where they carve out the ice grotto, they try to prevent some melting by covering the glacier with a plastic sheet (prevents about 50% shrinkage)

Look, I am standing on the tongue of the Rhone Glacier!

In the Ice Grotto. It was definitely cold!

In the 100m-long Ice Grotto. The ice moves at 10cm per day here.

Heading back up to the Belvedere Hotel to catch a bus back to the Furka Pass, from where our hike begins.

This is the Goms Valley with the Rhone River which is flowing out of the Glacier. Our hike for the day is from the left and down this valley. 

A postcard I purchased here in 1988 shows how large the glacier was and how far down the slope it reached.

From Porrentruy to St. Ursanne near the Border to France

Well, technically we didn't actually start hiking in Porrentruy, a medieval town in an area of Switzerland called the Ajoie, which is a small piece of the country in the Northwest, surrounded on three sides by French "Territory.

We decided to cut the tour (originally 17 km) down by 3 km by taking the bus to a closer starting point, before going East over the mountain range (well.... actually they were hills) into the valley of the Doubs River. We used the time instead to visit the pretty town of Porrentruy and its castle, from where we got a view across the town toward the range we crossed. 

Unfortunately they are currently doing restoration work in the old town of St.Ursanne and so it has temporarily lost its quaintness, especially the beautiful arched bridge over the Doubs river which is currently shrouded in scaffolding.

The Doubs river makes a 180deg. bend here, as if unsure where to go, which is probably why the Romans named it thus. The Latin work "Dubitus" means "the hesitant, the doubting".

Chateau de Porrentruy

View over Porrentruy. We are heading over the hill way in the back

Town of Porrentruy

The hike consisted mainly of very lush forests and rolling meadows, and an easy 300m climb before descending to St.Ursanne on the Doubs River. 

 We took the bus from Porrentruy and started our hike in Villars sur Fontenais. It was still a good 14km.

Zoomed view of Porrentruy Castle from Villars sur Fontenais

Hiking from Villars toward the hills in direction of St. Ursanne

This was a good spot to stop for lunch!

This was called the "Vacherie du Mouillard", an organic dairy farm and B&B

At about the highest point of our hike: The Mouillard Organic Dairy Farm. 

Heading to the Pass called "Col de La Croix." Not very high as passes go. (789m)

At the "Col de la Croix" Pass, 789m

Heading down into the Doubs Valley toward St. Ursanne

Saint Urs

Arriving in St. Ursanne

St. Ursanne

The old Cathedral in St.Ursanne

Doubs River in St.Ursanne

Here at St.Ursanne the River Doubs makes a 180 deg. turn