Hiking to the Sidelen Alpine Hostel, and the Rhone Glacier

Tuesday Aug.27, 2019 -- Another week of hiking, seven hikes in five days and more to come, but this one was my favourite, so I am doing this set of photos first. 

We started very early to get to Andermatt for the only morning bus that crosses the Furka Pass... the timing was tight though, as our planned hike was 3 hours, and we only had 4 hours 30 minutes before the return bus.... 

Just this side of the Furka Pass is an Alpine Hostel at an altitude of 2700m, set 400m above the pass road in a splendid location below the Sidelen Glacier and a row of craggy rocks that are very popular with climbers. The plan was to hike up to the hostel, stop for some of their renowned hazelnut pastries and barley soup made on site. Then walk to the Furka Pass and another three kilometers further West to the magnificent Rhone Glacier, which is the source of the mighty Rhone River, which flows through Lake Geneva to empty into the Mediterranean in the South of France.

Just our luck, our bus ran late, so we started at 9:15 instead of 9:00 and walked up very quickly, made it up in under an hour. We spent about half an hour there, even walked up to get a closer look at the glacier, which surely only a few years earlier came down to the level of the hostel. Then the long descent to the Furka pass over the raw jumbled rocky landscape on a surprisingly good trail. 

BUT for whatever reason, it took us longer to get to the pass than the trail markers showed, so our last 3 km to above the Rhone Glacier was a quick-paced affair, yet magnificent none-the-less with the wide-reaching view of the entire Grimsel region of the Bernese Oberland before us.... Then a few quick photos of the massive glacier before a rapid descent to arrive at the old Belvédère hotel just as the bus was pulling in. We really could have used that extra 15 minutes.

Even with the tight timing, this is one of the best hikes I have done since living in Switzerland, and I would do it again.

NB: By the time we got back to Andermatt, it was still early in the day, so instead of taking the train to Göschenen (the usual connection for our way home), we walked down the Schöllenen Gorge, adding another 5 km to our already 8. Photos and description lower down, or at this separate link --> HERE

On the way toward the Furka Pass by bus. The dotted line shows approximately the region where we hiked.

A stop at Tiefenbach Restaurant to unload hikers and mail. These goats were funny, parading around the parking lot like this. Way below in the valley bottom is the historical Furka Stream Train line, which runs in summer as a tourist attraction (in winter, they have to dismantle all the bridges as the deep snow would destroy them). This was the old Furka railway stretch before they built the base line through a tunnel. 

Right off the bus, the first part of the hike to the Hostel was the only section where they had to have a cable handhold!

A large open plateau of moor landscape before the really steep part to the hostel

I love these kinds of landscapes high above the tree line

About half-way up to the hostel. Behind me are the craggy towers which are popular with the rock climbers

Looking back down to the moor landscape that we crossed shortly after the start of our hike. 

Yeah! Made it up in less than an hour to the Sidelen hostel at 2700m altitude. It was pleasant and beautiful up here, and smelled like fresh-baked bread. Which they do up here.

We took a half-hour break for home-made soup and pastry (the pastry being eaten by Urs before the soup even came..)

And before heading down again, we also went a bit higher to see the Sidelen Glacier a bit closer up. It won't take long before this one disappears.

Back along the short glacier detour trail, to the hostel, then down to the lake. In the meantime a group of about 20 people reached the hostel from the Furka side, so we were glad we had gotten there 20 minutes earlier.

The more popular way to do this hike is to start at the Furka Pass, then it is only a 200m ascent to the hostel. But we wanted to do the steep part first, and also to continue TOWARD the Rhone Glacier. Also, total walking time is definitely 3 hours 30 minutes. 

Heading down to the lake, then along the glacier moraine on our descent toward the Furka Pass

Small lake below the Sidelen Hostel

A splash of colour in this otherwise pretty gray landscape

Several groups of hikers passed us on their way up from the Furka Pass on the way to the hostel. We were glad we had done the hike the other way around

The zig-zag trail up to the hostel (tiny house on the left) is the trail we ascended from the pass road

Along the stream that comes out from under the Sidelen Glacier, which probably reached down to here about 50 years ago. 

There were loads of rocks, but the trail was clear and easy to walk

A view eastward in the direction of Realp and Andermatt to the Furka Pass Road that we came up with the bus earlier in the morning

And now finally at the Furka Pass. We assume that all the other hikers park here and then either return the same way, or take the 4 p.m. bus that runs in this direction (the only other bus from Andermatt in this direction)

The last stretch, 3 km on this superb high trail toward the Rhone Glacier. In the background is the Grimsel Pass where the road meets the lake (Totesee)

A zoomed view of the Grimsel Pass Road and Lake Totesee, from where the road descends again to the North into the Haslital Valley

The Furka Road zigzags down from here into the valley, crosses to the other side, and from Gletsch in the center (the hub for the Furka Steam Engine), the Grimsel Pass road ascends. And way down below is the young Rhone River, called the Rotten here close to its origin.

And the first glimpse of the lake at the base of the Rhone Glacier. You can very clearly see where the glacier ice used to fill this basin as well. 30 years ago when I was here, there was ice at least half high, and in the 1940's the ice reached almost to the bottom of the valley.

Still a stunning work of nature, this massive flow of ice. We are high above it still, for this photo

And several groups of people out on the ice for guided glacier hikes. 

At the glacier's tongue they have covered the ice with a large tarp in the vain hope of slowing the glacial melt. Also, there is a glacier cave here, which you have to pay to go visit (we did that a couple of years ago)

Not much time left till the bus comes up the pass road, so we had to descend quickly

The old Belvedere hotel, which we have to reach in 10 minutes (the trail actually goes past it and then back)

The bus was just pulling in, it was 13:32, and the bus leaves at 13:35....  mostly we do manage to cut it this close!

One of the best hikes I have done since living in Switzerland. 

On the way back down to the Urseren Valley and Andermatt (at the very back) the weather was looking good and it was still early in the day, so we did our second hike, another 5 km down the Schöllenen Gorge.

Second hike of the day: The Schöllenen Gorge from Andermatt to Göschenen.

Since it was still early (14:15) when we got to Andermatt, we decided to walk down the Schöllenen Gorge, a short trip we usually take with the little cogwheel train which joins Andermatt with Göschenen. The Gorge is known for its historical "Teufelsbrücke" (Devil's Bridge), whereby only the base of the original bridge remains. In the meantime, a newer bridge was built right next to the old one, and then the railway bridge, and later the newer motorway, both of the latter accessing Andermatt via Tunnel. The old road is locally known as the Old Gotthard Highway and now serves as pedestrian walkway and bicycle road.

The Gorge also has a history of the Russian military crossing it under the leadership of General Suwarow, for a battle that took place here in 1799 between the Russians and the French. We stopped for Fries at the historical Devil's Bridge Restaurant as well....

From Andermatt heading home we usually take the little red cogwheel train down the steep gorge, but it was early in the day still, so we decided to walk the 5 km down the gorge, to get a different perspective

The new pedestrian walkway down the gorge now goes OVER the vehicle tunnels. This section is part of several national and regional trails including "ViaSuworow no.55"

The new pedestrian walkway down the gorge now goes OVER (i.e. on top of) the tunnel and exits at the main attraction of the gorge: The waterfalls and bridges at the old Devil's Bridge 

These waterfalls are what you usually see for about 5 seconds before the train enters the tunnel in the cliff face

Below is the "New" Devil's Bridge, i.e. the "Old" Gotthard highway. Above is the new vehicle road to the Gotthard Pass

On the far right, the railway bridge. Where I am standing is the "New" Devil's Bridge, i.e. the "Old" Gotthard highway. 

A view down the Schöllenen Gorge. On the left is the Old Gotthard Highway (now for bikes and pedestrians) and above it the new highway. 

Historical Devil's Bridge Restaurant. We had some time to kill, so had some Fries on the terrace behind the restaurant. 

Back in the "old" days (in this case 1950's), the Old Gotthard Highway was pretty busy!

Monument to General Suwarow, who fought the French here in 1799. This is hewn out of the rock face

Heading down the Schöllenen Gorge, the pedestrian walkway is on top of the highway, so you barely hear the cars

The Reuss River as it tumbles through the Schöllenen Gorge

Looking up the Gorge. Motorists like to use this road to cross the Gotthard Pass in Summer, instead of going through the tunnel which often has long waiting times to pass

This is the Häderlis Bridge. The first bridge to cross the Reuss at this location is mentioned in a document from 1470. In 1649 the first stone bridge (made of superhard Gotthard Granite) replaced the previous wooden bridge. In 1987 that bridge was swept away in a storm and this one rebuilt in the same dimensions in 1991.

The Reuss River near Göschenen. It's 4 p.m. and we had more sun than expected. In the next couple of months there will barely be any sun here.

Here's the train we could have taken, got into Göschenen about 10 minutes before we did. 

Under the train bridge near Göschenen