Aletsch Panorama Trail at the Largest Glacier in the Alps

Saturday, October 12 -- Overnight in the Valais region near Visp meant we were less than an hour from the starting point of the hike planned for the day, which was a good thing, because apparently the trains coming from the North were "standing room only". EVERYONE wanting to go see the Matterhorn!

Urs' daughter Andrea met up with us in Brig and we travelled together to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Aletsch Arena to experience the largest glacier of the Alps: The Greater Aletsch Glacier. Andrea had never been here before, but since I've done the popular hike along the glacier three times already, I left the two of them to their Father/Daughter outing and chose a different 5-hour hike, and the plan was to meet halfway. Even though I ran into train delays and lots of snow and ice on the trail, plus I did a detour of 40 minutes to a lookout point above the glacier, we still managed to meet after three hours exactly as planned!

From the dammed Lake Märjelensee we did the rest of the panorama trail together (additional 2 hours, 6 km), passing a most spectacular look-out point into the Fieschertal Valley, the Fiescher Glacier, and Mount Finsteraarhorn, the highest peak of the Bernese Alps.

As far as the weather goes, we were fortunate to have some sunshine at the start of the day, and I was especially lucky to catch the last of the blue skies after the 90-minute climb to the ridge above the lake. From my vantage point I had a view that the average hiker on the popular trail never gets. For the rest of the Panorama Trail the sky was overcast which was a shame, because the snow-covered peaks seem to disappear in the milky skies, and the flaming red blueberry-bush-covered slopes definitely look better in sunlight!

Urs and Andrea started at Bettmerhorn and walked parallel to the glacier. I started at Fiescheralp, and hiked 90 minutes up to the ridge, then on icy paths down to the dammed lake. After a 40-minute detour to the look-out point, we met back at the lake to return to Fiescheralp together

I started alone from Fiescheralp and hiked uphill for 90 minutes to the ridge called Tälligrat. Very few people on this trail. Most of them go through the tunnel (upper trail behind me). We returned on the lower trail.

One of my favourite skylines: The highest peaks in the Swiss Alps (on the left, the tiny pointy peak is the Dufour peak, at 4,634m the highest peak in the Swiss Alps and the second highest in the Alps). On the right, the Mischabel Group.

It was very warm and I had to change into my shorts, but I was very surprised to run into icy trails on the shady side of the hills! (In the back is Mount Eggishorn. They closed the cable-car to this peak a week early due to unstable ground.... which was good for us, i.e. fewer Asian tour buses)

It took some very careful stepping to cross the snowy ice part of the trail!

After 90 minutes I emerged on the Tälligrat ridge to this spectacular view of the Greater Aletsch Glacier. On the right at the back, three glaciers come together and form the deepest part of the Glacier, approx. 900 m. Also in that corner is the famous Jungfrau Joch

And to the North, the Fiescher Glacier and Mount Finsteraarhorn, the highest peak in the Bernese Alps

Panorama View: On the left is the Aletsch Glacier, on the right is the Fiescher Glacier, down below Lake Märjelensee and barely visible, the small mountain restaurant and hostel called Gletscherstube. After I got down to the lake, I walked 20 minutes to the look-out point at the arrow.

I was lucky to still get the last of the blue skies, before the tricky descent on the icy and snowy trail (this side of the hill was also shady side. I had not anticipated the ice)

From my vantage point I could see the many people on the popular trail further below, and am pretty sure that those two people in the middle are Urs and Andrea!

After navigating icy and snowy, then muddy trails, I made it down to the dammed lake and Gletscherstube. Surprisingly not tired, I decided to do the easy 40-minute detour to the glacier, which was a level trail starting just behing the building.

Urs and Andrea walked along the Western Trail. Most people return through the tunnel. I walked OVER the ridge, because I had never done that before. Then the detour to the lookout point, and we all returned together on the lower trail.

The trail to the look-out point is on the right. Most other people come from the glacier side and go right down to the level of the glacier.

I spotted Urs and Andrea below, they were just coming up from having gone right down to glacier level. I phoned them to say I could see them from the other trail, but they couldn't see me!

Urs writing a text message to me.... that we would meet in about 30 minutes at the restaurant after they had a picnic lunch at the lake.

Most of the hikers here go down to glacier level. Since I had done this twice before, I decided on a different trail, high above the glacier

This is what it looks like at glacier level. There used to be a beautiful lake here, but it drained out below the glacier.

This is Concordia Place, the deepest part of the Greater Aletsch Glacier (900m). The mountain in the back is Mount Mönch, and to its left the famous Jungfrau Joch (observatory), with the highest railway station in Europe

What a fabulous vantage point, so glad I made the detour. In the back in the center you can just make out the Matterhorn.

Slightly closer up view of the Matterhorn in the center, the Mischabel Group to the left, and Mount Weisshorn to the right

Guided glacier hikes

Perfect timing, we all met at the Gletscherstube restaurant at the right time, and continued on together. On the Aletsch Panorama Trail, we had some spectacular views of the Fiescher Glacier and the Fiescher Valley below.

The steep, glacier-carved Fieschertal Valley (it is hard to see the depth of this on the photo)

On this side of the valley, the slopes were flaming red with wild blueberry bushes

We can walk for hours on these kinds of trails

Avalanche fences. In the background, the Mischabel Group, unfortunately blending into the milky-coloured skies

The colours were stunning, and the photos can't do it justice

Just toward the end of our hike (approx. 4 pm.) we had sunshine again

View NE into the Goms Valley. On the hill below is the town of Bellwald.

Back at Fiescheralp to catch the cable car back down into the valley. The mountains all of a sudden looking HUGE, especially the Matterhorn on the left.