Hike to the top of Mont d'Orge near Sion, and a Walk along the Irrigation Channels

Wednesday December 4th -- Here in the North temperatures are near freezing now, but in Canton Valais it's a few degrees warmer. We debated if it was worth going there for a bit of warmer weather, considering we have to travel about 3 1/2 hours each way. But there are still many vineyards to walk through, and low mountains to climb, so off we went.

We chose a hill near Sion called Mont d'Orge, first checking out the lake on its North side (quite a bit of shade there) and then walking around it on the sunny side along an irrigation channel, climbing to the top to the old ruins of an earlier castle: Chateau de Montorge, where we had our lunch, and then continuing along a second irrigation channel called "Bisse de Montorge" before catching the train in Conthey near the Rhone River at the bottom of the valley.

We had some clear skies to the East for some super views up the Rhone Valley and down on the two distinct hills of Sion where still perch the fantastic ruins of Chateau Tourbillon on the one, and the large Basilisque Chateau de Valère on the other, emblems of the city of Sion. Unfortunately a single strip of cloud dimmed the sunlight for a bit, and the noise from Sion airport where a single-engine plane pilot seemed to be practicing landing and taking off for a good hour carried loudly up to where we were walking parallel to the runway.... but otherwise, we were quite happy with how the day worked out, even though the long trips are starting to get tiring.

After passing beneath the Bernese Alps through the Lötschberg Tunnel we emerge in Canton Valais in the Rhone Valley, where miles upon miles of hillsides are covered in vineyards. In Canton Valais there are over 3000 km of these stone walls supporting 1500 hectares of vineyards. Some of the oldest vines exist in this area. 

In the city of Sion, a short bus ride takes us to the base of the the vineyards just to the North of the beautiful Castle Valère

 

Heading up into the vineyards, the view behind us is always of these two fascinating hills above the city of Sion

This view looks just like a painting

Ahead of us is Mont d'Orge on the left. First we plan to walk along the lake on its North side, then back around on the sunny side, then a short climb to the top

I never got tired of looking at this snow-covered peak to the West of us, in the direction we were heading

 

The Lac de Montorge was mostly in shadow as it's on the North side of the Mont d'Orge mountain, but we had some sunshine walking along its North shore. 

 

Where the sun does not reach, it's icy and frosty. 

It was cold but so beautiful

This view just takes your breath away

Heading West as quickly as we can so that we can circle around to the South and sunny side of the hill.

 

Finally on the South Side of Mont d'Orge and to the West the wide open Rhone Valley with kilometers of vineyards

 

Now we head East again, as the ascent to the top is on the East side of the hill

 

There used to be an irrigation channel here, but it is no longer in use. Still fun to walk along! Down below the sprawling city of Sion 

From here a short and steep ascent takes us to the very top of Mont d'Orge

 

This is all that is left of the Chateau de Montorge. One thing for sure, it was a very strategic location for a castle, as you could see in all directions from up there. 

 

A short distance past the castle is this look-out point, and we were surprised to see so many people up here! They must have come up directly from the lake, where there is a car park. We returned to the castle ruins for our lunch, because this is too many people for us.

Looking Northwest: Miles and Miles of vineyards

Trying not to fall out of the window!

Another view eastward up the Rhone Valley before heading back down the hill.

After we got back to lake level, we headed West again on the sunny side of the mountain, but lower down, along the "Bisse de Mont d'Orge", an ancient irrigation channel still in use but whose water has been now drained for winter. 

 

Walking along the "Bisse de Mont d'Orge" irrigation channel. These trails are level and comfortable and very very interesting, and I love walking along them. Down below the runway of the Sion Airport where lots of planes were noisily taking off. The sound unfortunately carries up the mountain. 

More terraced vineyards

Lots and lots of stone walls to create the terraces for the vineyards

Behind the rise on the left is the train station that we will ultimately be heading to. 

And this is a view of Mont d'Orge from the train heading back East toward Sion.

We still managed a 10-km, 3-hour hike, which is pretty standard for when we go hiking. 

We have also covered a lot of terrain in this area, hikes we did in previous years (purple is 2019)

It takes us about 3.5 hours to travel from our home to Sion