High Trail from Simplon Pass to Simplon Dorf

With the ongoing heat wave and a three-day weekend July 30 to Aug.1 (Monday was a national holiday) it made sense to go back into the mountains again, especially as there was a very long hike we had long wanted to do (Simplon Pass to Gibidum Pass in Canton Valais) which required staying at a hotel on both ends of that hike. 

The hike was to start early on the Simplon Pass, and we had hoped to be able to get a room again at the lovely Simplon Hospiz -- commissioned by Napoleon in 1801 and run by the St. Bernard monks (we overnighted there in June 2021, those photos are HERE) -- but as large as it is, it was fully booked out that weekend. We were lucky to get a room at the Simplonblick Hotel directly on the pass road. Unfortunately our room was right next to the pass road, but the noise of the traffic was less when we closed the windows, which was OK as the night was cold.

DAY 1, Saturday July 30: Hike from our Hotel at Simplon Pass to Simplon Village (4+ hours) and a short additional walk to a nearby lake when we got back to the pass. 

We started early again from home (6 a.m) and got to the Simplon Pass at 10 a.m. to "balmy" 10-degree weather, made colder by the fact that the clouds once again blocked the sun! (Too uncomfortable for me, but I could not complain of the heat!). We were able to leave most of our things at the hotel and whiled away some time with a coffee before setting out on our hike at 11 a.m. For us this was a typical hike high above the valley with views of the fantastic Rossboden Glacier (cause of one of the largest ice avalanches in Swiss history in 1901) and the lovely valley bottom where we walked the Stockalper Trail the year before (those photos are HERE).

We got back down to the village of Simplon Dorf just in time for the 16:35 bus back to the pass, and didn't stay to look at the village, having seen it the year before. Instead, we did another one-hour walk to the nearby lake called Hopschusee before having dinner at the hotel and early to bed.

On our way up to the Simplon Pass from Brig. There are too many clouds to my liking and as it turns out it was very cold (10 degrees) when we got to the pass, especially when the clouds hid the sun. 

A lucky highly-zoomed photograph from the bus window as we head toward the Simplon Pass. The mountain is called the Fletschhorn, and the large glacier is the Rossboden Glacier

We waited an hour at our hotel at the Simplon Pass, and left for the hike at 11 a.m. Even though it is over 4 hours of walking, and I took a nap along the way, we still managed to make it to Simplon Dorf for the 16:35 bus back to the pass

The entire scrubby landscape here was covered in heather, which gave it a pinkish hue

The large (9m) eagle monument at the Simplon Pass is a popular place to stop on the drive through. It was erected during the Second World War as a symbol of vigilance (The eagle faces Italy....)

Our trail takes us past the Simplon Hospiz where we had hoped to get a room for the night (away from the road!). This is the largest hostel in the alps and was commissioned by Napoleon in 1805.

Lake Rotelsee behind the Simplon Hospiz

Lake Rotelsee

As we start heading uphill, we get a good look at the old travelers' Hospiz (built by Kaspar Stockalper in 1666) and the old Bethlehem Mission vacation facilities built in 1924, currently owned by the Swiss Military.  

Across the valley is a good look at the hiking trail we plan to walk the next day, to the Bistine Pass

The high trail along the valley, heading South

Our first good look down the valley. We had our picnic lunch here. From here it is a short distance to the Italian border at Gondo.

Also the first glimpse of the Rossboden Glacier. All day I hoped for the clouds to lift, but it did not happen. 

Except for a long uphill stretch through the forested section up ahead, it was actually a good trail for us to walk. We did have sunshine and the day warmed up.  

Almost a full view of the glacier

A zoomed view of the Rossboden Glacier

Down below are buildings which we passed a year earlier as we walked the Stockalper Trail (those photos are HERE)

Probably the best view of Mt. Fletschhorn and the Rossboden Glacier 

I guess it likes the saltiness...

A couple of our favourite Valais Black-Nosed Sheep

An interesting building and some very nice dry-stone walls!

The house is well-camouflaged in the cliffs

Last stretch along the upper trail before descending to the valley bottom. 

Panorama view of the region around Simplon Dorf. 

The village of Simplon Dorf below, the end of this hike. 

The next valley over is called Zwischbergen. Last year, one of our hikes started there, and crossed over that saddle (Furgga) into this valley, where we caught the bus at a place called Gabi down on the Simplon Road. Those photos are HERE. (That was a great hike, loads of flowers, and we got chased by a cow).

Starting on our descent to Simplon Dorf. It took us 1 hour and 10 minutes to walk down (over 700m descent), but the trail was never too steep, lots of zigzags, soft forest floor and not a lot of rocks to slip on. We did the descent 20 minutes faster than the map calls for. We really wanted to catch the 16:35 bus!. 

We found it quite comfortable to walk through the forest down to the valley bottom

Simplon Dorf  (Simplon Village)

Since it was now 16:20 and we were almost at the village, we had time to rest for a moment!

Cute!

Crossing the bridge over the Chrummbach River, a look down the valley. We crossed that saddle from the next valley over (Zwischbergen) on our trip here a year ago. 

Simplon Dorf

A sign outside the Post Hotel in Simplon Dorf, dedicated to Napoleon who built the Simplon road and apparently also commissioned this hotel

We actually wanted to do this hike in June 2021, but there was still a lot of snow in the hills, so we stayed cautious and walked the lower trail: "Stockalperweg" from Simplon Pass to Simplon Dorf. This time we did the upper trail. 

Passing Kaspar Stockalper's 1666-built Hospiz on our way back up to the Simplon Pass by bus.

As it was still relatively early in the day (17:00) by the time we got back to the pass, and the weather had warmed up, we decided to check out the moor landscape near the pass. Last year we did an extra evening hike to the Rotelsee East of the pass road, this time we checked out the Hopfschusee on the West side. Together with the hike along the high trail, we did a total of 15 kilometers and 5 hours of walking this day. 

Our second outing for the day started at the Hotel Monte Leone with a walk through the moor landscape to the natural lake Hopfschusee. We then returned to our Hotel Simplonblick for dinner. 

Another look at the Simplon Hospiz, and behind it the Chaltwasser Glacier, which we did not see the year before because of low clouds, but which we also saw in full magnificence on the morrow's hike. 

Small lake behind the Monte Leone Hotel

A look down-valley to Mt. Fletschhorn. 

Lake Hopfschu (Hopfschusee)

A walk around the lake before returning to the hotel

Hopfschusee, and on the far side of the valley Monte Leone and the Chaltwasser Glacier

Our hotel "Simplonblick". We slept well, even though our room looked directly onto the street. (Fortunately not too much traffic over the pass at night). 

Three-course dinner at the hotel

Evening view out of our hotel window to the east ca. 8 p.m.. On the west side, the sun was already behind the mountains. Early to bed as it's been a long day and we leave early the next morning.

Location of the Simplon Region in Switzerland