Bettmeralp to Riederalp via Aletsch Forest, Aletsch Glacier and Mt.Riederhorn

Monday November 4, 2024 -- After the two-day trip around the country on Oct.31st and Nov.1st, I decided to stay home on the weekend, as it wasn't looking like good weather anyway (in effect, though, Sunday wasn't too bad, and Urs did a bus trip and small walk on his own). But Monday was proving to be another glorious day, and I decided to return to Canton Wallis again, but this time to the UNESCO Heritage Site of the Aletsch Glacier, having been there last in 2021 on a massive 5-hour hike which we did from Belalp via the glacier's gorge and back up to Riederfurka and Riederalp, (photos HERE) where we, at the time, enjoyed views of the glacier tongue as well as the glacier.

My preference would have been to take a cable car right to the summit stations at Eggishorn or Bettmerhorn, from where you can see the largest part of the glacier from right above, and also have less climbing to do. But these cablecars are currently in revision, and you can only get as high up as the alpine resorts on the large upper alpine pastures. So I had to walk up quite a bit to the ridge to get a look at the glacier, but I walked on trails we hadn't done before, which ended up being a 4-hour, 12-km walk with over 600 meters of ascent!

I started with the cable car to Bettmeralp in the center of the large alpine plateau, then hiked via the Aletsch Forest (full of still-yellow larches and Swiss stone pine), then around a small mountain called Riederhorn, to descend with the Riederalp cablecar on the west part of the high pastures. The air was clear, the views of the glacier and moraines, surrounding snow-covered peaks (including the Matterhorn far to the southwest) lakes and ravines absolutely stunning, and the temperatures so mild that had I had shorts along, I would have changed into them. (Fortunately I at least had a pair of lighter pants). It was a 3½-hour trip each way, and my only regret is that I didn't start an hour earlier.

Betten valley station of the Bettmeralp cableway. I got here at 10:40 after leaving home at 7:20. (In retrospect, I should have left an hour earlier). 

Riding the Bettmeralp cableway (large cabin) from valley bottom to the mountain village of Bettmeralp. 

Heading up the mountain in the large-cabin Bettmeralp cablecar (not too full, luckily), we pass a mountain village about half-way up called Betten, which was the start of another hike we did on this mountainside in June of this year. (Photos HERE). There is a different cablecar which stops here. Ours heads straight up the mountain. 

There is another cable car which runs from this station to the valley station, but it stops in Betten Village and there you have to switch to a second cablecar. 

From the summit station of the Bettmeralp cableway, this look is over the roof-tops of the resort village of Bettmeralp looking northeast, where I started my hike. 

The peak at the back is called Bettmerhorn, and there is a cable-car to the restaurant just beneath it. Unfortunately, that cable-car isn't running at this time of year. We walked up that peak in August of 2014 (Photos HERE). 

I started up the hill for the 20-minute walk up to the first lake (Bettmersee) at 11 a.m. This is the look down to the village of Bettmeralp, the top houses in the village. 

First thing I see is a very lovely view to the southwest into mountains of the Matter Valley. The large white one is aptly named "Weisshorn" ("White Horn"), and the other distinctive peak is, of course, the Matterhorn!

A zoomed view of the Matterhorn! Definitely a beautiful mountain, and nice to look at without the crowds. 

I had been wearing jeans, and by the time I got to the first lake, I was much too warm. Had I had shorts, I would have changed into them! Luckily I had lighter pants with me, which I changed into here. 

This hike ended up to be longer than I had planned, and I could have used an extra hour (I should have started an hour earlier). I started at the summit station of the Bettmeralp cablecar at 11 a.m., walked to lake Bettmersee, then up to the ridge where I got the first look at the glacier. Then I walked through the Aletsch forest to Riederfurka, and around the summit of Mt. Riederhorn, before taking the cable-car back down to Mörel from Riederalp at 4 p.m .

After changing into lighter pants, I headed up the hill from Lake Bettmersee. 

There were several people up here walking the easy trail around the lake. 

Getting higher

Looking down on the lake

As I head toward the ridge, I get views of the Matterhorn and Weisshorn mountains again. There is a second lake which I bypassed. 

Another close-up look at the Matterhorn. 

Trail heading up to the ridge

And another self-timed photo with Lake Bettmersee. The houses are at the northeast end of the village of Bettmeralp, which is quite large. Most of it can't be seen from here, as the houses are on the down-slope.

A look down at the artificial-looking lake. I don't know if it has a name. 

Panorama view

At 12:25 I reached the third lake called Blausee, left over after the retreat of the glaciers. It's not much further to the ridge now. 

More views of the Matterhorn. 

Past the snow-covered peaks to the southeast is Italy. This is a popular area for skiing in winter, so there are many cable-ways here. 

This is the first view I got as I reached the crest between the glacier valley and the resort villages. But I couldn't really see the glacier from here so I headed southwest (which was my plan) because I knew from previous hikes that we could see the glacier from further that way. 

The forested section in the glacier gorge is called the Aletsch Forest. From here it is interesting to see where we walked on the long hike in 2021, from Belalp at the upper left, and through the forested region to the left of that dark gorge. At the top of the gorge, not really visible here, is a confluence of two glaciers forming the "Upper Aletsch Glacier". 

Finally a really good look at the beautiful Greater Aletsch Glacier. 

Walking the crest trail southwards from Mt. Bettmerhorn (behind me on the right). A mild early November day where you can hike in T-shirt and shorts!

A close-up look at Mt. Bettmerhorn, whose ridge we walked in 2014 (starting at the Bettmerhorn summit station), when we were more adventurous! (Those photos, worth looking at, are HERE). 

This is the view I came for as well, to see the Matterhorn while I am walking. The darker mountain is called Riederhorn, and I had considered walking on its summit as part of this hike, but later changed my mind and walked around it. 

I have now reached the junction of one of the trails leading down into the Aletsch Forest, (a nature reserve) and decided to walk down there as we'd never done that before. In fact, we have walked along the crest several times, so this was a nice change. The mountain on the other side of the glacier valley is called the "Grosses Fusshorn" (Large Fusshorn), and the snow there is actually a glacier. Imagine that the glacier ice once filled this whole gorge. 

A closer look at the summit of the Gross Fusshorn, and the Drietsch Glacier. The jagged peaks on the left are called the little Fuss Horns. 

The trail descending into the Aletsch Forest, a 400-hectare forest of very old (up to 1000 years old) larch and stone pine trees. It is considered one of the most beautiful forests in Switzerland. A short part of the trail still had ice on it, a section that probably gets no sunshine at this time of year. 

From here I can even see the glacier tongue. This entire valley was once filled with glacial ice. 

A zoomed view of the Greater Aletsch Glacier at its upper part. Around the corner to the left is the deepest part of the glacier, about 900 meters deep. 

I sat at the edge of the trail and enjoyed this view as I ate my sandwich at about 1:30 p.m. 

Continuing along the trail through the Aletsch Forest. I was surprised at how pleasant it was to walk here, and had actually expected more shadow from the ridge on my left. 

Some very old trees in the Aletsch Forest Nature Reserve. 

Another look to the other side of the Aletsch Glacier. At the back of the deep gorge is another glacier called the "Oberaletshgletscher". 

This very zoomed view is to the upper part of the deep gorge on the other side of the valley, where two other glaciers join to form the Upper Aletsch Glacier. There is a Swiss Alpine Hostel there (in the red circle), which I would love to hike to one day.

As I reach the saddle at Riederfurka, I get a good look at the Belalp high pasture on the other side of the valley. Our hike in JULY 2021 started there, and headed down the steep mountainside on the right, before crossing the suspension bridge at the tongue of the glacier and then coming back up to this point. 

This location is a kind of "pass" called Riederfurka, from where you can descend to the cablecar stations at Riederalp, about 30 minutes from here. It was only 2 p.m. now, and too early to finish my hike, so I studied the trails around the next mountain, Mt. Riederhorn. 

A look down at the southernmost of the three resort villages up here: Riederalp. This was going to be the end of my hike, but it was too early yet to descend to the cable-car station there. I still wanted to walk, as I had done only the equivalent of a two-hour hike by now. (Just over three hours out here so far). 

That mountain is called Riederhorn. There were options for trails to walk to the summit or around that summit. I hadn't decided yet which I wanted to do, so I decided to walk up to the foot of that hill for now. The pretty building is called Villa Cassel, and is a nature reserve center, but closed at this time of year. 

View north from Riederfurka

Back side of Villa Cassel, at the foot of Mt. Riederhorn. 

This sign at Villa Cassel reads "Cassel Trail around Mt.Riederhorn, 1 hour" and helped me make up my mind: I didn't want to climb to the summit, but a one-hour walk on level paths was just what I wanted to do!

Views of Belalp from the Cassel Trail, looking behind me

The beautiful Cassel Trail around Mt. Riederhorn

A level and interesting trail with lots of variety, high above the gorge. 

I even got glimpses of the Gibidum reservoir lake 700 meters below me, now in shadow. But the sunshine on the yellow larches was stunning. 

As I head along the west side of Mt. Riederhorn, I get more views of the Matterhorn and Weisshorn to the south, past the city of Brig below. 

I was fortunate to get another experience of the yellow larches before they lose their needles!

Wonderful trail around Mt. Riederhorn

The trail was level but fell steeply at some places!

This is called the Massa Gorge, and up above is the beautiful Belalp, where we have been a couple of times. 

I really loved this trail and was glad that I had chosen to walk it. 

There were several panels like this, dedicated to patrons of individual old trees; i.e. you can "adopt a tree" by making a donation. These people "adopted" a 360-year-old stone pine.

This is the 360-year-old pine tree adopted by Barbara Marti and Urs Gasche! The sign had indicated that this tree had once been struck by lightning!

Here the trail through the old forest rounds the south end of Mt.Riederhorn, and from here I return to Riederalp, mostly through shadow of the mountain. 

Heading back in the direction of Riederfurka

Down below, the mountain resort village of Riederalp is still in sunshine, but I have to continue my walk in the shadow. I didn't return back to the pass at Riederfurka, but descended about half-way there. 

A look down to valley bottom, where the young Rhone River (here it is called the Rotten) heads down in the direction of Lake Geneva. 

It's now 3:30 p.m. and I have to walk to the cable-car station at Riederalp Mitte. It's still a 25-minute walk from here, and I really want to catch the 4 p.m. run of the cable-car!

Summit station of the Riederalp cable-car which I need to take back down to the railway station in the valley bottom. 

I did make it in time to the cable-car station at 3:50 p.m. and now this part of the village is also in shadow, so I am glad that I didn't have to wait another 30 minutes for the next run! Including the cable-car ride, it's a 3-hour and 40-minute trip home for me!

Final close-up look at the Matterhorn in the late afternoon light. 

Further to the north, Mount Bettmerhorn is still in the sunshine. My only regret this day is that I didn't leave home an hour earlier, so that I would still have had sunshine by the end of my 4-hour hike.  

Another large-cabin cablecar heading down the mountain, this time from Riederalp to Mörel at the valley bottom (from where I took a train back to Brig, then through the Lötschberg Tunnel via Bern to home). 

Heading down to valley bottom now with the 4 p.m. cable car. Half-way up the mountain are other villages which you can walk through (we haven't been to this one yet). 

Base station of the Riederalp cable-way in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Aletsch Arena. 

The pale pink trail is the one I did this day, starting in Bettmeralp, and walking around Mt. Riederhorn before ending at Riederalp. These are all the hikes we have done in the region around the Aletsch Arena. Altogether a 4-hour, 12-km hike with over 600 meters of ascent (and descent) along the way!

Location of the Aletsch Arena within Switzerland.