Two-Day Vacation in the Popular Saas Valley - Part 1

Sunday August 14, 2016 -- Canton Valais in the Southwestern Part of Switzerland (near Lake Geneva) seems to have more sunny days, so with a decent weekend in the forecast (and a holiday on Monday) we headed back there, not far from where we had been a couple of weeks earlier. In fact, just two valleys over. But this time not an Alpine Hostel, but rather a really nice hotel room with our own bathroom!

There is a popular trail in the Saas Valley called the Gspon High Trail, so this is what we did this weekend. It's a 5-hour, 14 km hike high up above the Saas Valley, starting with a cable car ride up from Stalden (capacity 10 people or 3 people plus their bikes, and on this beautiful Sunday there were at least 30 people and 10 bikes waiting to get up the mountain! So we started 30 minutes later than planned).

The goal of the hike was a ski village in the valley bottom, Saas Grund, from where we took a bus up to the vehicle-free village of Saas Fee. It just started to cloud over and rain when we got there, so no sun-tanning on the balcony, but we were too tired for more than dinner and sleep! (and how lovely and quiet it was!)

Saas Fee sits on a high "plateau" surrounded by the highest mountains in the Swiss Alps, most over 4000m. Mount Dom, at 4545m, is the highest mountain entirely on Swiss soil, and it was right behind the hotel...

Starting in Stalden near Visp (and at the junction to the famous Matter Valley) we took the cable car up to Gspon, and walked 14 km (5 hours) to the back of the Saas Valley.

Two weeks ago we hiked the high trail in the Turtmann Valley, on the other side of the Augsbord Pass

The quaint little mountain village called Gspon is the start of our 14 km high trail hike.

This view is looking North to the village of Gspon and into the Rhone Valley.

This view is looking North to the village of Gspon and into the Rhone Valley.

The slate-tile roofs are very typical for this area of the Canton Valais.

Our favourite adorable sheep, Valais Black-Noses, although they are all hiding their noses.

Strewn high above the valley floor are small groups of homes, most of which you can only reach on foot.

Often we have to pass sections where there had been large landslides decades ago. Due to more slide danger, you are not supposed to stop along these stretches (like for picnics).

View NorthWest into the Saas and Matter Valleys.

View South into the Saas Valley. The highest peak is Mount Allalinhorn, a popular summer ski area. Saas Fee is just below that.

Mount Allalinhorn, 4027m, and the peak I got to see as I lay in bed in my hotel room that night!

Usually if we do hikes of more than 3 hours, I take a little nap along the way (after a picnic lunch, of course)

Continuing along the Gspon High Trail.

More rock-strewn passages.

These mountains to the West of us are under 4000m, but their peaks are magnificent.

First view of Saas Grund at the valley bottom, our destination before heading up to Saas Fee by bus.

There is nothing quite like walking a high trail and looking down into the steep valley.

Mount Allalinhorn in the center, and to the right is Mount Dom, the highest mountain totally located in Switzerland (about 4500m)

Sometimes they run out of poles for the trail markers?

I am Swiss! And how lucky I am to see so many beautiful places in Switzerland.

From now on it's all downhill to Saas-Grund.

From now on it's all downhill to Saas-Grund.

From now on it's all downhill to Saas-Grund.

Another pretty cluster of typical Valais mountain homes.

Another pretty cluster of typical Valais mountain homes.

Last stop to admire Mount Allalinhorn before the final 30 minutes to the valley bottom.

Finally in Saas-Fee, a motor-vehicle-free village. Near our hotel was this cute restaurant where we had a very tasty meal.

Finally in Saas-Fee, a motor-vehicle-free village. Near our hotel was this cute restaurant where we had a very tasty meal.

Our Hotel for the night in Saas-Fee. They gave us a great South-facing room with a balcony and a view to Mount Allalinhorn. Only the weather could have been better.

Hike to the SAC Sustli Hostel in the Meien Valley

Another new valley... I have never been in this valley before. It connects the Reuss Valley with the Hasli Valley across the Susten Pass, another of those fabulous high alpine winding roads and favourites of the motorcyclists.

Here is the starting point of our hike in the Meien Valley (behind me and up!) The road continues over the Susten Pass.

The hike we mapped out consisted of a steep and challenging uphill and an even more challenging downhill with a most amazing Alpine high trail in between! The satisfying one-hour uphill climb to the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) hostel we did in the shady side of the mountain which made the ascent quite enjoyable.

The 6-km hike took us over three hours because of the steep descent

Start of the hike. It took exactly one hour to hike the 350m up to the Hostel. It was quite enjoyable.

Here is a great place for our second or third breakfast!

At about this spot where we stopped for a picnic, I experienced my first rock "slide". The noise was like an explosion as a big rock broke off from the hillside not 10 meters away and tumbled down quite near us. The night before it had snowed up here, and the warming air loosens the rocks. You really don't know which way you should run, if at all....

Some more tricky climbing and we are almost at the top

This Swiss Alpine Club Hostel is popular with families and there are several opportunities for learning to rock climb up here.The hostel's location is on a fabulous sunny terrace with panoramic views up and down the Meien Valley. 

This view is looking East toward the Reuss Valley

This view is looking East toward the Reuss Valley

This view is looking East toward the Reuss Valley. This is an Alpine Chough in flight.

This view is Southwest to the Susten Pass

I was particularly fascinated with the other Swiss Alpine Hostel we could see just above the Susten Pass, about 7 km as the crow flies. It lies at 2800m above some fabulous glaciers, and I hope to be fit enough one day to hike up there.

 

Tierbergli Hostel 

According to route markers, this hike should have taken less than three hours, but we found that the trail conditions were a bit difficult, mostly due to streams running along the trails, so we had to tread carefully, especially on the downhill section, which was very steep in some places and the trail quite rutted and overgrown. Our time to hike this was 3.5 hours.

But the fantastic view more than made up for any difficult terrain. 

AND WE SAW WILDLIFE!  Especially the beautiful Golden Eagle which I actually saw from the top flying quite close below us, but by the time I had my camera ready and zoomed in, he was already up high.

But the Marmot held still, probably because he didn't want to be seen by the eagle.

The steep descent was very interesting (even though difficult to navigate) as the vegetation is quite varied from bracken to heather to moor and various grasses. It's too bad that we had to rush our way down, as there are only two buses in and out of this valley, and we just barely made it down to catch the last one back out.

Getting ready for the steep descent

Had to be very careful going down

Great variety of vegetation

Alpine moor pond

It was a nice descent, even though we had to watch our step carefully

I was almost put to shame by the nimble four-year old who navigated the descent just as quickly as I did (carefully tethered by her Dad!).

Finally near the bottom. Too bad we had to rush to catch the bus

After getting out of the Meien Valley to the Reuss Valley we had to wait an hour for a bus connection, so we took a break in Wassen.

Ridge Hike Fronalpstock to Klingenstock

Even though we had just returned from a 35-km 2-day hike in the Valais Alps and were planning a day off, this Thursday was another beautiful day and we just had to take advantage of it. (Rain in the Forecast for August 5th).

Only about one hour travel from our home is this fantastic mountain (Fronalpstock) with a view to die for. It’s not a high mountain, only 1920m, but from here you get a view over entire Central and Eastern Switzerland.

There is a ridge hike that is very popular both with locals and tourists. It’s about 5 km long and takes just over 2 hours to walk, and has lots of steep up and downhill sections which I found rather strenuous, and so apparently did some of the tourists that we passed on the trail. But it being vacation time right now and so few nice days this summer, the trail was jam packed with hikers. For a change I didn’t mind, though, because we also are on vacation and likewise have to make good use of the weather.

To get to the ridge we first had to take a cable car to the vacation village called Stoos which is perched on a high plateau, then a chair lift to the Fronalpstock lookout point. On the way back it was another chair lift down to Stoos, and a funicular to the valley bottom. 

Cable car up to Stoos from Morschach, then a chair lift to Fronalpstock

On the ride up to Fronalpstock we can get an idea of the ridge hike that we are going to do.

The Fronalpstock restaurant and look-out platform is very popular. Many people come up here only for the view, and not to hike.

One of the most fantastic views of Central Switzerland: Lake Uri (Urnersee) at the front, connecting to Lake Lucerne, and Mount Rigi and Lake Zug at the middle back.

So lucky to live here! Behind the Fronalpstock look-out point is Lake Zug, and I live at the far end of that lake...

View over Lake Lucerne and Mount Seelisberg, with Mount Pilatus in the background.

Lake Uri (Urnersee) and the Uri Alps. We do a lot of hiking here.

It took just a little over 2 hours to walk the ridge from Fronalpstock to Klingenstock, and then another 20 minutes from the chairlift to the funicular.

So, after taking in the initial panoramas, there is work to do, and hills to walk over! Heading East across the ridge.

This is a very popular hike, especially on a nice summer day during vacation time....

The trail goes up and down several times, and requires good shoes and stamina.

Around every corner we look back for a view of Lake Uri (Urnersee)

From the ridge we look down on the small vacation village of Stoos, which is on a high plateau.

 

Back down from Klingenstock to Stoos, and then another 20 minutes walk to the funicular station to return to Schwyz and then home.