Two Very Different Hikes in the Valais: Day 1

February 14, 2016 -- Our special Valentine's treat was an overnight in my favourite part of Switzerland, the Valais (South / Southeast, the region near the Matterhorn where the highest mountains of the Swiss Alps are located). 

As I always have two "weekends" every week (Tuesday/Wednesday), on this Tuesday I hiked on my own (10 km), opting for a wonderful spring hike on the sunny side of the Rhône Valley with views into the Matter Valley to those beautiful snow-covered 4000+ peaks, including the highest mountain that is totally on Swiss soil: Mount Dom, at 4545 meters. 

I also love this area because there are old and historical irrigation channels, most of them still in use, which are a huge part of the history of this area, many of them having been built at great risk to bring water from the mountains into this rather dry valley. The trails run along these channels and are great fun to walk.

Spring is well on its way here and the lovely Valais Black-Nosed Sheep are out in the fields, and they are also a reason I love this area.

Urs joined me in the evening for our weekly Wednesday hike, which was a totally different hike, not 30 km away, but 1500 m higher up... (to be continued)

I started my hike in Lalden (near Visp) in the Rhône Valley, many old barns in this village

First I had to hike almost straight up to the railway tracks. Most of the hike was along the railway. It's called the South Ramp and it comes from the North through the Lötschberg tunnel from Kandersteg, and then runs along the South Flank of the mountains to Brig. 

Looking eastward into the Rhône Valley

Looking South across Visp into the Matter Valley. The peaks at the back are all over 4000m.

The 4000+ peaks of the Valais

The little dome-shaped peak left of center is called Mount Dom, the highest mountain in Switzerland that is entirely on Swiss soil (4545m = 14,911 ft).  It is the highest in this group but looks smaller because it is further back.

I am heading West along the irrigation ditches (this one is called Laldneri Suon), the Rhône Valley on my left.

The trails along the irrigation ditches are interesting to walk.

Looking west down the Rhône Valley, I am walking along the South Ramp of the BLS railway.

This was my spot for lunch, in the Baltschieder Valley. I had to walk into this valley and out again along the trail.

This is the BLS train that runs along the South Ramp line. To cross this gorge, I had to walk into the Baltschieder Valley and back out, crossing the river further up. This is on my way out.

Back in the Rhône Valley again, continuing westward.

I have no one to photograph me today, have to rely on some self-timed photos....

The pretty Valais Black-Nosed Sheep are already in the fields, my 2nd-favourite Swiss Animal.

Here's one getting a "woolcut"

These sheep are waiting their turn for their haircuts!

Before heading up to our hotel in Unterbäch, I catch the old church in Raron just as the mountain shadows hit the Rhône Valley bottom. Unterbäch is on the hill on the South Side of the Rhone Valley, and can best be accessed by cable car....

From Lalden I climbed up to the Railway Tracks of the BLS South Ramp Line, then walked into the Baltschieder Valley along the old irrigation line (one of many in this valley) where I stopped for lunch at the river before crossing to the other side. I took a detour to the railway bridge before heading to my destination at Ausserberg. Total 10 km. 

(Photos of DAY 2 of our 2-day trip can be viewed HERE)

The Other Half of the Goms Winter Trail

February 7, 2017 -- We swapped our day off this week from the regular Wednesday to Tuesday, as that was the forecast's relatively best day of the week. Still there wasn't much sun in the mountains, only a little teaser for about an hour, just enough to warm us up a bit.

Back in December 2013 we walked the first part of the Goms Winter Trail (this is the valley where the young Rhone River flows toward Lake Geneva) from Oberwald to Münster (9km) and had always been meaning to walk the rest, starting where we left off and walking an additional 12 km to Niederwald. The walking trails are prepared and easy to walk and you pass through several lovely villages with typical Valais houses, and lots and lots of barns and stables as this is a pastoral area in the Alps.

The Goms valley is a Mecca for cross country skiers, and the name is apt as the skiers get very "cross" if you should happen to err off the walking trails onto their sacred skiing trails! This happened to us on our walk as someone had removed the pink trail marker and we weren't sure if this was a shared trail, until we were half-way along the stretch and getting dirty looks from the skiers!

Oh well, survived that one....

Pink signs show the Winter Walking Trails

Looking Northeast to the mountains through which runs the Furka Tunnel

The villages here are lovely to saunter through. Each home is unique and interesting

The villages here are lovely to saunter through. Each home or stable is unique and interesting

The Gotthard-Matterhorn train runs along this valley toward the Furka Tunnel and Andermatt.

We are walking southwestward, but this view is to the NE

Déjà-Vu, except further East in 2013.

We ended up on the Cross-Country Ski Trail by accident, the skiers were not happy... (But walking through the wooded area was lovely. The Walking Trail is not through the woods...)

More cool barns

More cool barns

The Cross-Country Skiers start in Oberwald and ski down the valley (approx. 25 km), then return by train.

Our final village, Niederwald, before we got back on the train.

On Dec.31, 2013 we walked 9 km from Oberwald (on the South Side of the Furka Tunnel, train only, cars have to load on trains) to Münster, and this week we walked an additional 12 km from Münster to Niederwald, completing the Goms Valley Winter Trail (in the back, upper right, is the Rhone Glacier, source of the Rhone River, which flows through this valley on its way to Lake Geneva (and France, and the Mediterranean).

Chemin du Vignoble (The Vineyard Trail) from St.Leonard to Sierre

(Note, this post was updated on March 29, 2024)

Wednesday February 1, 2017 -- It was a good day for a trip to the vineyards of the Valais, as that's where the sun was shining, and we can get there pretty quickly.

We've walked the vineyards four times now, twice in winter and twice in autumn, and since we are not great wine drinkers, the charm of the area for us is not in the opportunities for wine-tasting (of which there are a great many!) but the snowy mountain backdrop, the fantastically-terraced hillsides with the thousands of beautifully- and painstakingly-built stone walls (these are some of the steepest terraced vineyards in the world), the Rhone River snaking in the valley bottom below on its way to Lake Geneva, the irrigation channels, and the autumn colours (in autumn, of course). 

We started in St.Leonard and walked 14 km eastward to Sierre (4 hours), whereas just under a year ago we walked westward to Sion. Here it's early spring already, and the vintners are out in the fields cutting their vines. And although most of the walk was on paved lanes, a few regular trails through the vineyards made me hopeful that we can get back to regular hiking again soon!

Starting in the Rhone Valley bottom in St.Leonard

 

View West toward Sion (castles on the hill at the back)

View West toward Sion and St.Leonard below

 

View West toward Sion (castle on the hill) and St.Leonard below

This was an easy 4-hour and almost 14-km walk from St.Leonard to Sierre along the Regional Trail no.36: "Chemin du Vignoble" (Note: This map was created and uploaded in 2024. Back in 2017 the "Vineyard Trail" between St.Leonard and Flanthey was off-limits due to danger of the cliffs below the trail crumbling. It seems the trail has been restored).  

Walking Eastward along the "Chemin du Vignoble" (Vineyard Trail)

These are some of the steepest terraced vineyards in the world

View Eastward across some of the steepest terraced vineyards in the world.

Swarms of Alpine Choughs are looking for forgotten berries

VIDEO:

Hundreds of Alpine Choughs flying overhead

Our trail takes us just below the village of Flanthey, so we didn't go have a look at that church. 

Just below Flanthey is the small community of Vaas. This is the "Chateau de Vaas", a historical building from the 13th Century, and dedicated to the Cornalin Grape Variety. It is also known as the "Maison des Cornalins"

Every village has at least three wine cellars.... (This one is in St.Clément)

And everywhere along the trail you can participate in wine tasting.

A look behind us at the church in Flanthey as we leave St.Clément and continue eastward. 

Those bluffs are on the trail between St.Clément and Ollon.

  

Up ahead is the next village of Ollon. The Rhone River below flows to Lake Geneva

Great metal-work!

This is called the Villa, in Sierre (where we got back on the train).

Museum in Sierre

This is what our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps (the green one). A year earlier we also started in St. Leonard, walking along the "Vineyard Trail" heading west to Sion. 

Location of St.Leonard and Sierre within Switzerland. This is Canton Valais/Wallis