Two-Day Hike from Crans-Montana over the Rawil Pass -- Part 1

(This post created and published on February 27, 2025)

Thursday and Friday September 5 & 6, 2013 -- I did this hike on my own about 25 years earlier and had such great memories, we just had to do it again. It was even better this time. We took transit to Crans-Montana in the French part of Switzerland (near Lake Geneva and best-known for World Cup Downhill skiing) and walked four hours to the Tseuzier Dam way up in the valley of the Liène River.

The trail takes you along the stunning historical water canal "Bisse du Ro", built in the 14th century and completed in 1903. It is incredible to think how they built the canal into the vertical rock faces; walking the plank bridges requires no fear of heights! It was quite exciting. 

The walk to the Tseuzier Dam is about 11 kilometers and takes about four hours. We started in Crans-Montana at about 11:30, and reached the stunning dam and reservoir at about 4:15 p.m.  

We got a small room for the night at the restaurant by the dam, and since the owner had to go into the valley for supplies, he left us in charge of our own breakfast and locking up in the morning!  (Photos from the second day are HERE).

From Sierre, the bus climbs the winding roads up the vineyards toward Crans-Montana. This is in the Rhône Valley.   

As the bus reaches the village of Lens, we are now in the valley of the Liène River, looking down the Rhône Valley. 

Passing through the village of Lens

In Crans-Montana there are very many chalets as it is a resort town. The geraniums on the balconies are spectacular. 

After traveling for almost four hours, we started on our walk at about 11:30, heading toward the "Barrage de Tseuzier" (Tseuzier Dam). According to this trail marker, 3 hours and 20 minutes, but we took a longer trail to get to the dam. 

The walk from Crans-Montana to the Tseuzier dam takes almost four hours, and follows the ancient irrigation channel called "Ancien Bisse du Ro". We got to the dam at about 4:30 p.m., so took about five hours to walk this. 

The first view we got of the dam at the very back of the valley. (On the second day, we continued behind the reservoir lake and crossed the pass in the center of the photo). 

The start of our hike was along a standard irrigation channel on a nice footpath. 

Then we got to the exciting part along wooden walkways, secured with hand-rails here. The channels were hand-hewn into the cliffs, and therefore there were overhangs at several places. 

Walking along the wooden planks, with hand rails! The channel was no longer carrying water. 

Lovely walk through the forest.

Another look at the dam, the goal of our hike. 

There were workers along the trail, fixing up sections of planks to make it safer to walk. 

A fixed up section of the trail, planks attached to vertical cliffs. 

We came across workers doing upgrades to the trail, to make it safer

It's looking good!

Another look at the dam

A zoomed view of the fabulous Tseuzier Dam. (We descended to the dam from the right). 

Not everyone would want to walk along these boards!

The overhang here was so large that Urs had to go down on his knees to get past here!

VIDEO:

Poor Urs has too duck to pass along this overhang!

Now we got to the really exciting part of the hike! The warning sign has the most unusual English translation: "On the fellows 200m of this trail a certain risk of stony falls exists. On this trail it is officially forbidden to stop and it is recommended do not leave this trail."

There was a cable mounted on the cliff wall to give a sense of security. But the narrow trail looks a bit "dodgy". This is the 200-meter stretch with risk of "Stony Falls"!

Those planks are simply laid on top of each other here. And who would want to risk leaving the trail here! But I did have to stop to take this photo, even with the risk of "stony falls". 

This narrow trail was around the inside of a section of the mountain which had come down at some point. After getting back on a "safer" section of trail, we look back to see the planks which we have just crossed!

VIDEO:

This was the very exciting section of trail, 

where we had to walk very carefully!

Panorama view into the valley, steep below us!

Heading up the mountain now along a side valley called "Les Toules"

One option would have been to take a trail through that clearing and reach the dam (around the corner) from there. But we chose to go on a higher trail. 

From here we can now look down the entire valley toward the south. It's too bad that it's so hazy. 

We are now higher up than the lake. This is why we chose the higher trail, so we could see the lake from above!

Final stretch now down to the lake. 

Now we are at the level of the dam. It's now close to 4:30 p.m. 

Crossing the fabulous Tseuzier Dam. 

A look directly down from the dam to the Liène River. We walked up the valley along the left side of this photo. 

We went to check in to the hotel, but had to wait to have our dinner, which we had ordered beforehand. (The restaurant was closing at 6 p.m. and then we had a private dinner!) It was very windy now at shortly before 6 p.m., but we spent some more time outside watching the evening light on the lake. At the arrow is where we are going to cross the next day. 

This is the "Restaurant du Barrage de Tseuzier" which serves visitors during the day till about 6 p.m. There was a double-room which we reserved for the night, and were the only guests there!

We were the only guests after 6 p.m. and were able to enjoy a private fondu for two (included with the cost of the overnight)! After this, the host had to return out of the valley to pick up some venison, and he left us up here by ourselves for the night! (Because we were planning to head out on our walk before he returned, he showed us where all the stuff was for our breakfast, i.e. where the orange juice was, where we could make our own coffee, and the cheese, sausage and bread which he had prepared for us!)

Region of the Tseuzier Lake between Sion and Sierre. Our hike took us from the French-speaking Canton Valais over the Rawil Pass and toward Lenk in the German-Speaking Canton of Bern. 

This is the room in the basement where we spent the night. Unfortunately the restaurant telephone rang some time in the middle of the night, and woke us up! (We didn't know where it was, to answer it). 

A 7:30 the next morning we helped ourselves to all the stuff in the fridge and the sideboard which the host had prepared for our breakfast. This was so much fun, being all alone in the restaurant!

Our breakfast at 7:30 in the morning all alone in the restaurant! (We didn't know where the light switch was, so it was pretty dark in here!). The host had told us where to exit the restaurant so we didn't have to lock up. At 8:15 we were all ready to head out on the second day of our hike!

Four-Day Trip to Bernina Region: Morteratsch Glacier to Swiss Alpine Hostel Boval

(This post published on October 25, 2025). 

Monday September 2, 2013 -- After a great second night at the Swiss Alpine Hostel Saoseo (we were the only guests this night, compared to the full house from Saturday to Sunday), we decided to forego using the Alpine Taxi back to the main road at Sfazù, an early morning 5-km walk through a very pretty landscape in the Val da Camp. We would have enjoyed it much more if we hadn't been rushing to catch the bus, which just pulled in as we got to the road, all sweaty!

About an hour by bus and train from Val da Camp, we got out at the Morteratsch Station. There are two options to hike to the Glacier: 50 mins. level walk to the base of the glacier tongue, or two hours steady uphill to the Swiss Alpine Club Hostel Boval at the foot of Piz Boval, and then the same path back. We of course did the hard one... it was tough but worth all the fantastic views down onto the two glaciers, with close-ups of the moraines and the Bernina Group (including the mountains we had seen from the other side). It's an awesome thought that this valley was once full of glacier ice, which is receding at 30 meters per year. Starting out the clouds were low over the mountain tops and so it was hard to see where the snow stopped and the sky began, but by the time we got back the sky was blue and we saw the mountains clearly. 

After this it was finally time to head home, another 4.5 hours by train.

PART I: Five-Kilometer walk from Saoseo Hostel to Sfazù Bus Stop

This is the Swiss Alpine Hostel Saoseo, where we spent two nights: From Saturday to Sunday it was pretty full, but from Sunday to Monday we were the only guests. 

Breakfast at the Hostel: Special treatment as we were the only guests. Nice to start the day with a Smiley Face in your Cappuccino!

All ready to head out on another day of hiking!

Yesterday we went to the right, now we're going to the left.

Last view of the Hostel as we head down the mountain. 

This is the first hike of the day! Five kilometers from the hostel to the bus stop at Sfazù (we didn't want to pay for the alpine taxi) which we had to walk quickly to make sure we didn't miss the bus. It took 1¼ hours to walk, and we made it just as the bus pulled up.  

As we descended, we always had the Palü Glacier in our sights. 

As we descended, we always had the Palü Glacier and Piz Palü in our view. 

We would have enjoyed this walk much more if we wouldn't have had to hurry so much. 

A very nice trail that we walked, five kilometers to the bus stop. 

We are always being watched!

Last view of Piz Palü top right. We will be looking at the other side later in the day.

(I believe that hamlet across the valley here is called Salva Dafora, according to my map, and the peak at the back is probably Piz Lagalp.)

I don't know what this river is called, but the waters flow out of Lake Saoseo, where we had been the day before. 

Photos from the Bus. This is called the Val Laguné

That valley heads to Italy via the Livigno Pass. 

Back at Lago Bianco on the Bernina Pass.

Piz Lagalp and Diavolezza base station.

First glimpse of the Bernina Group and the Morteratsch Glacier where we will be doing the next 4-hour hike. The sky is overcast and it's not looking great for this hike. 

1-1/4 hours from the hostel to the main road, then with the bus North along winding roads back to the Bernina Pass, and then to Morteratsch.

PART II: Two-hour hike to Swiss Alpine Hostel Boval, and same back again. 

Starting out on the hike. Alpine flowers are lovely!

This is the tongue of the glacier, and you can walk right up to it. Who knows how long the glacier has been carrying that rock!

Is this rock being carried along, or is it rock that cannot be ground down?

The trail goes continually uphill for two hours. It was rough going. But walking next to the glacier was a spectacular experience. 

The Pers Glacier joins the Morteratsch Glacier here. On the upper left we can just make out the summit station of the Diavolezza cable-way, which comes up from the other side and which you pass on the Bernina Line. On the far upper right is Piz Palü.

The Morteratsch Glacier is massive. Barely visible slightly left of center is the peak of Piz Palü, where we walked to the lake on the first day beneath that peak on the other side of here. The Bernina Peak is on the upper right. 

It was kind of tough hiking up here: You had to watch your step at some places!

From below, we can see the Alpine Hostel, the goal of this hike. (I have to admit, I could go no further, after all the hiking of the past three days and this long uphill hike. So I waited here and rested while Urs went all the way up to have a closer look at the hostel.)

This is the Swiss Alpine Hostel Boval (beneath the peak called Piz Boval). This is Urs' photo, because I didn't hike all the way up to the hut. (It would have been an additional 60 meters ascent from where I stopped and waited for Urs to return). 

Looking slightly to the southwest from where I waited for Urs, this peak is the one with the same name as the glacier, overlooking the glacier from directly to the west. 

The peak on the right here is the Bernina, which gives its name to the entire massif. It is 4048 meters. Down below is a moraine left behind by retreating glaciers. 

The sky is clearing now as we head back down along the same trail. This is such an impressive view. 

Here you can see how deep (i.e. how high) the glacier ice was at some point in the past. We learned later that the glacier has been retreating at 30 meters per year.  

Our trail heading back down to the Morteratsch train station, with a view of the Glacier Foreland. A bit further ahead was a trail down to the valley bottom, which we then followed, instead of going all the way along the same trail. 

A view of the glacier tongue as we descend. You can walk all the way up to it. 

And here we are headed down to the valley bottom. An option would have been to walk to the base of the glacier tongue, but this would have made the hike much too long. 

A look behind us at the fabulous Morteratsch Glacier as we continue out of the valley. 

The sign here indicates that it takes two hours to walk up to the Boval Hut, and 50 minutes to walk to the glacier tongue. Also, the sign points to a "show dairy" which we later walked to before going to the train station. 

There is a hotel near the train station and a park where we walked along the trail to a bridge, from where we could see up the Morteratsch River and the train line. 

Ah, and what luck that the Bernina Express is just passing by here!

This is the little show dairy, but as it was late in the day, there were no more demonstrations. 

(Side Note: These photos are from a separate trip which we took here in 2018, when we WERE able to watch the demonstration of cheese production). 

And a final close-up view of the beautiful Bernina Massif before boarding the train for the five-hour trip back home. 

Map of the Morteratsch Glacier Valley and Piz Palü from the other side.

Side note: This is what the Morteratsch Glacier looks like on a normal day when the train passes it on its way up toward the Bernina Pass.