Walker's Haute Route - From Trient to Zermatt

The Walker's Haute Route connects the two most iconic mountain villages of the Alps: Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blanc and Zermatt below the Matterhorn. Unlike its famous ski-touring namesake, the walkers' variant stays on marked trails all the way - but it crosses eleven passes and delivers a relentless up-and-down through the Valais, from alpine pastures and larch forests to glacier moraines and high suspension bridges.

Total length: ~190kmAccumulated height: 12.500mDuration: 12 days

We hiked the route in 12 days in late July 2026. The weather was almost perfect - hot, stable and with practically no snow left on the trails. The GPX track shows the originally intended route; we had to take a few alternatives where sections were closed.

Take a look at this video to get an impression about this trip:

How did we do the Walker's Haute Route ?

Since we had already hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc two years ago, we skipped the first stages and started directly in Trient instead of Chamonix. Getting there is straightforward: train to Martigny, then the bus up to Trient.

We did the whole tour self-guided, using a Kindle guidebook and watching YouTube videos to learn from the experience of others. For accommodation we used a mix of camping and hotels, mountain huts and dormitories - which also keeps the pack weight reasonable, since a tent is only worth carrying if you really use it.

Trient has a public campsite, and you can get dinner and breakfast at the refuge right next to it.

The daily figures below are our own numbers (distance, walking time without longer breaks, ascent and descent).

Day 1 - Trient to Champex

Length: 16kmWalking time: 7hAscent: 1.390mDescent: 1.200m

We took the route over the Fenêtre d'Arpette, since back on the Tour du Mont Blanc we had to use the Bovine variant because of snow. The Fenêtre d'Arpette is by far the more rewarding option. The climb is long but perfectly manageable. The descent surprised us: the signpost promises 2.5 hours to Champex, but you should plan for more - the upper part is a bit technical and is followed by a long stretch over large boulders. The final section from Arpette down to Champex along the river is beautiful and easy.

Accommodation: Campsite

Day 2 - Champex to Le Châble

Length: 14,5kmWalking time: 4h15minAscent: 200mDescent: 845m

After the long first day it was good that this stage is a short one, with hardly any ascent. In Le Châble we had a nice self-service apartment with a kitchen, and the village has a well-stocked supermarket - a good place to restock before the huts.

Accommodation: Hotel

Day 3 - Le Châble to Cabane du Mont Fort

Length: 13kmWalking time: 5h30minAscent: 1.660mDescent: 30m

Many hikers take the cable car for part of this stage. We walked all of it. 1.660m of ascent is a lot, and it was very hot. The hut itself is busy, since it can easily be reached by cable car - but from our point of view it served the best food of the entire route.

Accommodation: Cabane du Mont Fort

Day 4 - Cabane du Mont Fort to Cabane de Prafleuri

Length: 17kmWalking time: 7h30minAscent: 1.110mDescent: 940m

Another long day. The stage is relatively easy going, even though several sections are waymarked blue/white. The Col de Louvie was already free of snow. Towards the end you spot the hut from high above fairly early and think you are almost there - but working off those last metres of descent takes considerably longer than expected.

Prafleuri was the only hut on our tour with cold showers only, located in an outbuilding about 200m away. As it was late and the sun had already gone, we skipped that shower - as did most others. The surprise of the evening: countless ibex grazing right next to the hut, completely unimpressed by the people and the noise. The (old) outside toilet is best avoided.

Accommodation: Cabane de Prafleuri

Day 5 - Cabane de Prafleuri to Arolla

Length: 18kmWalking time: 6hAscent: 740mDescent: 1.360m

We did not know that the Pas de Chèvres is closed and that you have to cross via the Col de Riedmatten instead. Personally I would have preferred the ladders to the steep, loose scree of the Col de Riedmatten. So the ladder section that some people are not keen on currently does not exist. On the way down from the pass came the next surprise: countless edelweiss, practically right beside the trail.

Arolla is a small village. The campsite has been relocated further down the valley, close to the Hotel Aiguille de la Tza. If you want to shop, do it on the way in - otherwise you have to walk back up to the village centre later. The "supermarket" is very modest anyway.

Accommodation: Temporary campsite next to the hotel

Day 6 - Arolla to La Sage

Length: 11,5kmWalking time: 4hAscent: 520mDescent: 860m

The stage took longer than we expected. The Lac Bleu is genuinely beautiful and should not be skipped. La Sage does not offer many places to stay, but our guidebook listed the "Café-Restaurant L'Écureuil". We expected a large dormitory and got a room with two beds instead. Highly recommended - the food is very good as well.

Accommodation: Cafe with dormitory

Day 7 - La Sage to Cabane de Moiry

Length: 11,5kmWalking time: 6hAscent: 1.680mDescent: 520m

This turned out to be our rain day, although it stayed within limits - roughly one hour of rain. It was extremely cloudy, so there was not much to see. Not too bad, since you walk part of the same terrain back the next day.

The Cabane de Moiry has an exceptional location, right next to the glacier, and the dining room offers the best view through its large panorama windows. The hut is presumably supplied by helicopter, but you would not notice - nothing is missing. There is free Wi-Fi, free tea for the trail and plenty of sockets for charging.

The only surprise: we were told we could put our wet boots in the drying room, which we did, like many others. The drying room does have a stove, but either it is not lit in summer or it was forgotten that day - the boots were still wet the next morning. Not a real problem, as the following day was warm enough to dry them quickly.

Accommodation: Cabane de Moiry

Day 8 - Cabane de Moiry to Zinal

Length: 19,5kmWalking time: 7hAscent: 650mDescent: 1.800m

Edelweiss directly beside the trail again. First you climb back up to the pass, then it is downhill all the way - and 1.800m of descent is a serious amount. Some hikers take the cable car, and there is also the option of covering part of the descent on a mountain go-kart (we could not find out whether that works with a backpack).

Zinal has a pleasant campsite where you can get dinner and breakfast, and there is a decent supermarket at the far end of the village.

Accommodation: Campsite

Day 9 - Zinal to Gruben

Length: 17kmWalking time: 6hAscent: 1.250mDescent: 1.100m

A long but straightforward stage over the Forcletta, with marmots along the way. Gruben is the first village on the language border - from here on the Valais speaks German instead of French.

We had reserved two places in the dormitory of the Hotel Schwarzhorn. The hotel is beautiful, sits directly on the trail, and the food is worth recommending as well. Note that Gruben has no shop, so plan your supplies accordingly.

Accommodation: Hotel/Dormitory

Day 10 - Gruben to St. Niklaus

Length: 18kmWalking time: 7hAscent: 1.150mDescent: 1.845m

In the Hotel Schwarzhorn we slept in the dormitory named "Augstbordpass" - and that is exactly the pass today's trail crosses. The climb up to the pass goes reasonably quickly. The way down afterwards drags on considerably: much of it leads over large boulders, and 1.845m of descent is no small matter. Many hikers take the cable car down from Jungu. The trail from Jungu down to St. Niklaus is a Way of the Cross lined with small chapels.

Accommodation: Hotel

Day 11 - St. Niklaus to Europa-Hut

Length: 12kmWalking time: 5hAscent: 1.300mDescent: 210m

We never fully worked out whether the first part of the Europaweg towards the Europa Hut is passable again. We started in St. Niklaus, walked up the valley first and then climbed to the hut. The stage is less spectacular than the name "Europaweg" might suggest.

The Europa Hut was the first hut where drinking water is not simply available: one litre costs 4 CHF. Fill up in St. Niklaus if you want to avoid that.

Accommodation: Europa-Hut

Day 12 - Europa-Hut to Zermatt

Length: 23kmWalking time: 7hAscent: 850mDescent: 1.460m

We were clearly not well prepared here: only at the hut did we learn that the "normal" trail to Zermatt is closed in two sections - and has been for quite some time. So we, like everybody else, had to descend to Randa after crossing the well-known Charles Kuonen suspension bridge. Most hikers then take the train from Randa directly to Zermatt. We, like a few others, took a taxi up to Täschalp and continued on foot from there. With at least four people, the current price is 15 CHF per person.

From then on the Matterhorn is in view almost constantly and grows closer with every kilometre. In our case it was unfortunately rather cloudy again. Closer to Zermatt there are several options for the final descent into the village.

Accommodation: Hotel in Zermatt (campsites in Zermatt/Täsch currently closed)

Our Learnings

• Considerably harder than the Tour du Mont Blanc - longer stages and a lot more up and down. The most challenging sections from our perspective: Fenêtre d'Arpette and Col de Riedmatten (the Pas de Chèvres was closed)
• Always be prepared for bad weather - some people do not even carry rain gear
• Check which sections are open or closed before you go. For instance: the Pas de Chèvres was closed, and the trail from the Europa Hut to Zermatt has two closed sections, so you have to descend to Randa
• If you want to camp, check whether the campsites are still operating (the ones in Zermatt/Täsch were closed, the one in Arolla had moved to a temporary location)
• If you prefer hotels, use the accommodation lists in the guidebook - there is much more on offer than what shows up on the booking websites
• Book mountain huts in advance. They are small, and on this route there is rarely an alternative within reach
• There is a supermarket every second or third day, but most of them are really small - plan your resupply around Le Châble and Zinal
• Water is available at every hut except the Europa Hut, where one litre costs 4 CHF
• Cable cars exist on several stages (Mont Fort, Zinal, Jungu) and are a legitimate way to shorten a stage if the weather turns or the legs give up
• The route crosses the French/German language border in Gruben - from there on, German is spoken