The first day starts strong. Your goal is just a little higher up in the Chamonix Valley, but to get there, take the trail to the iconic Lac Blanc. After taking in postcard views of the Mont Blanc massif, descend the TMB ladders, where the day ends in Argentiere.
If you’d like to start the Haute Route easier or you want to get in some hiking on the day of arrival, you can also take the direct way to Argentiere, following the gently ascending trail along the valley.
17km and 1350m elevation gain
The last day in France will be relatively undemanding. Following the ridge of Aiguillette des Possettes, it takes you to Col de Balme, the border of Switzerland. When you leave France, you also leave the most up-close views of the Mont Blanc massif behind (though they return later), descending down into the green pastures of the Swiss village Trient.
16km and 1200m elevation gain
A challenging path awaits you on the third day. You’ll ascend over the Fenetre d’Arpette, with spectacular views of the Glacier du Trient. The tricky rocky descent soon turns into a pleasant walk into the green valley, where Champex-Lac, the welcoming town beside a lake, awaits.
In the case of bad weather, the easier Bovine route (part of the Tour du Mont Blanc) is preferable.
15km and 1350m elevation gain
As the only day on the trail without huge mountains, you’ll explore more of the Swiss countryside. You will follow the side of the picturesque Val Ferret and into Sembrancher of Val de Bagnes, where you hike along the river towards Le Châble. Even without any big mountains in sight, this day is still interesting as it shows you ordinary Switzerland, not often advertised.
14km and 300m elevation gain
Start early and get ready for a big climb on this day. The steep footpaths will take you above the tree line, on the slopes of the world-renowned Verbier ski resort. Traversing them, you will soon start to notice another great Alpine massif — the Grand Combin — before reaching the Cabane du Mont Fort hut, where you end the day.
12km and 1650m elevation gain
The sixth day presents itself a stage full of contrasts — first the panoramic green ridges with a good chance of seeing an ibex, and then the moonlike plateau. From the panoramic trail over Col Termin (optional over Col de Louvie), you’ll soon reach the dying Grand Désert Glacier. The route takes you just below it, on the barren land of scree and stones. After passing many small lakes, you cross over Col de Prafleuri (2987 m), the highest point on the Haute Route. From there, you’ll soon reach the hut of Cabane de Prafleuri.
17km and 1000m elevation gain
This stage will keep you high up in the mountains, with some of the best views on the Haute Route. Lac de Dix will surprise you just over the morning Col. After traversing alongside this 5 km long accumulation lake, you’ll cross over the morain of Glacier de Cheilon, admiring the pyramid-shaped Mont Blanc de Cheilon on your right. You have two passes you can choose before descending down to Arolla. One has ladders and the other will give you a slight glimpse of Matterhorn.
18km and 750m elevation gain
This stage is easier, and doesn’t feature any high mountains, but still very scenic. It takes you down the valley from Arolla, past typical Swiss villages, towards Les Hauderes. In between, you can also do a detour to the small but fairytale-like Lac Bleu. The day ends at the small village of La Sage.
11km and 250m elevation gain
You’ll climb your way up from the valley towards the ridge above Val d’Hérens, crossing it at its lowest point in Col du Tsate. After a descent to the small Lac Châteaupré, the way up along the Moiry Glacier begins. As the landscape becomes rockier and you start to get a closer look at the glacier, switchbacks will bring you to one of the best-situated huts on the route. The Cabane du Moiry has a great atmosphere and is for many people a destination on its own.
11km and 1650m elevation gain
After a breakfast admiring the view through the panoramic glass windows of the hut’s dining room, head back down yesterday’s path to Lac de Moiry. The ascent then leads towards Col de Sorebois, a great outlook over Val d’Anniviers and iconic peaks like Weisshorn (4505 m). The descent to Zinal is steep and long, but can be shortened about halfway by a cable car.
16km and 550m elevation gain
This is the first day when you will cross into the German-speaking part of Switzerland. The ascending trail leads high above the Zinal Valley with great views of its head every time you look behind. The shortest route to the valley of Turtmanntal on the other side is across Forcletta pass. If you have more time, you can also extend the trail with a night stay at the Victorian Hotel Weisshorn, and hiking across Meidpass the next day. The common goal of these options is Gruben, a small village only occupied in the summer.
17km and 1200m elevation gain
This is another day full of contrasts, crossing the last mountain pass on the Walker’s Haute Route. From the green forests above Gruden, across the rocky landscape of Augstbordpass, you’ll be walking on a historical trading route. After coming around the corner, the epic views of Mattertal valley will vow you. Although no sight of Matterhorn yet, you’ll see Dom (4545 m), the highest peak only in Swiss territory). Past the lovely hamlet of Jungen, descend into the valley into St. Niklaus.
The last two-day stretch on the Walker’s Haute features one of the best hikes in the alp, the Europaweg. Redesigned in 2021, because of a landslide, its first part now takes you from Gasenried to Herbriggen at a lower altitude. Taking the valley route from St. Niklaus to Herbriggen can shorten this long stage. From there, a long but grand ascent to the Europahutte begins. With epic views at every stop, including the panorama with Matterhorn, you’ll cross suspension bridges and soon arrive at the end.
17km and 1600m elevation gain
Every grand route should have a grand ending, and this one is exactly that. You’ll be traversing up high above the valley, crossing the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world, all with the imposing view of the sharp Matterhorn at the end of the valley. After Sunegga, descend down into Zermatt — the end of the Walker’s Haute Route.
22km and 600m elevation gain
The Walker’s Haute Route is probably one of the most epic hikes in the Alps.
From Chamonix to Zermatt, from Mont Blanc to Matterhorn — it connects the two most important mountaineering centers in Europe and two of its most iconic mountains. You can confidently say that you’ve been to this part of the world after you experience all the diverse scenery on this long-distance route.
The Walker’s Haute Route is a challenging trek, tougher than some of its counterparts (like Tour du Mont Blanc). This makes it more rewarding, with fewer crowds on its trails. It starts in France, overlapping with the TMB, and soon enters Switzerland, where it stays until the end.
It has 14 stages that a reasonably fit hiker can complete in 14 days of about 5-7 hours of hiking, with optional detours that can extend it for an extra day (Hotel Weisshorn). Crossing many mountain passes that never quite reach 3000 m of elevation, the Haute Route trek is challenging without even considering the planning aspect.
We can help this once-in-a-lifetime adventure be as hassle-free as possible.
We take your wishes and preferences to best advise you on your perfect Walker’s Haute Route itinerary. We book all of your accommodations and other services, so you can focus on the journey. And a few weeks before setting off, we’ll send you the detailed itinerary booklet with the planned GPS route.
All that’s left for you is to get to Chamonix and start walking!
But if you are short on time, you can also choose to hike just half of the Walker’s Haute Route — the West or the East.
The summer season for hiking is usually from mid-June to mid-October. Its start depends on the amount of snow left on the high mountain passes from the winter. The Walker’s Haute Route and Via Alpina have some high passes, which are usually free of snow only in July. Hiking before that could be dangerous without proper skill and equipment. In October, there is usually the first bigger snowfall, and the huts close to prepare for the winter ski season.
Read more about the hiking season in the Swiss Alps here.
We’ve rated our tours on a difficulty scale from 1 to 5 — with 1 being the easiest and 5 the most difficult.
The difficulty level of a tour tells you how fit you need to be and how much hiking is involved. Most of our tours are appropriate for people who are regularly active and can hike for about five to seven hours per day.
Technical difficulty means how skilled you need to be to hike on the path. Level 1 means the trail is smooth and wide (like a gravel road), while 5 means the surface is uneven and exposed, and you have to use your hands to help yourself move forward. In practice, that means that the higher the level, the more surefooted and skilled in scrambling you need to be.
It is best to book your tour early because most accommodations along the trail fill up quickly. That way, you can ensure that you have a place to stay.
Even though the routes are usually quite close to at least a farm or a small village, they also feature lots of wild and remote sections where you cannot just stop. In case of injury, it’s best to call the local emergency services.
On the other hand, if you just feel that you cannot hike anymore, you can always stop in any of the towns and villages along the way and use public transport to get to a bigger Swiss city.
Showers in Swiss mountain huts are rare and are only offered for an extra charge. That’s why it’s wise to bring wet wipes with you for the days that you are staying in one of them.
No, because the huts provide their own blankets and pillows. Still, you should bring a sleeping liner instead.
Cell connection is very changeable in the mountains. A good rule of thumb is that if you can see a town, you’ll have a reception. Mountain huts are the same — the signal usually doesn’t reach the insides, so try catching it outside. Wifi is available only in some huts, while most don’t have it.
If you dress accordingly, most stages can be done in light rain. However, do not hike if a storm is forecasted. In that case, you can take public transport to the next point when possible to make up for the lost time.
Vegetarian meals are usually available in most accommodations. Vegan options are harder to be found in huts, but we’re happy to let you know about them in advance so you can plan accordingly.
Comparing it to other classic treks in the Alps, the Haute route is the most difficult out of all of them. Each day features a lot of distance, ascent, and descent, with the routes often rocky, exposed, and steep. For comparison, the Haute Route’s average mountain pass is as difficult as the most difficult part of the Tour du Mont Blanc.
Still, the Haute Route is a hike first and foremost, and only a few rare sections demand the use of hands.
More about the Walker’s Haute Route difficulty >
Chamonix is the starting point of the Walker’s Haute Route and it is pretty easy to get to from the Geneva international airport by train, bus, or shuttle.
The hike ends in Zermatt, from where there are good train connections to the airports of Zurich and Geneva.
Learn more about the travel options >
Huts mostly offer dormitories only, but some also have a few private rooms for 2 or 4 available. Please note that we require a very early booking for these rooms. We will do our best to get you the best possible accommodation from what is available at the time of your booking.
You can read more about the accommodations on the way here.
You can, but they need to be used of long hiking days and surefooted. We therefore recommend that they’re at least 8 years old.
Most of the stages can be shortened via cable cars or other modes of public transportation, saving your knees on the downhills or catching up on lost time because of bad weather.
Haute Route has many sections which are remote and hardly accessible, which is why we do not offer luggage transfer. The best option is to pack light, so check our packing list.
The Walker’s Haute Route starts in France but leads mostly through Switzerland. Therefore you should have some euros (EUR) with you, but most cash should be in Swiss francs (CHF).
