Gspon - Simplon Hospiz

A pleasant trail through the woods will take you to Gibidumpass, a viewpoint overlooking the Rhône Valley. You will gradually descend into the Nanztal, a quiet valley at the foot of the Fletschhorn. The Bistine Pass is the last pass to cross to complete this lovely loop and admire the Fletschhorn one last time. As you descend towards the Simplon Pass, Monte Leone will catch your eye.

Grachen, an important village, dominates the Zermatt valley, which you will be flying over all day. After a gentle climb to Saint-Nicolas on its pedestal, you just need to pass from scree to scree to reach the welcome Refuge d'Europahutte after a long traverse.

And here is the last stage of this route, and what a stage it is! A pleasant climb to reach Hannigalp and find the famous balcony trail that overlooks the valley leading to Saas Fee.

A route following part of the ‘Sun Trail’ on the southern face of the Bernese Alps, offering panoramic views over the Rhône Valley. The hike takes in typical Valais villages with a rich architectural heritage, such as Eggerberg, Ausserberg, St. German and Raron. In several places, the route runs alongside the railway line between Brig and Bern via the Lötschberg Tunnel, offering an opportunity to appreciate the technical feats involved in its construction at the start of the20th century. Due to its south-facing aspect and relatively low altitude, this hike is best enjoyed in spring or autumn.

A beautiful mountain stage with a pass bearing the sweet name of Augstbordpass.

This fourteenth and final stage is the longest, but does not present any difficulties. The route from Sankt Niklaus to Zermatt is obvious. It follows the Matter Vispa, the river that flows down from Zermatt, and the rack railway line, which terminates in Zermatt. All the ingredients for a picture-postcard Swiss scene are there: the Matterhorn, glaciers, the torrent, churches with bulbous steeples, the little rack railway and the magnificent car-free village of Zermatt.

Departure from the Simplon Hospice. From the hospice, take the Stockalperweg on the right after the tunnel under the Simplon road. Follow the signs for Rothwald. At Rothwald, the trail continues on the other side of the road and leads to Wäse and then Wintrigmatte. The trail bypasses the Furggubaum torrent at Scrickboden at the foot of the Furggubaumlicke and begins to climb towards the Bortelhütte. The trail descends towards the Schiess torrent (small bridge) and climbs slightly towards Stafel, which offers a panoramic view of the Bortelhorn. A gravel road leads to the top of the village of Rosswald.Markings: White-red-white.

After "From the Great Saint Bernard Pass to Simplon Pass", here is "From Simplon Pass to San Bernardino Pass". This is not the return journey from the Great Saint Bernard to Simplon after a language study trip to Italy, but rather the continuation of the route to the San Bernardino Pass in the canton of Graubünden. This hike requires a very good level of fitness, with several stages involving more than 1,300 metres of elevation gain or loss. After two days in Wallis (German-speaking Valais), the atmosphere becomes completely Italian: two days in Italy (Val Formazza), nine days in Ticino (Tessin in Italian), and two days in Grigioni (Grisons in Italian). Lake Maggiore and Locarno are also on the itinerary.