Vernamiège walks

This fifth day will take you to the charming village of Vercorin. You will once again overlook the Rhône Valley as you pass through Nax, a pretty winter sports resort. Then you will gradually enter the deep valley of Réchy. You will admire the La Rèche torrent at the bottom of the valley, then begin the pleasant and peaceful route along the Bisse de Vercorin. In Vercorin, you can marvel at the many mazots (traditional houses) built on stilts.

This sixth stage will take you to Grimentz, a beautiful village typical of the Val d'Anniviers. From the Col des Becs de Bosson, the route is all downhill. For the more experienced, it is possible to climb the Petit Bec de Bosson. For this climb: at the pass, the route is marked by a white-blue-white sign. The final section is rated T4 to T5. Not for inexperienced climbers.

The fourth day is a long stage, using a variation on the "Chemin des Bisses" trail from La Luette. This interesting alternative in hot weather allows you to reach Vernamiège via a new trail created in 2015, "La Luette-Ossona-Les Prixes", via the Grande Combe footbridge. The elevation gain is less than on the traditional route. You will follow the large Bisse de Vex to the Mayens de Sion. You will pass through two typical villages in the Val d'Hérens: Hérémence and Euseigne.

This last stage will take you back to the Rhône Valley, to the Chalais-Vercorin cable car car park. On this downhill route, you will rejoin the Rèche. After a pretty waterfall, you will walk along the Bisse de Ricard, then cross vineyards irrigated by this canalised bisse. Back in the forest, you will once again follow this peaceful canal.

This sixth and final stage arrives in Grimentz, a beautiful village in the Val d'Anniviers. During this day, you will walk along two more bisses. First, the Bisse des Sarrasins, marked with information panels. This bisse is not in water. The route partially follows the old bisse trail. Finally, the Bisse de Saint Jean or Grand Bisse. It was abandoned for a long time and completely restored in 2012. As you approach Grimentz, you will enjoy the snow-capped peaks at over 4,000 metres

Departure at the foot of a magnificent chapel for a lovely loop with a beautiful lake surrounded by larch trees and tables and benches for lunch. Trail following a small stream to the pond

This eight-day itinerary will take you through the Val d'Anniviers, which boasts many traditional villages such as Chandolin, Saint-Luc, Zinal and Grimentz. You will stay at the Hotel Weisshorn, built in 1882 on a panoramic site at an altitude of over 2,300 metres. On the way to Zinal and then to the Cabane de Moiry, you will have the opportunity to admire the Couronne Impériale, a circle of five 4,000-metre peaks. You will also enjoy a detour into the Réchy valley, which will take you to the village of Vercorin.

For this first stage in the Val d'Anniviers, starting from Les Pontis, the trail climbs along steep, wooded slopes to reach the pretty village of Chandolin. The second part of the route takes you to Saint-Luc, a traditional village and winter sports resort. Saint-Luc also has an astronomical observatory and a planetarium housed in a former 19th-century barn.

This eleventh stage takes place in the mid-mountains. The Hotel Weisshorn, perched at an altitude of nearly 2,400 metres, is visible from Grimentz. The path descends towards Navisence and then passes through the village of Ayer. Follow the Chemin des Cols Alpins to reach the Hotel Weisshorn. From its terrace, it offers a superb view of the summit that bears its name.

This seventh stage will take you to Vercorin. This small, traditional village is located on the border between the Vallon de Réchy and the Val d'Anniviers. From Grimentz, take the Bendolla cable car and follow the trails through the ski area to reach the Col du Louché. You will then descend into the magnificent Vallon de Réchy. After Lac du Louché, follow the Rèche to the towpath where the peaceful Bisse de Vercorin begins. You will soon reach the pretty little village of Vercorin.

The climb up the Bisse du Ro to Lake Tseuzier is fairly easy The return trip is more difficult, with a steep descent at the beginning and a steep climb at the end of the walk In the middle there is a field with cows, so remember to close the gates behind you

This second stage will take you to the Hotel Weisshorn, but not via the shortest route. Along the way, you will pass peaks such as the Rothorn, Bella Tola and the Aiguilles du Meiden. After Lake Armina, you will join Trail No. 6 (Chemin des Cols Alpins) at the foot of the Meidpass. After the descent to the Combavert mountain pasture, you will need to make one last effort to discover the Hotel Weisshorn, the pearl of the Val d'Anniviers.

This walk starts in Anzere and uses the cable car to the Pas de Maimbre. The walk takes you around the Sex Rouge and includes the short but steep ascent to the summit for the great views across the Pennine Alps. It descends to pass the Cabane de Audannes and then through the Combe des Andins to Serin. After this is uses one of the established Bisse walks to return to Anzere. ⚠️(Note in 2024 the path between point 2616m and the col at La Selle was affected by a landslide and is unsafe. This route uses a deviation set up by local mountain guides; it is marked with posts but is not yet as obvious as it will be, once it is used by many people)

Starting from the Anzere cable car station this walk follows a piste before heading uphill into an alpine pasture where the path all but disappears, this section is short as you soon pick up a better track to the Combe de Serin and a descend to the alpine pastures at Serin. You then take the waymarked paths back through the forest and beside the Bisse to Anzere. A varied and interesting walk with great views.

Two bisses are on the agenda for this third day. Very quickly in Nendaz, you will reach the "Bisse Vieux" against the current, then after Planchouet, you will stroll along the magnificent "Grand Bisse de Vex". Opposite, the Rhône valley is often visible, and you will clearly see the Derborance and Sanetsch valleys, Mont Gond, the Wildhorn and its glacier.

This hike is accessible without major difficulty and is a very beautiful hike starting from Aminona, with spectacular waterfalls and beautiful landscapes. You can take a break along the way at the Colombire relay station (credit cards accepted) or at the Sex cave (no credit cards).

Beautiful hike along a long alpine path, then a steeper trail at the end. At the hut, there is a route equipped with chains, and the one I took, which is less steep. Spectacular view from the hut, very warm welcome, and very comfortable for spending the night. Multiple options for returning to different valleys.

First phase in the Saint-Luc skiing area before heading along the Tour de Cervin trail and completing the stage at Gruben.

After a night in this historic hotel, the third stage will take you to Zinal, a traditional village in the Val d'Anniviers. You will soon discover the Weisshorn and Bishorn mountains. At the small Bella Vouarda pass, you can admire the so-called imperial crown with five peaks over 4,000 metres high. As you descend towards Zinal, you will follow the end of the famous Sierre-Zinal race, more commonly known as the "Race of the Five 4,000s".

This twelfth stage takes place once again in the high mountains and, depending on the season, may involve crossing snowfields. The trail is shared with the Apenpässe-Weg, marked with green stickers no. 6. From the Hotel Weisshorn, descend to the Combavert barn. The ascent to the Meidpass begins on a good path that passes close to Lake Combavert. The route is pleasant until the junction with Lake Armina. The final climb is over scree. The descent, which is steep at first, becomes gentler as you approach Meidsee. Then scree and pastures alternate until you reach the hamlets of Oberstafel and Mittelstafel. A good path then descends to Meiden/Gruben.The Meidpass is the French/German linguistic border.

A long climb to Torrent Pass before reaching Moiry Lake, then Saint-Luc by bus, Tignousa by cable car and finally Bella Tola by foot. Think about correcting the distance indicated by points (5) et (6) : you need to deduct 10 km.

This tenth stage takes place once again in the high mountains and, depending on the season, may involve crossing snowfields. This day is spent in the company of peaks over 4,000 metres high.From La Sage or Villa, there are two passes that allow you to cross from the Val d'Hérens to the Val d'Anniviers: the Col de Torrent and the Col du Tsaté. Closer to the high peaks and glaciers, we will opt for the Col du Tsaté. From La Sage, follow the signs for Moteau and Le Tsaté (an old abandoned hamlet). The trail continues to a cattle farm (Remointse du Tsaté), then to the small Lac du Tsaté. From there, the Col du Tsaté is visible on the Val d'Anniviers side, and the path joins the Lac de Moiry to the dam. At the foot of this structure, a well-marked trail leads to Grimentz.

A long stage through two passes however, shortened by the cable car link in Zinal and the coach transfer between Villa Evolène and Arolla. Warning: Taking into account the cable car transport, the positive altitude isn't 2156 m as indicated but only 1380 m.

An unusual stage today: it starts with a downhill hike before a long climb uphill, a second descent and a ski lift ride followed by a walk over flatland and a bus ride to the lodge.

This seventh stage takes place in high mountains and, depending on the season, may involve crossing snowfields.From the Prafleuri hut, head towards the Col des Roux, then descend to Lac des Dix. Walk along the lake to the south-eastern end, where you will find signs for the Cabane des Dix. The path follows the glacier moraine and then goes around Tête Noire to reach the Cabane des Dix. Views of Mont Blanc de Cheilon, La Ruinette and Pigne d'Arolla.

For this fifth stage, you will leave the Moiry hut and the snow-capped peaks for another hut in a very different world. You will once again follow the Lac de Moiry, but on its other shore. You will cross large grassy expanses to the Alpage de Torrent. From this mountain pasture to the Pas de la Lona, you will follow part of the famous Verbier-Grimentz mountain bike trail. The final climb will take you to the foot of the Becs de Bosson for a night at almost 3,000 metres.