We had two possible routes planned for today: a shorter one starting from Zermatt, going up past the five lakes and back to Zermatt, or a longer one extending all the way to Täsch.
In the morning, we drove to Täsch—essentially the last point accessible by car; beyond that, you can only travel on foot or by the Zermatt train. Since we had big plans for the day, we opted for the train. It operates as a shuttle service running every half hour.
In Zermatt, we waited for the guys running the Ultra Trail Monte Rosa, cheered them on, and then headed towards the mountains 🙂
Our first challenge was a training route for the Matterhorn—a 1.1 km-long path from Zermatt to the Sunnegga cable car station. What makes it a training route is the 600-meter elevation gain from start to finish; it is truly steep!
If you complete it in under 45 minutes, you’re “Matterhorn fit”; 55 minutes is borderline, and anything over 60 minutes puts you out of the running. I managed to hike it in 34 and a half minutes, though I was only carrying a fully packed running backpack—which probably doesn’t count as Matterhorn gear 🙂
The 5-Lakes Trail starts at Sunnega—taking in Tellisee, Grindjisee, Grünsee, Moosjisee, and Leisee—though I couldn’t say for sure which is which anymore 🙂
The circuit around them is 10 kilometers long, and you can even swim in two of them. This loop offers beautiful views of the Matterhorn.
Since we still had time and the will, we decided to save the 8-franc train fare and walk to Täsch instead. It’s a fantastic, scenic walk, as you spend most of the time above the tree line. One section was a bit unsettling due to the risk of rockfalls; along a stretch of about 900 meters, there were four shelters where one could take cover should such a slide occur. Fortunately, nothing happened while we were there.
And as a final bonus, there was a beautiful waterfall at the beginning of Tasch.
