400 KM
Hiking trails
Best season
June - September
Most lifts open
June - October
Variety of altitdudes
Accessible for all
ALPINE
Lakes
Zermatt has incredible hiking for all levels, if you are new to hiking the Alps start here.
Zermatt has over 400km of marked hiking trails, there is something for all ages and levels of fitness or adventure. This page gives you an overview of what to expect, which trails suit which ability, how to use the lifts to your advantage, what to wear, when to go, and what to watch out for. We also have detailed links as to where to find more information.
- Local tip
The tourist office has a comprehensive list of all the trails in the area (Zermatt, Täsch and Randa), with details on duration, distance, ascent and descriptions.
How the lift system changes everything
Most people think of hiking as a thing you do uphill. In Zermatt, you don’t have to. The lift network that serves skiers in winter runs through summer, and it changes what’s possible completely. When you first arrive in town you notice it’s a steep sided valley and so all the hiking might be straight up! There are some great trails out of town, but if you want to take it easy to start with you can get the lift up and start higher up, on less steep terrain.
You can get the lifts up to Rothorn, Gornergrat, Schwazsee, & Trockener Steg and start your hike from altitude. Walk down, or pick a trail that traverses rather than climbs.
This matters for two reasons. First, it opens the mountain up to people who want the views without lung busting ascent to get there. Second, it means you can be up in the high alpine, wild terrain without mountaineering experience or fitness levels that most people don’t have on holiday.
- Yellow - Hiking trails
Yellow signs, yellow diamonds on rocks.
Well-made paths that anyone reasonably fit can walk. Steep sections are stepped, drops are fenced, streams have bridges. No head for heights required.
You need:
Trainers or light walking shoes, water, a jacket.
- Red/white - Mountain trails
Yellow signs with a white-red-white flash, and the same stripes painted on rocks along the way.
Narrower, rougher and often exposed. Expect loose scree, unbridged streams and short stretches of old snow well into summer. Sections may be unmarked between waymarks, so you’re reading the terrain as much as the paint.
You need:
Sure feet, a head for heights, boots with ankle support, and a proper look at the forecast before you leave.
- Blue/white - Alpine trails
White-blue-white stripes, and often long gaps between them.
Not really a path. These routes cross glaciers, snowfields and rock where you’ll use your hands, and short climbing passages are normal. Route marking is sparse by design and you’re expected to navigate.
You need:
Alpine experience, rope, harness and ice axe where there’s glacier, or a mountain guide. If you’re unsure whether you’re ready for one, you aren’t.
Times on Swiss signposts assume a steady 4.2 km/h and don’t include stops so add some time for photographs, lunch and the bit where you sit down and take it all in!
