The Zermatt 5 Lakes Walk is a popular mountain trail known for its stunning lakes, where you can photograph the Matterhorn peak reflected in the water. Many Matterhorn photos you see on social media were taken at the lakes along this trail, which is a good reason to hike here.

If you time it right, in mid October you can see the golden larches and iconic Stellisee lake in the same hike. But note that the Blauherd gondola that accesses this trail usually closes the end of the first week of October. After it closes, we suggest an adapted 3 Lake Hike, which is just as pretty.

But fyi, those carefully framed photos don't show you the busy crowds lining the lakeshores, water works infrastructure, or service roads and vehicles that occasionally cross the trail.

There are much nicer trails in the Zermatt area. I would only hike this trail if those lake photos are really important to you. Otherwise, do the Riffelsee trail instead, which also has a beautiful lake.

That said, here are a few tips to make this trail a nice experience.

Trail Info

To reach this trail, ride a funicular train from Zermatt to Sunnegga, then a gondola to Blauherd. Then follow signs labeled "5 Seenweg," leading first to the Stellisee lake and ending back at Sunnegga where you can ride the funicular back down to Zermatt.

Trail: 11k • 4 hours • 250m up, 550m down
See trail map

If you have a little more time, we suggest hiking past the Stellisee to the Flühalp mountain hut (about 30 mins) for truffle fondue with a glacier view. We love it there!

Prices for the gondola vary by season. It will cost about CHF 45/adult. You get a discount with the Swiss Travel Pass, SBB GA and Half-fare.

Shorter version

If you want a much shorter hike, you can hike just to the first lake, Stellisee, in just 15 mins, then back the way you came. The photos from the far side of that lake are spectacular and probably all you need out of this area.

We also like the 3 Lake Hike, which skips the first two lakes but is just as pretty and less busy.