This trail leads from the Riffelsee lake down through a beautiful valley carved out by the Gorner glacier. You'll It hikes along a beautiful river, which later drops into a narrow gorge. You'll cross crosses

Trail: moderate • 2h30 • 7.1 km one way • 954m down • see trail map

When to go: usually late June to early October.

We would do this trail after visiting the Gornergrat viewpoint, an alternative to riding the train back down the mountain.

Trail description

To reach the trail, ride the Gornergrat mountain train to the Rotenboden station.

Hike down to the Riffelsee lake and take some pics. Then start hiking by follow signs toward Riffelalp. After leaving the lake, the trail is pretty mild, slowing descending with the Matterhorn almost always in view.

After about 1h (2.7km), then the trail forks, direction "Gletschergarten," onto steep switchbacks down to the Glacier Garden valley.

When you reach the river, follow the path downstream, staying on the right side of the river. Eventually you'll reach a picnic and playground in the forest, aka "Waldspielplatz Furi."

Turn left, following signs to the suspension bridge ("Hangebrücke") and Furi. Cross the bridge and continue following signs to Furi until you reach the gondola station.

You can end your hike at Furi and ride a gondola the rest of the way to Zermatt. Or continue hiking down via the Gorner Gorge, about 1h to reach Zermatt.