Epic Matterhorn views and mild terrain make this snowshoe trail the best choice in the Zermatt area for families or any casual hiker. This easy trail is mostly downhill, easy, short and can even be split in half if you need something shorter.

On this trail, you get a view of the north face of Matterhorn, not seen from other parts of Zermatt. We liked the first half of the trail best, with almost constant views of the Matterhorn and a full panorama of the area.

There’s a nice cafe at the mid-point for lunch. Then a long walk back around the mountain on a snowy access road, still attractive but not our favorite part of the hike.

We had a great time on this trail with our two boys. But we do prefer the Gornergrat snowshoe trail, which has nicer Matterhorn views in our opinion.

Trail info

This is a one way trail, starting at Schwarzsee and ending in Furi (or you can continue hiking down to Zermatt).

Stats: moderate • 3.5 h • 9 k • 44m up, 766m down
See trail map

To reach this snowshoe trail, you ride the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise gondola - Schluhmattstrasse 28, 3920 Zermatt. Make sure to take the confrom Zermatt to Schwarzsee. Then you snowshoe down to Stafel, where you’ll find a restaurant.

Then you join the service road/winter walking trail, which leads to Furi, where you can catch the gondola back to Zermatt. You can optionally continue walking from Furi to Zermatt, adding on another 2hrs to your trail.

Please check snow conditions before heading out. If avalanche warnings are high, this trail may be closed.

Tickets

You need a one way ticket on the gondola from Zermatt to Schwarzsee. If you end your hike at Füri, you'll also need a one-way ticket from there back down to Zermatt.

In 2024, this will cost you about CHF 43/adult. This ticket is discounted with the Swiss Travel Pass, SBB GA and Half-fare card.

You can rent snowshoes at the sports shop next to the Matterhorn Paradise gondola station.

More info on SwissFamilyFun.com