Zermatt Off The Beaten Path Tips by sandysmith Top 5 Page for this destination

On the trail

Many trails just like this, off the beaten track away from the touristic crowds down in Zermatt's main street.
This is some where above Furi, meandering around the little moutain hamlets.

Findeln to Zermatt

The walk from Findeln to Zermatt was through a shady larch forest. A bit of a zig-zag path down at times and of course the views are not as stunning as those seen higher up. At the lower edge of the forest we met with the gornegrat railway line and then followed a path contouring round above and eventually down into the centre of Zermatt - the steps down here were quite tiresome by this stage. We did see some some wildlfe - marmotts can be seen by Blauherd and the lakes there and we manged to snap this deer which shot across our path (surprisingly as we neared Zermatt) and down into the grassy fields.

Glacier Gorge

At the far end of Zermatt not far from Furi you can enter the glacier gorge for a small fee - much like the one at Grindelwald. A series of boards around this ravine will enable you to see the rushing water cascading down from the glaciers safely.

Zermatt Barns

Walking down into Zermatt gives you the chance to explore the back streets where you''ll find charming old barns -the mazots on - have much more rustic appeal than the modern hotel which throng the main streets of Zermatt.

Grindjisee Reflection

Although I got a slight reflection of the Matterhorn in the Grinjisee some of the other peaks around were better framed - as in this pic. It really is an idyllic spot and there is a path around it. This is a hike I could easily do again.

Findeln Again

After the hike around the lakes we'd planned to take the sunegga funicular down ..but we still had plenty of time before the mini-bus was due to take us back to Saas Fee. So we walked through the village of Findeln where some of the best views of the Matterhorn can be had and down through the forest to the centre of Zermatt (another 1.5 hours) What a contrast to the previous year -so glad we extended our hike here. The village is so quaint and picturesque and worth a vist in itself.

Leisee

The Leisee was a short detour UP off the path from the Grindjisee to Findeln. You could easily reach the Sunnegga funicular in a few minutes from here and ride the easy way back down to Zermatt. This pic in July is so different from the view we had in August of the preceding year. What a difference the weather can make!

Riflesee

Part way up the Gornegrat trail, just near the Riflesee station - a great place to have your pic taken with the Matterhorn in the background - just a shame it was clouded over by then, oh well thats mountain weather for you ;-/ Some day we will be back yet again I think for that perfect reflection of the Matterhorn in the lake near here!

Moosjesee

The Moosjesee (2140m) completes the 5 lakes - Stellisee, Grunsee, Grindjsee and Leisee being the others. Again this was a bit of a detour below our target of Findeln so just another shot from up above it. It looked more like a man-made dam lake to me and judging by the turquoise colour of the water would not be reflecting either :-S. So the Stellisee or the Grindjsee are best options for the scenic views and good spots for an alpine picnic on the 5 lakes walk.

Grindjisee

An easy broad path from Stellisee leads to Grindjisee (2334m) another of the mountain lakes where a reflection of the Mattenhorn can be found on a clear still day. Its an idyllic lake fringed with pine trees and is a wonderful place for a picnic and bathe - be warned water is icy! These mountains lakes are easily reached just a short hike from the Blauherd or Sunegga mountain transport systems so don't miss them.