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One of the best hikes in the world is the
HAUTE ROUTE
Also known as:
- The Walker's Haute Route
- Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route
- "High Route"
- Mt Blanc to the Matterhorn
- Chamonix to Zermatt
Chamonix to Zermatt, Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn - in two weeks of mountain travel you will see the greatest collection of 4000 metre peaks in the Alps!
AT A GLANCE
- one of our top 10 hikes in the world
- the best hike in Europe!
- Alpine charm: valleys, lakes, glaciers
- great food, history, culture
- from Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe (4810m, 15,781ft)
- to the Matterhorn, the most beautiful peak in the alps
- 9-15 days
- 180+kms (112mi)
- best months June-Sept
- crosses 11 passes, gains more than 12,000m elevation
- difficult hiking
Wilderness Travel
WHY WE LIKE THIS HIKE
- in 2010 we named this hike #1 replacing the most famous long distance hike in Europe, the TMB (Tour de Mont Blanc)
- the TMB is similar and excellent, but much more crowded than the Haute Route. As independent hikers, we don't like mobs on the trail.
- the Haute Route is challenging, but with creature comforts en route
- by staying in huts (refuge in French, rifugio in Italian) and hostels (gîtes), and eating your meals there, you can hike with a very light pack
- frequent opportunities to buy food & supplies
- good trails
- good signage though you still need a map
- excellent guidebook by Kev Reynolds, the #1 trekking author in the world
- start in France, walk to Switzerland
- you could carry your own tent, if you prefer, as wild camp tenting is not illegal in Switzerland (unfortunately it is illegal in France)
- almost certain to see ibex and chamois in the wild
- fantastic glacier views
- finishes with the 2-day Europaweg - a true high-level path opened in recent years (and sometimes closed due to avalanche)
- some mountaineers use this trek for altitude acclimatization, climbing Mt. Blanc, the Matterhorn or, best, Weisshorn, after they finish
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CONSIDERATIONS
Rain is highly likely. Be ready for it.
- it can even snow on high passes any day of the year
- off-season footing can be treacherous. Crampons and ice axe may be useful, but it's not likely.
- late afternoon dangerous thunderstorms possible
- mid-July through August accommodation may be full
- mountain huts can be crowded & noisy (we prefer tenting, to be truthful)
- in 2009 cost was around $70 for bed, bedding, breakfast and an evening meal
- iron ladders bolted into the mountain en route, though there is a way to bypass them
- cable-cars and chair-lifts are cheating, but you certainly may want to use them to shorten some hiking days (available June-Sept during daylight hours)
- Germany is the main language of the Haute Route though French is useful too. Anglophones may struggle.
- at times there are several different paths all heading the same direction. It can be confusing.
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First decision: do you want to stay in huts and gîtes, or carry your own tent & gear? (off-season some huts are closed so you may have no choice.)
Hard-core hikers prefer carrying their own gear, including tent, to have more choices en route. Check the 2009 trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles. He tented every night except one.
The biggest hassle with the Haute Route is getting reservations for accommodation. There is not yet any one place you can book everything independently for the entire tour. (This is one good reason to sign-on with a guided tour rather than hiking it independently.)
Many of the huts are privately owned. Membership in any organization is not required to use the huts, but discounts apply to some alpine club members.
Our advice is to book just your first few nights. As you hike, make a reservation at the next hut before you leave your current hut in the morning. The hut guardian will normally call ahead for you to confirm your next demi pension (bed, dinner and breakfast). This is risky as the hut you want next might be full — but it allows you much more freedom in your itinerary.
Most hikers in 2009 were calling ahead themselves a day or two in advance by mobile phone.
ROUTES
- most start and finish in Chamonix, one of the great hiking centres of the world
- finish at the stunning Matterhorn
- get our recommended hiking guide book to decide how many days you wish to spend hiking
- checking trip reports (bottom of this page) is another excellent way to get a feel for how much distance you will want to hike each day
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If you sign on with a guided trip logistics will be organized for you. This section is for independent hikers.
- the closest major airport is Geneva about 100km away
- the train to Chamonix is our favourite transport, but there are many other bus & shuttle options to get you there
- from Zermatt it's easy to return to Chamonix by train, necessary if you've left any luggage at a hotel there
- some Swiss rail stations have luggage lockers, but there are none in France
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INDEPENDENT OR GUIDED?
You should be confident and experienced to attempt a hike this long and complex on your own. Many hikers prefer to sign on with a tour.
Check the details. Some companies will transfer your luggage hut to hut.
Increasingly popular are self-guided tours. A company organizes all your logistics, but you trek independently. Cost for that in 2009 was about $1500 including all accommodation.
Haute Route Guided Tours:
Haute Route SELF Guided Tours:
LOCAL INFORMATION
BEST HIKING GUIDEBOOKS
There are many other good guidebooks, but use Cicerone. In recognition of all the good work done for us by Kev Reynolds over the decades.
BEST TRAVEL GUIDEBOOKS
Of dozens of good options, we prefer Lonely Planet guides. Start with Europe, then search for the specific countries in which you are most interested.
OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKS
BEST MAPS
- Pays Swiss survey Landeskarte der Schweiz (LS or Carte nationale de la Suisse) 1:50:000 series (5 sheets) is recommended
- Kummerley + Frey single sheet 1:120,000
Most hikers shop the maps available in Chamonix once they arrive.
The maps in the Cicerone guidebook are enough so that you won't get lost en route. (It's not exactly wilderness.)
Online:
BEST WEB PAGES
After this page, the best links are
BEST PHOTOS & TRIP REPORTS
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