VerticAlp Emosson: Tips for getting there and beautiful hikes

Advertising: Contribution in cooperation with SBB RailAway

In one of the steepest funiculars with a view of the highest peak in the Alps, past Switzerland’s second-largest reservoir to archosaur tracks that are over 240 million years old; All these attractions await you at Lac d’Emosson in the Lower Valais Trient Valley. The VerticAlp Emosson is an excursion destination that scores with its spectacular means of transport as well as with its magnificent panoramic views of the mountains of the Mont Blanc massif. And best of all, all of this can be experienced in the form of a day trip.

How to get there: By public transport to Lac d’Emosson

The VerticAlp Emosson is one of more than 80 leisure activities scattered across Switzerland, for which there are attractive RailAway combined offers. This means that those who travel by public transport and book the leisure service directly with the ticket purchase benefit from discounts.

Long-time Travelita readers know that I have already referred to RailAway combined offers several times at this point, because on the one hand they serve as a “treasure trove” for exciting excursions and on the other hand they offer attractive price advantages when travelling by public transport. And the fact that 99% of our excursions in Switzerland are by public transport should not have escaped your notice either. Accordingly, we also took the train to Valais for this detour to the scenically impressive Trient Valley early in the morning on a wonderful summer’s day in Zurich.

Note: The competition (raffle of a RailAway combination offer of your choice for 4 people) has been completed and the winner has been notified. In this case, the decision was made by random lot.

The VerticAlp Emosson – a panoramic railway experience

For day trips to Valais, I choose a direct IC connection from Zurich to Visp whenever possible. So you can sit comfortably for two hours, take care of pending tasks and watch the world wake up from the train window. In Visp, the connection to the Lower Valais is crisp (4 minutes), but the connecting train stops directly opposite and thus allows you to change trains at ground level. After 2:43 hours of relaxed train ride we reach Martigny. Here we change to the Mont Blanc Express. The train connects Martigny with Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blanc via a bold and panoramic route through the Trient Valley.

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Secure a window seat on the left in the direction of travel and be careful not to press your nose against the window for the next forty minutes. The views down into the Trient Gorge and the panorama of the Mont Blanc massif are in a class of their own. Shortly before the train crosses the border into France, we press the “stop button” and get off at Le Châtelard. Just under a two-minute walk from the small train station is the start of the VerticAlp Emosson train adventure.

We overcome the first stage on the route of the former works railway from 1919. The funicular is one of the steepest in the world with a maximum gradient of 87%. All the more impressive when you consider that this railway was built at the beginning of the 20th century in connection with the construction of the Emosson reservoir. Incidentally, the whole thing was initiated at the time by the Swiss Federal Railways, which wanted to cover their electricity needs with it. The funicular ride up to les Montuires takes just under 10 minutes.

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Here, the next rail attraction is already ready: the panorama train, which looks like a toy with its gauge of only 60 cm. In the following 10 minutes, the miniature train winds its way through a magnificent mountain scenery along the edge of the slope to the foot of the Emosson dam. We overcome the last few metres of altitude with a so-called “Minifunic”. The mixture of funicular and lift catapults us up to the Restaurant du Barrage Emosson in less than two minutes.

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At this point, it’s time to take a breather. So many different impressions in such a short time. Wow! We enjoy the view over the Lac d’Emosson and treat ourselves to a cappuccino and a fine piece of blueberry pie on the sun terrace of the Restaurant du Barrage.

For the connoisseurs: circular hike to the Cabane du Vieux-Emosson

Now you could easily be satisfied with the view from the sun terrace or take a short walk (suitable for strollers!) over the dam wall. Or – you know us – you can lace up your hiking boots and let yourself be guided by the hiking trail signs over hill and dale up to the Cabane du Vieux-Emosson.

The approximately 1.5-hour ascent over the white-red-white (difficulty T3) marked mountain path has some exciting passages in store (some trickier sections are secured with chains and can therefore be easily mastered if you are sure-footed). You also have to expect individual snowfields well into July (this year probably even August). During the ascent, take the time to take a look at the shady slopes to the left of the path from time to time. As a highlight of the day, we were able to observe two beautiful ibexes “wrestling” here.

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When I arrive at the Cabane du Vieux-Emosson, my stomach growls. Fortunately, there is still a free space on the terrace. We order half a plate and a cheese slice. Both are fine – but the crowning glory is the incredibly delicious “Cafe Glacé Maison” (a kind of iced coffee).

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Afterwards we walk along the yellow marked hiking trail along the road back to the starting point. This section of the trail is paved throughout and can also be walked (up to the cabane) with strollers. The following map shows you the route of our round to the Cabane du Vieux-Emosson (incl. extra altitude difference up to the barrage of the Vieux-Emosson reservoir).

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Starting point	Restaurant du Barrage d’Emosson (1,950 m ü. m.)
Reachability	Accessible by public transport (VerticAlp Emosson)
Length	9.3 kilometers
Elevation gain	↗ 490 m 490 m ↘
Duration	3:00 p.m.
Destination	Restaurant du Barrage d’Emosson (1,950 m ü. m.)
Catering	Cabane du Vieux-Emosson (summer season from the beginning of July to the beginning of October)

For the ambitious: Geological hike to reptile footprints

For our short circular hike (without a stop at a hut) a good three hours are to be calculated. If the weather is good and there are few snowfields left, you can follow the white-red-white marked mountain path along the Gorge de la Veudale towards the Col de Corbeau. After a good two hours of walking, not far from the pass crossing, you reach the site where the more than 240-million-year-old footprints of crocodile-like reptiles (so-called archosaurs) were found. A challenging but exciting hiking option for those who like to move in high alpine terrain. You can find the route on the map below. The time required is about 5 hours (just click on the map for further details).

Back to the valley, we take the same connection from the VerticAlp as on the way there. The rides with the Minifunic, the Train Panoramique and the funicular down to Le Châtelard are coordinated with the timetable in such a way that you have a train connection once an hour in the direction of Martigny and from there on to Visp (or Lausanne – depending on the time). An absolutely recommendable excursion for all those who want to go into the middle of the impressive Lower Valais mountains and experience three very special rail attractions.

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Practical tips for your excursion with VerticAlp Emosson (arrival and prices)

• If you are travelling by public transport, you can easily book the train ticket and the leisure service online. You will receive a 20% discount on the Pass Liberté with unlimited access for one day to the three cable cars between Le Châtelard and Emosson (price at 20% discount: CHF 30.40 per person)
• You can also get the discount on leisure services with a GA/Half-Fare travelcard for all offers. To do this, you also have to choose the desired connection and then tick the corresponding box in the booking field under “Discounts”
• The VerticAlp Emosson is open daily from the beginning of June to mid-October (first trip from Le Châtelard at 09:05 a.m.).
• For the ride on the three trains from Le Châtelard to the Barrage du Lac d’Emosson, you should allow around 45 minutes.
• In addition to easy walks over the dam and the two hikes mentioned above, you can also take a great mountain tour from Lac d’Emosson towards Lac de Salanfe and add part of the Tour des Dents du Midi there
• For children, there is an educational trail on geology and hydropower (Charlotte la Marmotte)