The Walker’s Haute Route, starts near Chamonix, France, and is a lesser-known trek that traverses jaw-dropping mountain ranges in Europe. This 200km(ish) thru-hike traverses peaks and valleys, with options to camp or ball out in huts, before ending in Zermatt, Switzerland.

Jump to Section

Quick Overview

The Walker’s Haute Route is an approximately 200km intermediate to advanced point-to-point hike, traversing from France to Switzerland. The hike takes between 10-14 days and has options to camp along the route or stay in refuges across the 11 mountain passes.

The Walker’s Haute Route Facts

Distance: ~200km (slight variations depending on routes taken)
Duration: 10-14 days
Elevation gain: 11,966m
Nearest town: Chamonix, France (start) and Zermatt, Switzerland (finish)

About the Walker’s Haute Route

The Walker’s Haute Route starts in the same region as the Tour de Mont Blanc, in Chamonix, France, and traverses into the Swiss Alps before ending at the iconic Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland. This advanced route can range between 10-14 days, passes glaciers, small mountain villages, and if you’re lucky, you’ll see some ibex (mountain goats) along the way. The primary language spoken is French until you cross deeper into Switzerland, where it switches to Swiss-German, but you can certainly get by with English (and charades).

 

Lac de Moiry

 

I used a combination of digital maps and digital/physical guidebooks, costing close to $200 before I set foot on the trail. I recommend using the Hiking Clubs Digital Guide (79 Euro). Although it’s pricey, it pays for itself with local tips, campsite recommendations, grocery shops, and providing alternative trip lengths. A few of the campsites mentioned in the guide were closed or differently priced than the amount listed, so do a bit of scouting before using this as your guiding light.

 

En route to Mont Fort

The Walker’s Haute Route History

Haute Route in French roughly translates to ‘high road’, which a group from the British Alpine Club of Mountaineers named in the early 1900s. The Walker’s Haute Route is a summer hiking route, and the region also has a higher ski-touring route in winter, appropriately named the Skier’s Haute Route.

How to Get to the Walker’s Haute Route

The Haute Route starts in Chamonix, France. The easiest and most direct option is to fly into the Geneva Airport, make your way into the city centre (30 minutes via bus or 7 minutes by train) and then take an hour coach bus to Chamonix. For transit within Switzerland, use the SBB app to look up schedules and purchase tickets directly.

There are plenty of coach buses from Geneva to Chamonix throughout the day, including FlixBus, BlaBlaCar, SwissTours, and Alpy Transfers. The walk ends in Zermatt, Switzerland, where you can hop on the SBB trains again to either extend your trip to other areas of Switzerland, otherwise Zurich is the closest major airport.

Where to Stay Along the Walker’s Haute Route

Most people complete the Walker’s Haute Route staying at refuges in the valleys (fancy mountain huts costing $110+AUD/night). Refuges make the route more accessible for those not up to carrying backpacking gear for 10-14 days.

The refuges usually include dinner, breakfast the next morning, bed linen, sometimes showers, and the option for a packed lunch (additional $20AUD). My friend and I opted to camp most of the trip ($50+AUD/night), with the exception of two nights along the route where camping is forbidden, and our final night in Zermatt.

 

Refuge du Mont Fort

 

Wild camping is forbidden in many parts of Switzerland, including Swiss National Parks, Swiss Game/Wildlife Parks, Nature Reserves, and Designated Wildlife Areas. Wild camping along the Haute Route is complicated and discouraged, which is why we opted for campgrounds or refuges when there weren’t options to camp responsibly. Technically, camping is legal above treelines between sundown and sunrise.

Read more: Hiking Gear: What’s Worth Carrying and What’s Not?

Skill Level

Advanced

The Walker’s Haute Route requires an advanced level of experience, with nearly 1000m of elevation gained over an average of 15km a day. You’ll be hard pressed to find reception throughout many sections of the trail, which features many technical scrambles, navigates boulder fields, and has narrow trails with drop-offs, but you’ll pass through some form of civilization most days.

Read more: Budget-Friendly Outdoor Safety Tips For Tight-Arse Hikers

 

Walker’s Haute Route Trip Costs

All up, my friend and I spent about $1,000 AUD each for the 12 days we were on the trail. Between food, campsites, refuges, and transiting from Geneva to the starting point and back to Geneva at the end, it’s not the most budget-friendly backpacking trip. But less than $100 a day, that’s not too shabby.

Read more: Hiking Meals Comparison: Pre-Cooked, Dehydrated & Freeze Dried

 

Definitely cheaper than actually travelling around Europe!

Essential Gear for Backpacking Walker’s Haute Route

Although you’ll find outdoor gear stores in the bigger villages along the route, I recommend starting the route with your essentials and chosen comforts.

Read more: Remember to leave no trace

What It’s Like to Hike the Walker’s Haute Route

Each day of the trail, you’ll start in a valley, hike up a mountain, go through a pass (Col), and end the day back in another valley. Many of these mountains have gondolas, bike parks, cows grazing along the trail, and many paragliders.

 

Passed through some cloudy sections too

 

The first two days of the route crossover with another popular trek, the Tour de Mont Blanc, and the final few days cross over the Matterhorn Circuit. We coincidentally timed starting the trail late in the season (end of August), but managed to catch runners on two separate days of the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc races (UTMB 50 miler and 100 miler) as we settled into our campsites.

 

MTB park near Verbier

 

As the trail passes between villages every few days, the longest we carried food for was three days. Using my Jetboil Minimo & Summit Skillet, we were able to eat a decent amount of fresh food (think: pancakes, baguettes, pesto pasta, fried tofu, broccoli).

All of the shops, staffed huts, and buses along the route take card payment, but having 20 Euros (for France) and 20 Francs (for Switzerland) is a good idea.

Although there are 10-14 day itineraries, we walked the route in 12 nights/11 days, and I don’t recommend fewer than this. We climbed a total of 11,966m, with similar descent stats, and the highest point along the trek is 2,958m. All of the breakdowns below were recorded on my Garmin Fenix 6, including most snack stops, and differ marginally from the guides recommended.

Day 1 – Chamonix to Camping du Glacieres (Argentiere)

Distance: 11.89km
Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

We bused from Geneva to Chamonix this morning, grocery shopped, wandered through the village, and set off at 1pm, peak heat. Would I recommend this start time? Probably not.

This section of the trail was wildly uninteresting once we passed the famed Mont Blanc and walked along a road before arriving at the campground. But the saving grace was the reasonably priced wood-fired pizzas on arrival. People starting earlier in the day opt to go over the first pass to Refuge du Col de Balme or Le Peuty.

 

Le Peuty

Day 2 – Argentiere to Le Peuty Campground (Trient)

Distance: 21.54km
Time: 7 hours 4 minutes

The trail resembles a fire trail, and we quickly gained views of the mountains we’d be surrounded by for the next few days. The campground (read: relatively flat grass pit) is first-come, first-served.

As this section overlaps with the Tour de Mont Blanc, it filled up as the afternoon went on. The unexpected highlight was cheering on competitors in the UTMB 50 miler. Being bundled in warm layers and scooping hot food into our mouths while cheering for yet another runner braving the dark and downing a gel is quite an experience.

Day 3 – Trient to Camping les Rocailles (Champex)

Distance: 9.12km
Time: 6 hours 18 minutes

This is where we started to see the smaller Swiss villages and numerous glaciers along the trails. We didn’t leave much time for a dip in Champex Lac before sundown, but I highly recommend adding Champex Lac into your day if you can muster up more willpower than I. Plus, the UTMB 100 milers were passing our campsite.

Day 4 – Champex to Camping Champsec (le Châble)

Distance: 17.37km
Time: 4 hours 40 minutes

This day consisted of a lot of road walking after we left the grassy cow pastures and meandered through some small villages. We opted to bus in and out of the campground from le Châble to save ourselves even more road walking.

To get to the campground, catch the ten-minute #253 bus from le Châble, arriving in Champsec. The campground is located on another grass plot next to a river. The area was near a construction site due to recent flooding, but if you’re looking for budget options along the trail, it suffices.

Day 5 – Le Châble to Cabane du Mont Fort

Distance: 13.3km
Time: 5 hours 13 minutes

This was a big climbing day, but it passed quickly. Part of this day included going through Verbier, a popular MTB/ski resort. There are walking tracks throughout the area, close to the downhill tracks, which definitely helped pass the time and the incline.

Once we reached the outskirts of the resort, it was a pretty flat walk to Cabane du Mont Fort. This is the first hut we opted to stay in, as there really isn’t anything else around, and you can’t camp in the area. Unfortunately, it has a hefty price tag of $200 AUD per person.

The views are stunning, but don’t really justify the price tag in my opinion. An alternative is to pay for the gondola from le Châble, walk the section passing Cabane du Mont Fort early in the day and push along to the next stop.

Day 6 – Mont Fort to Refuge de la Barmaz (Lac de Dix)

Distance: 14.83km
Time: 9 hours 18 minutes

This day had some sketchy clambering up rocks, which at times were quite wet from recent drizzle. Some sections felt properly remote and were without running water, which is uncharacteristic of the track, as there are drinking water taps throughout each of the villages. Having a water filter came in handy.

Most people we met on the trail stopped at Cabane de Prafleuri, but we opted to go up and over the next pass to be within the wildlife zone (an extra 1-1.5 hours). Cabane de la Barmaz is more attuned to what you’d find in the Australian or New Zealand backcountry. It wasn’t staffed when we got there (meaning no one to cook/clean), which made it cheaper than during peak season ($35 AUD/ night).

The cabin sleeps 12 people and was the only place that required cash for payment in an honesty box. This area is a wildlife zone and camping is forbidden, for good reason. We arrived late afternoon and got to see upwards of 20 ibex grazing.

 

Day 7 – Lac de Dix to Arolla

Distance: 16.12km
Time: 6 hours 3 minutes

This section follows a service road that stretches along Lac de Dix, with many cows sharing the trail, but by this point, we were well and truly acquainted with the sound of cowbells and their proximity. The views heading down into Arolla showcase incredible peaks.

Day 8– Arolla to Camping d’Evolène

Distance: 14.24km
Time: 4 hours 3 minutes

This is where the weather started to take a turn. A short ten-minute bus ride, or as we opted for, a few hours walk to arrive in Les Haudères, left us soaked and stopping into a creperie for morale before the final push to the d’Evolène campsite. The owner of the creperie offered to dry our damp midlayers while we ate our warm food, which was a major highlight.

The campground had a random little sales rack where I picked up this vintage Salomon fleece hat and bid farewell to the woes of a leaky sleeping mat for the remainder of the hike that wasn’t mending properly with my puncture kit.

 

Day 9 – d’Evolene to Camping Tzoucdana (Zinal)

Distance: 23.78km
Time: 9 hours 1 minute

After leaving Evolene, our end goal was Grimentz just before Lac de Moiry. The mountain passes were less shaley and more grassy than the past few days, keeping us constantly in awe of the changing landscape.

 

 

Cabane de Moiry is supposedly one of the most impressive refuges along the trail, but was already closed for the season by the time we were there.

Towards the end of our expected day, we approached Lac de Moiry, realising the campground we intended to stay at would require backtracking via foot or bus.

At the prime hour of 5pm, we started off on the next section: heads down, headphones in, podcasts on, and up the switchbacks en route to Zina for a double day.

 

 

There are two routes to Camping Tzoudcana, but the short bridge to get into the village was barricaded after recent damage, so check the current status before you have high hopes of this crossing.

Day 10 – Zinal to Gruben

Distance: 18.12km
Time: 7 hours 28 minutes

Leaving Zinal was another day of setting off from a small village and quickly gaining elevation into the mountain passes. Once we arrived in Gruben, there wasn’t a campground, and wild camping is technically illegal here.

There’s one spot that has clearly been used for tents, a few kilometres out of the village and just off the track. Other sleeping options call for staying at Hotel Schwarzhorn.

Day 11 – Gruben to St Niklaus to Camping Attermenzen (St Niklaus)

Distance: 18.12km
Time: 7 hours 28 minutes

Coming down the mountain pass here, the area resembles a pilgrimage with shrines every few kilometres, navigating a few boulder fields before you arrive in St Niklaus. We took a quick train from St Niklaus to Randa, which saved us 11km of road walking, which we happily put our egos aside for.

We had pretty cloudy weather here, so again we didn’t see too much on the track or road this day. The campground is tucked off the highway, but we still heard truck traffic overnight.

Day 12 – Randa to Zermatt

Distance: 8.42km
Time: 1 hour 57 minutes

This section passes quickly, partly along the side of the road, then on some trails as we began approaching the infamous Zermatt. With quite a bit of construction and rain in this section, we couldn’t see much of what was around us.

Leaving Mont Blanc in Chamonix and arriving in Zermatt to see the Matterhorn is what this iconic route is known for. Unfortunately for us, the weather wasn’t on our side, as we arrived in town and had no idea where the Matterhorn lay behind thick clouds.

Thankfully, the following morning, the clouds parted and we had a picturesque view of this incredible peak just before setting off back to Geneva.

We followed a mixture of trail markers, either yellow markers with time and distances to the next village marked, or white and red striped paint while in the mountains. As we passed through villages, we saw the same yellow markers with a hiking figure placed on the walls of houses to direct us – they’re hard to miss!

The trail is mostly filled with switchbacks, but there are a few sections where we were in a forest shortly before popping back out to mountains and glaciers all around us.

 

Tips For Hiking the Walker’s Haute Route

  • Europeans know how to shut off, especially in small towns. You’ll be hard pressed to find shops open on Sundays (grocery and gear), so know where your grocery stops and outdoor gear shops are, and when you’ll pass them
  • The trail isn’t always mountain landscapes, there are sections where it’s mostly walking along service roads, bypassing log cabins, or on cement through tiny villages, but it’s a really unique experience nonetheless

FAQs Walker’s Haute Route

How hard is the Walker’s Haute Route?

This is a challenging, tough trek with over 11,000km of elevation gain. While there’s no technical climbing or mountaineering, you do need a strong level of fitness and prior hiking experience. This isn’t one to do as a beginner.

How long does it take to walk the Haute Route?

It’s recommended that most hikers take at least 12 days to complete the route. It would add extra difficulty to get it done in a shorter time.

How much do huts cost on the Haute Route?

The cost varies, but is generally around the $110 AUD price per night. Why can’t you camp in Switzerland?

More Euro Adventures to Be Had!

This piece was brought to you by a real living human who felt the wind in their hair and described their adventure in their own words. This is because we rate authenticity and the sharing of great experiences in the natural world – it’s all part of our ethos here at We Are Explorers. You can read more about it in our Editorial Standards.