Out and about on the Aletsch Glacier

This is a delightful hike with magnificent views of the Great Aletsch Glacier. It takes you from Riederalp to Fiescheralp.

First, you take a short climb from the Riederalp West station up to Riederfurka, then the trail branches off to the right into the Aletsch forest. This is a conservation forest that is home to the oldest tree population in Switzerland. As soon as the forest starts to open up a little, you will have a magnificent view of the majestic glacier. Then, after the northern slopes of Bettmerhorn and Eggishorn, the wild and romantic area of Märjela reveals itself. To get back to Fiescheralp, you can use the Tälligrattunnel; the route via Unners Tälli takes about 45 minutes longer.

You can shorten the route if you start at Hohfluh or Moosfluh.

Owing to the retreat of the glacier, major landslides can occur in this area, so it is essential to respect any path closures.

Short Info

Difficulty: easy
Distance: 17 km
Duration: 5 hours 50 min.
Start altitude: 1'923 m a.s.l.
End altitude: 2'212 m a.s.l.
Ascent: 1'034 m
Descent: 745 m
Lowest point: 1'922 m a.s.l.
Highest point: 2'489 m a.s.l.

Remarks

This hike passes through the wildlife protection area Aletschwald (article) and cantonal protected areas.

Aletschwald Protected Area

The following rules of conduct apply in the protected area:

Do not leave the trails
Keep dogs on a leash
Strict prohibition of fires
No camping
Do not pick plants
Take all litter with you
No vehicles (e.g., mountain bikes)
No flying drones
In winter, walking or traveling is only permitted on specially designated routes.

Information boards on site provide details about the applicable regulations.

Märjela Protected Area

This hike passes through the Märjela cantonal protected area. The following rules of conduct generally apply in cantonal protected areas in Valais:

Stay on marked trails
No fires
No camping
Do not pick plants

Information boards on site provide details about the applicable regulations.

Show map

Visitor info

Schedule

1

Journey

to Riederalp West
2

Out and about on the Aletsch Glacier

Hikes
Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch easy
Schedule

3

Return trip

from Fiescheralp
More information on excursions in the region Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch is available here.