Duration: Approximately 3 to 3.5 hours of narrated hiking Distance: 10 km (loop from Zermatt) Elevation Gain: 450 m ascent / 450 m descent Starting Elevation: 1,620 m (Zermatt) High Point: 1,950 m (Furi area) Difficulty: T1-T2 (easy to moderate hiking) Best Season: May to October GPS Start: 46.0207N, 7.7490E (Zermatt centre) GPS Gorner Gorge: 46.0130N, 7.7450E GPS Furi: 46.0020N, 7.7380E
Introduction
Welcome to Zermatt, one of the most famous mountain resorts in the world, and to a walk that combines geological drama with one of the greatest mountain panoramas on Earth. Today's hike takes you through the Gorner Gorge, a narrow chasm carved by glacial meltwater into solid rock, then climbs to the Furi area for close views of the Matterhorn, the most iconic mountain in the Alps.
Zermatt sits at 1,620 metres at the head of the Matter Valley, surrounded by 29 peaks over 4,000 metres, more than any other location in the Alps. The village is car-free, reached by train from Visp or Brig on the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn. Electric taxis and horse-drawn carriages transport guests and luggage through the narrow streets. The absence of combustion engines gives Zermatt an air quality and quietness that is unusual for a resort of its size.
The Matterhorn needs no introduction. At 4,478 metres, it is not the highest peak in the Alps, but it is indisputably the most recognisable, its near-perfect pyramidal form a symbol of Switzerland itself. Every chocolate bar, every Swiss railway poster, every mountain brand has borrowed its silhouette. Yet the real mountain, seen up close from the trails around Zermatt, has a power that no photograph or logo can capture.
Today's hike is a loop of approximately 10 kilometres, starting and ending in Zermatt. The first section descends to the Gorner Gorge. From there, the trail climbs to Furi, passes through Matterhorn viewpoints, and returns to the village. The total elevation gain is modest, and the trail is suitable for most fitness levels.
Practical notes: The Gorner Gorge has an entrance fee and is open from late May to October. The walkways through the gorge can be wet and slippery. Wear shoes with good grip. Bring a warm layer for the shaded gorge, which can be significantly cooler than the surrounding terrain.
Waypoint 1: Zermatt Village (1,620 m)
GPS: 46.0207N, 7.7490E
Begin in the centre of Zermatt and walk south through the village. The old village quarter, clustered around the church, contains traditional Walliser houses and mazots, small wooden granaries raised on stone pillars, called "mushroom stones," to prevent mice from reaching the stored grain. These structures are centuries old and represent one of the most distinctive architectural traditions in the Alps.
The Walliser, the German-speaking people of the upper Valais, are among the most traditional communities in Switzerland. Their dialect, Walliserdeutsch, preserves features from medieval German, and their customs, from the annual cattle fights (Kuhkaempfe) to the elaborate Carnival celebrations, are deeply rooted in an agrarian past.
Zermatt's transformation from a poor mountain village to one of the world's premier resorts began on 14 July 1865, when Edward Whymper's party made the first ascent of the Matterhorn. The climb ended in tragedy: during the descent, a rope broke and four of the seven climbers fell to their deaths on the Matterhorn Glacier, 1,200 metres below. The disaster made headlines worldwide and, paradoxically, brought Zermatt to the attention of the travelling public. Tourists began arriving in growing numbers to see the mountain that had claimed such dramatic headlines.
Follow the signs to "Gornerschlucht" (Gorner Gorge), walking south through the village and then along a path that descends toward the river.
Next waypoint: 1.5 km, approximately 20 minutes.
Waypoint 2: Gorner Gorge Entrance (1,580 m)
GPS: 46.0130N, 7.7450E
You have reached the entrance to the Gorner Gorge, one of the most impressive canyons in the Alps. The gorge cuts through the rock for nearly a kilometre, and the wooden walkways and galleries that allow access are bolted to the cliff face, often just metres above the churning, turquoise meltwater.
The gorge was carved by the Gornervisp, the river fed by meltwater from the Gorner Glacier, the second-largest glacier in the Alps. In spring and summer, the river swells with snowmelt and glacial discharge, reaching peak flow in the warm afternoons when solar radiation accelerates ice melt high on the glacier. The water carries an enormous load of sediment and rock flour, giving it a striking milky turquoise colour. This abrasive-laden water acts like liquid sandpaper, grinding the rock and deepening the gorge at a rate of roughly one centimetre per year. Over thousands of years, this patient erosion has carved a chasm up to 80 metres deep through solid gneiss, one of the hardest rock types in the Alps.
Enter the gorge and walk along the wooden galleries. The walls narrow to just a few metres in places, and the rock above arches overhead, creating a cathedral-like space of dripping stone and roaring water. The rock is primarily gneiss, a hard metamorphic rock, and the gorge has been carved along lines of weakness, fractures and faults in the bedrock that the water has exploited over millennia.
The deeper you go into the gorge, the more impressive it becomes. The walls are polished smooth by the water, and circular potholes, carved by stones swirling in the current, punctuate the rock face. Some potholes are over a metre in diameter and equally deep, each one the work of centuries of patient grinding.
The light in the gorge is otherworldly. Shafts of sunlight penetrate at odd angles, illuminating the spray and the wet rock in greens and blues. The sound of the water reverberates off the walls, creating a constant, roaring white noise that drowns out the world above.
Next waypoint: Gorge walk approximately 800 m, 20 minutes. Then continue to Furi, 2.5 km, approximately 50 minutes.
Waypoint 3: Upper Gorge and Exit (1,600 m)
GPS: 46.0100N, 7.7430E
As you exit the upper end of the gorge, the landscape opens up. The transition from the enclosed, roaring chasm to the open mountain air is dramatic. Take a breath and look up: you are now in the Matterhorn's domain.
The Matterhorn is visible from here, though partially obscured by intermediate ridges. As you climb toward Furi, the mountain will gradually reveal itself. The anticipation of seeing it grow larger and more detailed with each step is one of the pleasures of this hike.
The trail climbs through mixed forest and meadow, gaining elevation steadily. The forest here includes some of the highest-growing Norway maples and larches in the region, adapted to the extreme conditions of the upper tree zone. The larch, with its soft, light-green needles, is particularly beautiful in autumn, when it turns a brilliant gold before shedding its needles for winter.
As you climb, look for the Gorner Glacier itself. The Gornergletscher is the second-largest glacier in the Alps, stretching roughly 12 kilometres from the Monte Rosa massif to its terminus above Zermatt. The glacier is a complex system with multiple tributaries merging into a single ice stream. The Monte Rosa massif that feeds it includes the Dufourspitze, at 4,634 metres the highest peak in Switzerland and one of the most challenging of the Alpine four-thousanders.
The Zermatt valley is uniquely privileged in the Alps. The concentration of high peaks around the village is unmatched: 29 summits exceeding 4,000 metres surround the valley, including the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, the Dom, the Weisshorn, and dozens more. This concentration is a product of the local geology: the rocks here are ancient, hard crystalline gneisses and granites that resist erosion, creating peaks that tower above the surrounding landscape.
Next waypoint: 2.0 km, approximately 40 minutes.
Waypoint 4: Furi and the Matterhorn View (1,867 m)
GPS: 46.0020N, 7.7380E
At Furi, the Matterhorn appears in full majesty. From this distance and angle, roughly 5 kilometres from the summit, the mountain's pyramidal form is seen almost perfectly, its four faces, each oriented toward a cardinal compass point, catching the light differently.
The Matterhorn's four faces are: the North Face, overlooking Zermatt, dark and forbidding; the East Face, overlooking the Gorner Glacier, a long sweep of rock and ice; the South Face, dropping to the Italian town of Breuil-Cervinia, the sunniest and most climbable; and the West Face, overlooking the Zmutt Valley, dramatic and seldom climbed.
The rock of the Matterhorn tells an extraordinary geological story. The summit is composed of African rock, a fragment of the African continental margin that was thrust over European rocks during the Alpine collision. The base of the mountain is European rock. Somewhere in between, there is a boundary, the Combin Zone, where the two continents meet. The Matterhorn is, quite literally, Africa sitting on top of Europe.
Furi has a gondola station connecting to Zermatt and the higher stations toward Trockener Steg and the Klein Matterhorn. There is also a small restaurant. If you wish, you can end the hike here and take the gondola down. Otherwise, the trail continues on foot back to Zermatt.
Next waypoint: 1.5 km, approximately 25 minutes.
Waypoint 5: Zmutt Valley Viewpoint (1,850 m)
GPS: 46.0040N, 7.7310E
A short detour from the main path leads to a viewpoint overlooking the Zmutt Valley, one of the wildest and most beautiful side valleys in the Zermatt area. The valley is carved between the Matterhorn and the Dent d'Herens, and it is rarely visited compared to the more popular trails on the eastern side of the Matterhorn.
The Zmutt Glacier once filled this valley but has retreated dramatically. The tiny hamlet of Zmutt, a cluster of ancient timber buildings at 1,936 metres, is one of the most atmospheric spots in the Zermatt area. It is accessible by a separate trail from Zermatt and makes an excellent half-day walk in its own right.
From this viewpoint, you can also see several of the other 4,000-metre peaks that surround Zermatt. The Obergabelhorn, at 4,063 metres, is a striking, sharp peak to the west. The Dent Blanche, at 4,357 metres, is one of the most beautiful and challenging of the Valais four-thousanders. And the Weisshorn, at 4,506 metres, visible in the distance, is often considered the most elegant of all Alpine peaks, a perfect ice pyramid.
Return to the main trail and continue the descent toward Zermatt.
Next waypoint: 2.0 km, approximately 30 minutes.
Waypoint 6: The Mountain Farmers' Path (1,700 m)
GPS: 46.0100N, 7.7380E
The descent follows a charming path through alpine meadow and scattered forest, passing traditional hay barns and crossing small streams. This path was used by the farmers of Zermatt for centuries to reach their summer grazing lands, and it retains a rural character despite the proximity of the resort.
The hay barns, or Stadel, are distinctive structures raised on stone pillars capped with flat stone discs. These discs, the "mushroom stones" mentioned earlier, prevent mice and other rodents from climbing up the pillars and into the stored hay or grain. The design is unique to the Valais and is found nowhere else in the Alps.
Many of these barns date to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and some bear carved inscriptions recording their construction date and builder. They are protected as cultural heritage, and Zermatt has made considerable efforts to preserve them amid the pressures of resort development.
The meadows along this path are grazed by the Valais Blacknose sheep, one of the most distinctive and photogenic livestock breeds in the world. These sheep have black faces, black knees, and long, shaggy white fleece, giving them a somewhat comical appearance. They are well-adapted to mountain conditions and are used for meat, wool, and increasingly as tourist attractions. The breed has become an international sensation on social media, and Zermatt's Blacknose sheep are among the most photographed animals in Switzerland.
The wildflowers in these meadows are abundant. In June and July, look for the bright pink of the alpine rose, Rhododendron ferrugineum, growing in dense thickets on acidic soil. The yellow mountain pansy, Viola lutea, carpets the grassy slopes, and the delicate white blooms of mountain avens, Dryas octopetala, grow on rocky ground. These meadows have been grazed for centuries, and the balance between grazing pressure and wildflower diversity is carefully maintained.
As you descend, the Matterhorn shifts its position in the sky above you. From this angle, you can see the Hoernli Ridge, the route of the first ascent and still the most popular climbing route today. Roughly 3,000 climbers attempt the Matterhorn each year via the Hoernli Ridge, departing from the Hoernli Hut at 3,260 metres in the pre-dawn darkness, hoping to reach the summit and descend before the afternoon clouds roll in. The success rate varies with conditions, and the mountain continues to claim lives. It demands respect, fitness, and experience from all who attempt it.
The cemetery near the church in Zermatt contains the graves of several climbers who died on the Matterhorn and other peaks in the area. The simple headstones, many bearing the names of young men from Britain, France, and Germany, are a sobering reminder of the seriousness of mountaineering. Many of the graves date to the golden age of alpinism in the 1860s and 1870s, when climbing standards were rapidly advancing but safety equipment was primitive.
Next waypoint: 1.5 km, approximately 20 minutes.
Waypoint 7: Return to Zermatt (1,620 m)
GPS: 46.0207N, 7.7490E
You have returned to Zermatt, completing the loop through the Gorner Gorge and the Matterhorn viewpoints. Before leaving the trail, take one final look at the Matterhorn from the Kirchbrucke, the church bridge in the village centre. This view, framed by the wooden chalets and the church steeple, is one of the most photographed in Switzerland.
Closing
Today's walk has given you two of Zermatt's great experiences: the geological drama of the Gorner Gorge, where glacial forces have carved solid rock into a chasm of extraordinary beauty, and the matchless panorama of the Matterhorn, seen at close range from trails that have been walked for centuries.
The Matterhorn will follow you for the rest of your time in Zermatt. It is visible from almost everywhere in the village, changing character with the light: pink and gold at dawn, stark and grey at noon, purple and shadowed at dusk. Each view is different, and each is unforgettable.
If you have time in Zermatt, consider visiting the Matterhorn Museum, an underground museum near the village centre that tells the story of the first ascent and the accident, with original artefacts including the broken rope. The Gornergrat railway, which climbs to 3,089 metres, offers spectacular glacier views and is one of the great mountain railways of the world. The panorama from the Gornergrat viewing platform encompasses the Monte Rosa massif, the Gorner Glacier, and, of course, the Matterhorn from yet another angle.
Thank you for hiking with ch.tours. The Matterhorn needs no farewell; it will be watching over you long after you leave. Safe travels.