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Come with me on a mesmerizing journey to the largest glacier in the Alps, which is the Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland! This majestic glacier stretches over 23 kilometers, giving you a stunning view!
Not only is it a truly magnificent place to visit, it’s also a living and evolving marvel. With its constantly shifting ice formations and melting rivers, the landscape constantly changes. And it’s also a reminded of the delicate balance between human activity and preservation of our planet!
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For your information, all these pictures were taken in July 2023.
Length
4 kilometers
Duration
1 hour and 35 minutes
Height difference
710 meters ascent
Difficulty
Medium to hard
The Aletsch Glacier is the largest in the Alps, with a length of about 23 kilometers (14 miles). The massive ice formation covers an area of approximately 81 square kilometers and is estimated to be around 10.000 years old. The glacier is fed by the accumulation of snow and ice in the mountains’ upper regions and flows down, creating a mesmerizing landscape of deep crevasses.
The glacier is also an essential source of fresh water for the surrounding region as it acts as a reservoir, providing water to nearby rivers and lakes, which is a supply of drinking water. It also is not only crucial for human consumption but also plays a vital role in supporting the diverse ecosystem.
But the glacier is shrinking every year because of climate change. Since 1850, the glacier lost 20% of its mass, which is relatively smaller than other glaciers. This can be explained by the large size of the Aletsch Glacier. However, it’s estimated that the glacier will only have one-tenth of its 2018 mass by 2100. These are very sad facts.
There are two options to get to Aletsch Glacier, which are by cable car or hiking. We opted for a combination of both, but you don’t have to walk at all to visit this glacier as it’s one of the most accessible glaciers in the Alps.
The first cable car you will take is in Fiesch. It has a huge parking space for your car. This cable car will bring you to Fiescheralp and here, your journey continues to Eggishorn where the viewpoint of the glacier is located. So, in shorter words, you’ll go from Fiesch to Fiescheralp to Eggishorn. The price for this whole trip is 41.40 CHF for a single ticket and 49.00 CHF for a return ticket. You can find more about the price here.
The cable car runs frequently between 7:15 AM and 5:30 PM and afterward, there is a cable car going up and down at 6:30 PM, 7:30 PM, and 9:35 PM. You can find the whole cable car schedule here.
You can also walk from Fiesch to Eggishorn, but be prepared to hike for a long time and to ascend for more than 1500 meters. Only if you are an avid hiker, this will be worth it, but otherwise, I would recommend just taking the cable car.
As the weather in the Alps can be tough during the winter, the best time to visit Aletsch Glacier is during the summer months between min-June and mid-October. But sometimes, depending on the weather, this can shift to May or September.
Visiting this glacier during other months can be dangerous, because of the harsh and freezing weather. But besides that, the glacier can be visited all year round. Keep in mind that if it’s snowing, it’s much harder to see the glacier.
Make sure to check out the live webcam before going to the top! If it’s cloudy, you don’t want to spend money on a cable car for nothing.
The hike isn’t the easiest one as it’s constantly uphill for more than 1 hour. The path itself is quite easy as it’s a dirt road most of the time. Afterward, when the cable car station comes into view, the path changes to a rockier path. You’ll need to climb more and it’s a bit harder to get to the top as you’ll probably be a bit tired after such an intense climb.
The path is clearly marked with red-white stripes, so you don’t get lost. I actually thought it was a pretty easy path to walk on (if I forget about the incline). Even the last part wasn’t that bad, but I assume, with worse weather that those stones can be very slippery and dangerous. Always be careful and check the weather before going on a hike in the Alps!
We decided to stay overnight at Alpenlodge Kühboden which is located in Fiescheralp. This way, we could hike all the way to the top for sunrise. This had an ascent of 710 meters, which is way better than the 1500 meters. And it takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes to get to the top. As we stayed there for quite some time, we went down with the first cable car.
But, if I were to stay in this lodge again, I would rather go up with the cable car for sunset and hike down to the lodge. It’s a hard hike as it’s only uphill. And don’t forget that you will be sleep deprived as you need to wake up early.
The lodge included breakfast, but it was only until 9:00 AM. We arrived just after this, because of the first cable car down. They had no problems with us still eating! And another thing, the cable car from Fiesch to Fiescheralp is free both ways if you stay at this lodge!
There are so many hikes to do in Switzerland, but here are a few of my favorites:
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Hello, I’m Ellen and welcome to this blog! I’m in love with exploring the world and hopefully I get to inspire you with these blog posts and pictures to feel the same. You will find detailed itineraries, hidden gems, tips and so much more!
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