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On the end of my one week trip to Switzerland, Mel and I went to see the Matterhorn while hiking the Five Lakes Trail, and it was absolutely breathtaking! We were a bit scared that we wouldn’t see anything with the bad weather we had in the beginning of our trip, but it turned out to be so much better than I imagined! The crystal clear lakes with a perfect reflection of the Matterhorn was anything I’ve ever seen before.
The hike itself wasn’t that hard, compared to other hikes I did in Switzerland, but more on that later! Join me in hiking the Five Lake Trail and discover why you should put it on your bucket list!
You might also like: Visiting Aletsch Glacier: Exploring the Largest Alpine Glacier of the Swiss Alps
For your information, all these pictures were taken in July 2023.
Length
9.8 kilometers
Duration
2h30
Height difference
454 meters descent
165 meters ascent
Difficulty
Easy to medium
The Five Lake Trail is a hiking route that takes you on a journey through the stunning nature of the Matterhorn region while visiting five different lakes. Each lake has its unique feature and has a different view over the Matterhorn. The five different lakes that you will pass are Stellisee, Grindjisee, Grünsee, Moosjisee, and Leisee.
The trail is approximately 9 kilometers long, but it’s mostly downhill. The trail is well-marked and is suitable for hikers of all levels, which makes this quite a popular hike. It’s a great hike to see different views over the Matterhorn in a short period.
To reach the Matterhorn, the best option is to travel to the famous alpine village first. Zermatt is a car-free town and is only reachable by train, hiking, or by bike. We took the train and it was very easy and not that expensive (compared to cable cars).
Because Zermatt is a car-free village, the best option is to park your car in the nearby village called Täsch. This village has a train station, which travels directly to Zermatt. There are a lot of different parking lots, so we just chose the one closest to the train station. We paid 16 CHF for two days, which I found quite okay.
The train takes you from Täsch to Zermatt in 12 minutes and leaves every 20 minutes. The first train leaves at 05:55 AM and the last one at 09:55 PM. There are trains that depart later, but not as frequently. Here is a link to the time schedule of the train.
The return journey costs 16.40 CHF without reduction. The return ticket from Zermatt to Täsch can be used within 30 days of the chosen travel date, which is handy when you will be staying longer in Zermatt.
To get to the starting point of the hiking trail, it’s best to take a cable car from Zermatt, which is only 7 minutes away from the train station and located next to the Vispa River. The Sunnegga Funicular station brings you from Zermatt to the Blauherd Cable Car station.
The hiking trail starts at Blauherd, so to get there, take the funicular from Zermatt to Sunnegga and transfer to the cable car to the end station of Blauherd.
The funicular that brings you from Zermatt to Sunnegga is open from 08:00 AM till 06:00 PM, while the cable car to Blauherd is open till 05:00 PM. You can find the whole timetable here.
As the hike starts at Blauherd but ends in Sunnegga, it’s not necessary to have a return ticket from Blauherd to Sunnegga (there: Zermatt – Sunnegga – Blauherd, back: Sunnegga – Zermatt). But, we did pay for a return ticket from Zermatt to Blauherd, which costs 58.50 CHF.
We didn’t know there was a special ticket for the Five Lakes Trail, which goes from Zermatt to Blauherd but as a return goes from Sunnegga to Zermatt. This costs 47 CHF and would’ve saved us around 10 CHF. These prices are between July and August. If you want to see other prices, check them out here.
Know that you can only do the Five Lake Trail during the summer months between June through September. Other than that, it’s best to do this hike early in the morning, when there are almost no people!
Taking the first cable car to the top increases the chance of being first on the trail. Go to the first lake as it has the best reflection and you don’t want to share that with a lot of people! Also, make sure to go do this hike on a sunny day, as clouds can ruin the view of the Matterhorn.
We stayed at a mountain lodge, called Fluhalp, to see two of the lakes at sunset and sunrise to have the best light. So, this is also an option, but it will be a bit more expensive. Later more on this!
Make sure to check out the live webcam to see what the weather looks like.
I would 100% recommend hiking from Blauherd to Lake Stellissee and not to Lake Leisee first. With this route, the hike is mostly downhill, instead of uphill, which makes it a much easier hike.
As you begin your journey for hiking the Five Lakes Trail, Lake Stellissee is the first lake you encounter. And it’s immediately the most stunning one! Lake Stellissee is known for its crystal-clear waters and picture-perfect reflections.
The hike to Lake Stellissee is relatively easy but has a gradual incline. It’s nothing you can’t handle tho. After a 20-minute walk, you stumble upon the first sight of the lake, which gives you a sight of the Matterhorn reflected in the lake (if it’s not windy).
We were here by sunrise as it’s only 15 minutes away from the lodge we stayed at. I would definitely recommend doing this as it’s a much better experience than seeing the same lake in the middle of the day!
Continuing on the Five Lakes Trail, you will stumble upon the second lake called Grindjisee. Being surrounded by lush green meadows makes the reflection in the water even more perfect!
The hike only takes 20 minutes and goes downhill for 200 meters. We did this lake with sunset from our lodge as it was a bit further away.
As you continue your hike on the Five Lakes Trail, you’ll soon reach the third lake on the path: Lake Grünsee. This lake is more of a hidden gem and a bit out of the walking path. The view of the Matterhorn is blocked by the valley, so we just made a small stop here.
It takes 25 minutes to reach this lake and is mostly flat with a small incline to reach Grünsee. At this lake, it’s allowed to swim, even though I assume it would be very cold! But, we saw a lot of people near or in the water when we were there!
After another 25-minute walk with a 160 meters decline, you’ll reach the fourth lake on the trail: Lake Moosjisee. This one is a favorite among hikers and I can understand why! This has to be the bluest water I’ve ever seen in my life! You don’t get reflections of the Matterhorn, but you still have an incredible view of it!
And last but not least, at the near end of this walking trail, you’ll encounter the last lake: Lake Leisee. This lake is known for its charming atmosphere and offers a big variety of recreational activities like having a playground for children.
The hike is only 15 minutes but is still a bit harder than the others as you need to climb for 100 meters to reach Leisee and another 80 meters to reach the funicular Sunnegga.
As it’s so close to the funicular, it’s also the busiest lake out of the five lakes. It takes like 5 minutes to reach it from Sunnegga, so most people immediately come here! So, be smart and go to Lake Stellissee first!
If you want to see one of the lakes at sunset/sunrise, the only possible way to do that is to stay overnight in a mountain hut! We stayed at Fluhalp, which is perfect as it’s only 15 minutes away from Stellissee! This was the perfect way to discover Lake Stellissee and Lake Grindjisee with the perfect lighting.
You can only stay overnight in this lodge during the summer months, between the end of June and the beginning of October. You can book a room with or without a view over the Matterhorn, but I thought it was worth the extra money, which is only 10 CHF more.
If you book a room at this lodge, dinner, and breakfast are included! This was definitely a bonus for us, as we didn’t have a warm meal for a whole week. Also, our breakfast meals weren’t really that special as we wanted to save money. So, the half-board was more than welcome!
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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