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Hello: We’ll be in Zermatt for the first time from August 29 to September 5 or so. We want to avoid mountain bikes as much as possible; are there any “must avoid” trails/areas? Taschalp, Hornlihutte, Rothorn, and Schwarzsee are on our list for hiking, but we’d rather be forewarned and make changes if necessary. Thank you very much.
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Hi,
Mountain bikes are all the rage these days and although there are signs directing them towards marked tracks, they are likely to pop up anywhere there is a cablecar or similar transport to get the bikes to the top, such as Rothorn. The Hörnlihütte is bike free because of the terrain, but only down to Schwarzsee which has multiple trails leading back to Zermatt. I haven’t walked Taschalp, but it looks like it is part of the Super Trail, and likely to carry a lot of traffic. You could always ask for a map of bike trails at a sport store like Bayard Zermatt at the railway station, and plan accordingly, or try the Alpin Center and ask about bike free areas. As a rule of thumb, the harder the terrain, the less likely you are to encounter mountain bikes.
Good Luck.
Alan
Alan: Thank you very much for your very helpful suggestions. We too opt for the “harder terrain” and this frequently works, but not knowing Zermatt, your input is much appreciated, esp. asking about bike-free areas and trails. Thanks again and best regards….Bob and Elley
Hi dalcubo,
We stayed and hiked out of Riffelalp this past September which is just above Zermatt. We saw more bikes on the trails to Grunsee area than anywhere else, probably because the trails were wider and more flat. We saw none on the Zmatt hike or the hike from Riffelalp to Riffelsee and the Gornergletcher lookout hike. These were more narrow and in places steeper but not particularly hard (my wife and I are in our mid 60s). But we did not find the bikers to be much of a problem or that prevalent any where we hiked, although it may well be a problem in areas we didn’t visit . Attached are photos of the trail areas. Mark
Hello Mark….Thank you VERY much for the information and for the excellent photos; this is a great help to us as we plan our itinerary. The scenery looks superb. We too will be there in September. If you get a moment, can you describe the “Zmatt” trail? I don’t see it in our guide book…. I am guessing it is a main route of sorts that leads in and out of Zermatt? Thank you again for taking the time to respond and send photos. Kindest regards, Bob and Elley
Hi dalcubo,
Zmutt is an old, very small restored swiss village located just past the far end of Zermatt. We started from far end of Zermatt and it took about 11/2 hours to get there then returned to Zermatt by gondola,again to far end. The hike has very pretty views of the Matterhorn and the village has 3 or 4 typical mountain side restaurants with out door seating available. Zmutt can also be reached from Riffelalp by walking downhill about 11/2 hours. I attached 2 more photos of trail.
We also really liked the hike from Riffelalp to Riffelsee, about 2 hours. If you continue past Riffelsee and to the right for about 5-10 minutes you will come to a little used lookout of Gornergletcher that is gorgeous (see photo). From there it is about 10 minute walk over to train stop. We instead hiked around backside of Gornergrat and up switchbacks to Gornergrat summit. Beautiful views of Mt Rosa but section to top was difficult (you can just take train to top from lookout).
We also hiked from Riffelalp to Hidden Valley ( across from Fluhalp). It was pretty but difficult with a lot of vertical feet. Its not on map but all the locals know about it.
Last you mentioned view of Matterhorn. Attached is view of Matterhorn at sunrise from our hotel room at Riffelalp. Enjoy your trip Mark
Hello again, Mark….I’m thinking about throwing away our guidebook and just checking in with you once a week until we leave….Your information and photos are great; this is just the kind of inside info that first-time visitors like us can use. We very much appreciate the time you have taken to help us out. We too will be there in September and it’s nice to see that you’re in shorts; it’s about 9F right now in Zermatt. Thank you again for all the information. If we have more questions, we know who to ask. We send you our best regards and many thanks….Bob and Elley
Hi dalcubo-
This site may be useful.
Shows places to avoid… 😉
Slowpoke
Hello Slowpoke….Thank you for the excellent map! This is especially good for us as it offers another view of the trails we might be taking. Thanks for sending this to us; you thoughtfulness is much appreciated. Best to you….Bob and Elley
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