A Swiss Alps hike: Zermatt to Stellisee Lake and a hut
Snow-topped peaks, wildflowers, fresh air, and the sound of cowbells – what’s not to love about hiking in Switzerland?
The storied Swiss Alps had beckoned me since I read “Heidi” as a kid. I finally got the chance to hike around in them, four years after a Parkinson’s diagnosis.
With so many amazing trails, it was difficult for my group – including my husband, brother and sister-in-law – to choose just a few.
Not only that, but I wondered if I could do the hikes. I had been working out at the gym regularly, felt pretty good, and balance wasn’t an issue for me at that point.
Parkinson’s hiking tip
A trip like this can be stressful and is not without risks. Consult your medical professionals and get the OK before you begin planning.
For an overview of my experience hiking the Swiss Alps, check out this post. It may help you decide whether you should take such a trip, especially if you have Parkinson’s disease.
We were hoping to experience an alpine hut, so one hike we chose was the trail to Stellisee Lake and then Fluhalp hut, where we would stay overnight. It’s a popular and easy 2.6-mile hike with iconic views of the Matterhorn. (Jump to hike stats.)
The trail to the hut is part of a longer trek called Five Lakes Walk (5-Seenweg). Stellisee is probably the most picturesque of the five lakes, and we were OK with a one-lake hike.
The adventure actually begins at the bottom of the mountain in the resort city of Zermatt – a charming vacation destination in itself. We didn’t stay overnight in Zermatt, opting for cheaper lodging in nearby Tasch, which was a 12-minute train ride away.
The great thing about Swiss Alps hiking is that you can let the cable cars and gondolas do most of the work getting you to the high elevations. It felt like I was cheating!
In our case, the transportation was a funicular, which we boarded at a station in Zermatt. The ride up was about 15 minutes, much of it through a tunnel.
At Sunnegga — the first stop — we switched to a cable car.
We got our first glimpse of the Matterhorn from the cable car’s windows. It stood like a gargantuan mottled witch’s hat against the clear sky. I’d seen it in pictures, and now here it was!
The first stop, Blauherd, was where we got off. Naturally, all cameras were immediately aimed at the Matterhorn. Photo ops at every turn.
It was time to hit the trail to Stellisee Lake. The signs at Swiss intersections are very detailed and often denote distances in minutes rather than kilometers.
(The Stellisee Lake pointer is cut off in this photo.)
We found most of the path to be fairly flat but rocky, with an occasional short incline, or about 500 feet of elevation gain for the out-and-back trip.
Swiss trail markers painted on rocks were spotted occasionally. Sometimes the trail forked into two, but they always came back together.
We could see the lake ahead of us.
After less than a mile we reached the tip of the longish lake and the trail split again into two parts, each clinging to one side of the lake.
With the Matterhorn behind us, the best photos would be on the opposite end of Stellisee. That’s where other hikers were hanging out, admiring the mountain’s reflection in a glass surface.
The last section of our hike was to Fluhalp, part of the hut system in the Alps and sitting at 8,600 feet. The walk to it was only about half a mile, but it was easy to get off the trail.
As long as the hut was in the distance ahead, we were OK.
Our group checked in at Fluhalp hut and checked out our room: spartan and a little tight for four people and their packs, with two single beds and one bunk bed. But it was comfy enough, and we had a balcony with a view! Then we took turns using a coin-operated shower.
During the afternoon there was time to explore, so we hiked around the area.
Fluhalp has a cozy dining room. Our room reservation included dinner, and the food was deliciously Swiss and simple. Same with breakfast the next day.
The morning brought clouds, which shrouded the Matterhorn at times. Our goal was to get back to Zermatt by noon for lunch, so we stepped back on the trail and headed for the cable car at Blauherd, by way of Lake Stellisee.
The lake looked completely different under clouds and with a breeze. No bright, mirror-image photos today.
More photo ops at the station. How can you not take advantage of this one?
Reversing our journey from the day before, we hopped on the cable car and went down to the funicular, which brought us to the streets of Zermatt.
With its higher-end stores and charming cafes, Zermatt was a great place to spend an afternoon. The restaurants were busy, but we found one we liked and had a hearty lunch. Then I searched for a Swiss chocolate shop. Once I found one, my trip was complete.
Hike info
PD difficulty level (see chart): easy
Distance: 2.6 miles roundtrip
Elevation gain: about 500 feet
Cell phone service: spotty
Bathrooms: at cable car station
Emergency medical support: in Zermatt
Costs: 38 CHF for the funicular round trip, 56 CHF for the cable car round trip (in Swiss francs)
Insider tip: Even if the weather is warm in Zermatt, bring layers of clothing with you for the hike. It’s typically not warm at 8,600 feet elevation, even in summer.
Note: My 2024 trip to Switzerland included several treks. Click here for our group’s hike to Murren from Rockstockhutte in the Interlaken region.
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Wow, what a dreamy trip! Heidi was the first chapter book I ever read…
That’s awesome!
So jealous. Glad that you could make the trip!❤️🦘
We never did make it to the Matterhorn, did we?