Walking & mountaineering around Zinal, Val d'Anniviers
Summer in the mountains begins in June with the meadow flowers and lasts into October when clear warm days and fresh snow on the peaks usher in the most beautiful days of all: deserted footpaths across mountainsides swathed with golden larches.
Walking
Exceptional views and a network of paths from valley floor to ridge-lines and peaks make this one of the great Alpine valleys for a hiking holiday. Mountain huts provide welcome rest and refuelling stops as do the summer 'alpages' where you can buy fresh cheese and meet the local cows.
Some of our favourite walks include:
Lac & Cabane Arpitettaz
Sorebois-Cabane Petit Mountet-Zinal
St Luc-Zinal
Lac de Moiry: high & low level circuits & Cabane de Moiry
Vallon de Rechy
Vercorin bisse
Grimentz-Vercorin: Cret du Midi
Ilhorn
Mountaineering, climbing & via ferrata
The 'imperial crown' of five 4000 metre peaks - Bishorn, Weisshorn, Zinalrothorn, Obergabelhorn, Dent Blanche - surrounds Zinal. They provide challenges from the easiest 'walk' up the Bishorn to serious technical routes. A good network of high mountain huts enables you to attack individual summits or to tackle multi-day routes. Via ferrata at Moiry and the Vercorin Circuit des 3 Bisses are fun alternatives.