Walker’s Haute Route: 14 stages and when to book
The classic walkers’ traverse of the Pennine Alps: fourteen stages and eleven cols between Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn, through the highest skyline in western Europe. Hut nights and village nights alternate; the passes are rough, the valleys are deep, and the last day walks the Europaweg balcony into Zermatt.
Start: Chamonix. Finish: Zermatt.
The 14 stages
| Day | Stage | Distance | Climb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chamonix → Argentière | 9.2 km | 253 m |
| 2 | Argentière → Trient | 12.4 km | 986 m |
| 3 | Trient → Champex-Lac | 13.7 km | 1,374 m |
| 4 | Champex-Lac → Le Châble | 13.8 km | 317 m |
| 5 | Le Châble → Cabane du Mont Fort | 11.7 km | 1,639 m |
| 6 | Cabane du Mont Fort → Cabane de Prafleuri | 13.5 km | 872 m |
| 7 | Cabane de Prafleuri → Arolla | 17.1 km | 729 m |
| 8 | Arolla → La Sage | 10 km | 266 m |
| 9 | La Sage → Cabane de Moiry | 10.7 km | 1,658 m |
| 10 | Cabane de Moiry → Zinal | 16.1 km | 602 m |
| 11 | Zinal → Gruben | 16 km | 1,191 m |
| 12 | Gruben → St. Niklaus | 16 km | 1,097 m |
| 13 | St. Niklaus → Europahütte | 11.4 km | 1,214 m |
| 14 | Europahütte → Zermatt | 19.2 km | 849 m |
The Swiss line is the national mapping agency’s own trail network with its real altitudes; the French start is OpenStreetMap. Times are computed, nobody has walked this exact line for the app, and the Europaweg closures change season to season.
Book these first
Cabane du Mont Fort, Hotel Schwarzhorn in Gruben and the Europahütte take bookings by email only. Start with those.
- Cabane du Mont Fort
- Europahütte
- Cabane de Prafleuri
- Cabane de Moiry
Hotel Schwarzhorn in Gruben is open roughly mid-June to mid-September each year. Check the exact dates on hotelschwarzhorn.ch before you fix yours.
Cabane de Moiry usually opens summer reservations around April.
When to go
Mid-July to mid-September. Snow holds the high cols into July; huts close from the third week of September.
- JanuaryWinter, the walking route does not exist
- FebruaryDeep winter
- MarchStill full winter above 2,000 m
- AprilSpring snowpack
- MayToo early
- JuneLate June opens the door, with snow
- JulySeason proper from mid-July
- AugustHigh season
- SeptemberThe sweet spot ends mid-month
- OctoberClosing time
- NovemberWinter arriving
- DecemberWinter
Walker’s Haute Route in Treksup
Walker’s Haute Route is a paid route in Treksup: its full plan, with every stage, water, where to sleep and weekly trail conditions, comes with the paid tier. 7 routes are open in full for free.
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Page updated 30 September 2026.