From Grächen to Macugnaga
From 24th August to 28th August 2024
INTRODUCTION
The Monte Rosa massif is the second highest mountain group in the Alps after the Mont Blanc massif. It is located on the border of Switzerland and Italy. A little more to the west and on the same border is the Matterhorn and thus Zermatt. See map.
In the dialect of the Aosta Valley, Rosa means “glacier”. So, the name Monte Rosa has nothing to do with the color of the same name and means “Glacier Mountain”.
The highest peak in the Monte Rosa amphitheatre is the Dufourspitze at 4634m and best to see from Macugnaga!
Any mountain massif that respects itself requires a loop walk around it…. So here too you can walk a Tour of the Monte Rosa (TMR), 9 stages of a total of 160 km.
Two of these stages run together with the Chamonix-Zermatt hiking trail, namely from Grächen/Gasenried to Zermatt via the Europaweg (via Schalbetten, Europahut, Randa and Täsch and reopened in mid ’24) and thus over the Europa Bridge (with 494m the longest suspension bridge in the world; spectacular!). See our “Chamonix to Zermatt trip report”. The “Mattertal” that leads to Zermatt runs parallel, from north to south, with the Saas Valley.
Hereunder we will briefly describe 4 walks:
- On the TMR: from Grächen to Saas Fee and
- still on the TMR: from Saas Fee (Saas Almagell) to Macugnaga (Staffa)
- a day around the mountain valley of Macugnaga from where you have the best view of the massif and its peaks.
- a spectacular but tough hike from Grächen/Gasenried: over the Ried glacier to the Bordierhütte.
Note that the hikes from Zermatt to Saas Fee via Gasenried/Grächen are considered one of the most beautiful 3-day hikes in Switzerland!
ROUTE
Walk 1: from GRÄCHEN (1619m) to SAAS FEE (1800m): 17.5 km, 6:03h, 822 m ascent, 1125m descent. Highest point: 2387m, lowest: 1811m
In Grächen we stayed in Zum See, a quiet and cozy hotel pension at the very top of the village. Good! (145 CHF with breakfast)
We took the lift from the village to Hannigalp (2127m), from there we started our day. A very nice walk, indeed with magnificent panoramas (see photo). Not too difficult – but having some high mountain experience helps-, rather undulating, often a bit breathtaking, sometimes a bit technical…!
We had booked in Saas Almagell, in Pension Waldegg (90CHF with breakfast), a simple thing but cozy, friendly and good food for a pleasant price.
So when we arrived in Saas Fee we took the bus to Saas Almagell. Also here, public transport is very well organized and takes you conveniently in and out of the Saas valley.
But we would recommend staying in (car-free )Saas Fee because it is cozier than Almagell and take the bus to Mattmark (via Saas Almagell) the next day to continue the TMR. But…. Saas Fee is quite a bit more expensive than Almagell!
Hike 2: From MATTMARK (Saas Almagell, top of reservoir at 2202m) to MACUGNAGA (Staffa): 15.01 km, 6:41h, 716m up, 1574m down
So, take the bus from Saas Fee or Saas Almagell to Mattmark.
The TMR first takes you along the reservoir for about 3 km and then steadily up to the Passo Moro, the last kilometers steep and climbing on rocks. The pass is about 7 km from Mattmark and at a 700m elevation gain. With beautiful views (it seems)!
But the mountain pass itself is a bit of a letdown: a heap of stones with an unattractive statue on top. And you immediately notice that you have left Switzerland: trail markings everywhere, welded auxiliary steps to descend from the rocks are loose; Rifugio Lago Smeraldo did not succeed in lifting our spirits either. The Monte Rosa massif was also hidden behind thick clouds…
We walked the descent, long and hard…! In rather unpleasant weather, the call to take the cable car will be difficult to resist!
At the height of Alpe Bill (where you could take the cable car further down for a short ride) it became precarious: works on the river/road cut through the route and the markings became unclear…!
Note that there are indeed 2 parts in Macugnaga: Staffa and Pecetto (there seems to be 4 “boroughs” actually) Make sure in advance where you have booked..!
But Macugnaga itself makes up for it! It is quite a cozy village! We stayed at Residence Monte Rosa for 130 CHF.
And comes with highly recommended restaurants: “Flizzi” and “La Stube” Bistro (with a limited menu, though). And a good bakery in Pecetto: Pasticceria Basaletti
Walk 3 “rest day” around MACUGNAGA: From Belvedere point to LAGO de LOCCE and back to Rifugio ZAMBONI: 7.6km, 3h01, 455m ascent, 472m descent. Highest point: 2239m, lowest 1890
A quiet and pleasant day: in Pecetto you take the Funivie Belvedere (after breakfast in pasticerria Basaletti) to Belvedere (at 1904m) to climb via Rifugio Zamboni (at 2065m) to Lago de Locce (at 2239m) with a direct view on the peaks of the Monte Rosa massif.
Lunch on the imposing terrace of Rifugio Zamboni.
Then we planned an alternative return via Rosareccio and Bletza to Staffa. Fortunately, we asked for some information in the rifugio about the start of this hike: they said that the route was closed due to landfall … This was nowhere indicated nor announced. The signposts for Rosareccio were still there as well….
With the chairlift back down, then… But when the weather is nice, the valley of Macugnaga is definitely worth the extra stay!
Note that the next day we took the lift back to Passo Moro and from there we walked down to Mattmark. From there the bus to Saas Fee with lunch. Then bus (to Stalden) and train (to St Niklaus) and bus to Grächen. From Passo Moro to Mattmark: 7.72 km 2h33 112m ascent (from lift station to the pass) and 695m descent.
This time in Grächen we booked Die Alte Bock, a cozy thing with friendly owners and generous breakfast (142 CHF).
One last hike: from GASENRIED to the BORDIERHŮTTE: 14.63 km, 6h17, 1381m ascent, 1340m descent. Or from 1640m altitude to 2893m and back.
An impressive but arduous walk with amazing views of the Ried glacier.
The route used to run over the Ried glacier. Now you cross the glacier at the bottom over a small bridge… Enjoy the terrace of the Bordierhütte!
Note that from the end of 2024 there will no longer be a hotel in Gasenried! (Alpenrösli closed!)
CONCLUSION
The 3-day hike Zermatt- Saas Fee is splendid!! The TMR: not convinced; we would take other multi-day trips in the Alps first …..
We love to travel 