Riederalp Aletsch Glacier Panorama Hike

Wow, this glacier is impressive! We took a series of cable cars up to the top of Riederalp to get this amazing view of the Aletsch glacier. It looks like a river flowing through the valley, but it’s all slow-moving ice. When the kids were little, we enjoyed the short and easy Panorama trail from Moosfluh to Hohfluh described below, one of our all-time favorites in Switzerland. 

Location

Riederalp is located in southern Switzerland in the eastern end of the Valais region. The trail is access by a cable car and gondola.

The area is called “Aletsch Arena” as shown on the summer hiking map below. Our trail is accessed from Riederalp on the far left, from the top of the Moosfluh gondola to the Hohfluh chair lift.

Trail map

With a 6 and 3 year old, we chose the easy Panorama ridge trail (about 2 km, 138m descent) from Moosfluh across to the Hohfluh chair lift, then we rode down to Riederalp.

This is a great trail for families with small children. It has amazing views and even some educational signboards along the way. We also loved that we didn’t have to hike down. But the Hohfluh chair lift only runs during the summer school holiday, about mid July to mid August. So outside those dates, you would need to hike back down to Riederalp from Hohfluh.

Longer version: You can start higher up the mountain at Bettmeralp or Eggishorn. See trail map.

Getting There

By car: Drive to Mörel, the base of the Riederalp cable car station. There is a small parking lot right next to the station and nearby overflow parking.

If you are coming from Zürich or Luzern, you will either drive over the Furka pass or take the Furka car transport through the tunnel. If you are coming from Bern or Interlaken, you will take the Lötschberg car train through a tunnel.

By public transport: Take a train to Mörel, which is adjacent to the cable car station. 

Ticket prices

You’ll need a return ticket for the Mörel – Riederalp Mitte cable car. Then a one-way ticket up the Riederalp – Moosfluh gondola. Then a one-way ticket down the Hohfluh – Riederalp chair lift (you can skip that and just hike down if you like). If you show the cashier the hike you want to do, they will sell you the correct ticket. In 2020, this ticket costs CHF 49/adult. See current prices.

Discounts

SBB Half-fare and children get 50% discount. Children with SBB Junior Card or under 6 ride free. GA rides free to Riederalp, then gets 50% discount on the other lifts.

Opening times

Aletsch Arena is generally open for summer season from June through mid October. The cable car from Mörel to the Riederalp runs year round. The gondola from Riederalp to Moosfluh runs early June through mid-October from 8:30-16:30. The chairlift between Riederalp to Hohfluh runs from early July to mid-August 9:00-12:30 and 13:30-16:00. See current operating times.

Photo story of trail

1. Ride up to Moosfluh

Take the big cable car from Mörel to Riederalp-Mitte (not the Riederalp-West gondola, which drops off on the wrong side of town). Once in Riederalp, walk east through town, following signs to the Moosfluh gondola, which will take you to the glacier overlook.

Here’s what you’ll see from the top of Moosfluh. There are lots of little footpaths meandering along the ridge. Our kids had a great time running around, jumping off rocks and chasing grasshoppers.

2. Trail from Moosfluh to Hohfluh

This trail is short and easy, about 30 minutes of walking. But remember the Hohfluh chairlift is only open during during the school summer holidays. Outside of those times, you’ll have to hike down the mountain or hike back the way you came and ride down the Moosfluh gondola.

From the top of Moosfluh, follow trail signs to Hohfluh. There are lots of little dirt paths going all over the place, just make sure you are following the ridgeline and signs for Aletsch Panoramaweg 39.

The path also follow the “Gratweg – Erlebnispfad” which has a series of educational signboards about water works in the area. The text is also in English.

These benches halfway there would be a nice place for a picnic.

When you reach the Hohfluh chair lift, simply ride down, walk to the Riederalp gondola and ride down to the valley.

3. Optional – Hike down from Moosfluh to Riederalp

On another visit, we hiked from Moosfluh down to Riederalp (about 3km, 435m descent). The views were great and the first section to the Blausee was very nice. After that, it was a lot of elevation descent down a ski hill, which was a little hard on our knees and not as scenic. 

Here’s what the trail looked like, easy for kids but not stroller-friendly. After leaving the ridge, you walk along or on ski slopes, which was a little tricky to manage as you walk on steep grassy slopes instead of a trail (thus my lack of pics for that section).

We followed signs to Blausee, which is about 30 mins from the top. It’s a small pond, a popular picnicking area and some people even swim. We wish we had brought our swimsuits; it was a hot day.

There are couple fire pits around the lake; I think at least one had a table. We wanted to be on our own so chose this one, a little set back from the Blausee. Unfortunately, it was surrounded by smelly cows.

Plenty of room to safely roam.

Back in Riederalp, there is a little amusement area with mini-golf and little go-carts that run down the bunny hill (a little pricey and a short ride – fun but not particularly recommended). It’s right off the road you walk back on to the Mörel gondola.

You might also like: Aletsch Glacier Suspension Bridge Trail. See all our Aletsch Arena hikes.