Zermatt in October • 5 Best Hikes for Autumn

Zermatt is a great choice for autumn hiking in Switzerland, with beautiful fall colors and less tourists than summer.

However, you must plan carefully as lifts and services start to close in early October, meaning you cannot reach some trails. Plus you must monitor the weather and trail conditions as early snow can make some trails impassible.

Below are our favorite autumn hikes in Zermatt.

Note: check current trail status and operating times for Zermatt mountain lifts on Zermatt website.

Closing dates for Zermatt mountain railways (2025)

Check current trail status and operating times for Zermatt mountain lifts on Zermatt website.

Opening times may change last minute due to current conditions. Most lifts open for winter season beginning of December.

Gornergrat 

The Gornergrat mountain train is open year round, except maintenance break 3 Nov – 9 Nov 2025.

The Furi-Riffelberg gondola is only open a short time during summer holidays – 28 Jun to 17 Aug 2025.

Matterhorn Glacier Paradise 

The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise viewpoint is accessible year round. In October and November, they close some cable cars on this route for maintenance, but there is always a way to get to the viewpoint, as described on the Zermatt website.

However the Furi – Schwarzsee gondola ends its summer hiking season on 28 Sept 2025. It reopens for ski season in December.

Sunnegga Paradise

The Sunnegga Paradise area generally stay open for hiking through the first week of October. After that, the higher elevation cable cars close and only the Sunnegga funicular remains open.

• Zermatt – Sunnegga funicular: remains open until ski season
• Sunnegga – Blauherd gondola: last day 5 Oct 2025 
• Blauherd – Rothorn cable car: closed in 2025 for repairs

Zermatt Hikes for October

1. Gornergrat – Riffelsee – Riffelberg

Since the Gornergrat cogwheel train is open year round, this area is your best option for October in Zermatt. Assuming no snow, we suggest starting your hike at the Gornergrat and hiking down along the rocky landscape shown below.

The trail leads to the iconic Riffelsee, which is just as charming in orange as the summer green. 

If you want to keep walking, follow the trail down to either Riffelberg or Riffelalp, enjoying another hour or so with Matterhorn views.

If you don’t want to hike, simply get off the mountain train at Rotenboden and it’s less than 5 mins walk to the Riffelsee to get your pictures. 

Hike stats: moderate • 1-2 hours depending on where you start and stop

Open: year round

See details for Gornergrat – Riffelsee trail

2. Zermatt village to Gorner Gorge

This short hike starts in the Zermatt village and walks up to the Gorner Gorge. It has elevated wooden walkways so you can admire the river rushing through the narrow passageway.

Since visiting the gorge is a relatively short activity, we suggest continuing up through the forest and foothills. This is particularly beautiful in fall as many trees turn bright yellow in this area.

Along the way you’ll catch beautiful views of the Matterhorn, Zermatt and surrounding mountains.

If the Gorner Gorge is closed when you visit Zermatt, you can simply bypass the 200m of wooden walkways and still enjoy the hike.  

Hike: easy • 1.5 hr • 2.75 km • 100 m up/down

Open: Gorner Gorge closes middle of October and also in poor weather. Check website for opening times.

See details for Zermatt Gorner Gorge Hike

3. Riffelalp to Sunegga – Three Lake Hike

This is an adaption of the popular 5 Lake Hike, which is not possible after the Sunnegga-Blauherd cable car closes in early October. You start by riding the Gornergrat railway to Riffelalp. Then hike across to Sunegga, passing three alpine lakes along the way.

The main charm here are the golden larch trees and red blueberry bushes, which are absolutely gorgeous in fall.

And don’t forget lots of mountains rising on all sides.

Hike stats: moderate • 2 hrs • 5.6 km • 245 m up, 175 m down

Open: Sunegga funicular open thru end of October

See details for Riffelalp Sunegga Three Lake Hike

4. Glacier Garden trail

This hike also uses the Gornergrat railway, starting at the Riffelberg stop and hiking down the mountain to the river flowing out of the Gorner glacier. If you want more fitness and less cost, you could hike here directly from Zermatt, skipping the train.

So many beautiful things to enjoy on this trail: the glacier, the river, golden larch trees, and the Matterhorn.

One highlight of this trail is walking over this bouncy suspension bridge.

Hike stats: moderate • 3 h • 7 km • 75 m up, 800 m down

Open: railways open year round, but best through end of October, weather permitting. 

See details for Zermatt Glacier Garden Trail

5. Aletsch Arena Panorama Trail

For a day trip, I’d suggest visiting nearby Aletsch Arena and doing the panorama trail across the suspension bridge. This area is so packed full with golden larches, you can hardly believe your eyes.

We suggest the round trip that starts with a bus ride to an alpine village and cable car up the mountain. Then the long hike down to the glacier river, over the suspension bridge, and back up mountain through the forest. Then a cable car down from another alpine village and bus back to your starting point. 

It’s an all day adventure that gets even prettier in the low autumn light. But start early so you don’t get caught in the dark before you finish.

Hike: challenging • 4h30 • 11 km • 700 m down, 600 m up

Open: Blatten-Belalp cable car open through 27 Oct 2024. Check current operating times for Belalp cable car.

See details for Aletsch Panorama Trail

What to wear for autumn hiking in Zermatt

Weather can be very cold in autumn, especially in Zermatt which is at a high elevation. It is not unusual for it to snow in late September or October, though it usually doesn’t stay long until late November. 

We suggest packing for cold weather hiking, the same as you might pack for a winter hike:

• long shirts and trousers, preferably water and wind resistant
• wool socks and waterproof hiking shoes
• warm hat and gloves
• fleece and down jacket for layers
• waterproof rain jacket/windbreaker
• sunglasses and sunscreen as the sun is still strong in fall