The easy trails

This is a selection of easy trails, rearranged by increasing physical effort. The average difficulty of Gressoney’s trails is generally quite high (they are almost always very steep to begin with, and they are almost always quite long) but there are some that are affordable even by less trained hikers.

These are all trails where there is along the way at least one shelter (indicated in the trail sheet), where you can refresh yourself before or after the hike.

Asterisks indicate the physical effort required.

* low: low height difference, rising very gently (perfect for young children!).
  1. * Trail 15 “of the Queen”-from Saint Jean to Savoy Castle– time 1h,elevation gain 63m
  2. * Trail 5B – from La Trinité/Punta Jolanda to Lake Gabiet– time 0h50,elevation gain 146m
  3. * Trail 14 – from Gressoney-Saint-Jean to Gressoney-La-Trinité – time 2h30, elevation gain 291m
** medium: elevation gain of less than 400m
  1. ** Trail 6B – from Stafal/Gabiet to Orestes Hutte– time 1h, elevation gain 259m
  2. ** Trail 8 – from Stafal to St. Anna – time 1h, elevation gain 339m
  3. ** Trail 6 – from Saint Jean to Alpenzu Grande– time 0h45, elevation gain 355m
  4. ** Trail 6B and 7B – from Stafal/Gabiet to Blue Lake– time 1h, elevation gain 346m
  5. ** Trail 3A – from Saint Jean/Weismatten to Punta Della Regina– time 1h15, elevation gain 397m
*** high: height difference between 400m and 800m
  1. *** Trail 8A – from Stafal/Sant’Anna to Salero Lakes– time 1h15, elevation gain 413m
  2. *** Trail 2 – from Saint Jean to Weismatten– time 1h40, elevation gain 590m
  3. *** Trail 11B – from Saint Jean to the Valley of the Princes– time 2h10, elevation gain 703m
  4. *** Trail 3 – from Saint Jean to Ranzola Pass– time 2h10, elevation gain 723m

(*) Low physical effort

1: * Trail 15 “Della Regina” – from Saint Jean to the Savoy Castle (1 hour, elevation 63m)

The Savoia Castle

The Savoia Castle

From Saint Jean: If you are looking for a trail that is easily traversed by really young children, the choice can only fall on trail 15 “of the Queen“,which leads from Saint Jean to the Savoy castle. Wide, safe, with very low slope variation, it passes near Lake Gover, in the middle of a beautiful forest, next to a wonderful waterfall, and ends at the fairy tale castle: what more is needed?

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2: * Trail 5B – from La Trinité/Punta Jolanda to Lake Gabiet (50 min, elevation 146m)

Lake Gabiet

Lake Gabiet

From La Trinité/Punta Jolanda: once you take the chairlift up to Punta Jolanda, the trail 5B allows you to go all the way to the Lake Gabiet, an artificial lake barred by the remarkable Gabiet dam. It is a short trail with very little elevation gain that leads to a place full of shelters where you will be able to refresh yourself (from the lowest: theAdler’s Nest, theDel Ponte Hotel, the Gabiet Refuge and the Gabiet See Refreshment Bar – all reachable in a short time), and where you will find the wide grassy shores of the lake, ideal for a picnic.

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3: * Trail 14 – from Saint-Jean to La-Trinité (2 hr 30 min, elevation 291m)

The Lys along the trail to Stafal

The Lys along the trail to Stafal

From Saint Jean or La Trinité: Trail 14 which connects Saint Jean with La Trinitè is also a good candidate if you have young children. It is not as wide as the 15, but it is risk-free, never steep, passes very often beside the Lys, the landscape it crosses varies constantly, and it is highly likely to cross grazing herds. The elevation gain is not small, but it is spread out over a very long route that obviously does not have to be covered in its entirety: at any time you can stop the walk, return to the state road (always very close) and, if you wish, go all the way to the next bus stop.

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(**) Medium physical effort (elevation <400m )

4: ** Trail 6B – from Stafal/Gabiet to Orestes Hutte (1 hour, elevation 259m)

The Orestes Hütte

The Orestes Hütte

From Stafal/Gabiet: starting from Lake Gabiet, trail 6B, passes by the Orestes H utte (refuge with exclusively vegan cuisine, overnight stay is possible), where you can stop if you do not want to continue to the not far Colle Salza (2882m), the final destination of the trail (you still climb an additional 257 meters). From the Orestes Hutte it is possible to travel to Blue Lake (and of course vice versa) with very little additional effort.

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5: ** Trail 8 – from Stafal to St. Anna (1 hour, elevation 339m)

The plateau of St. Anna

The plateau of St. Anna

From Stafal: you can avoid going up by cable car to the plateau of St. Anna (where there are two mountain huts, Restaurant Jutz and Ristoro Sitten–in the latter you can stay overnight), and you can follow the wide and easy Trail 8. At Sant’Anna, there are wonderful views of Monte Rosa and the Lys springs (reachable from Stafal, if desired, via the medium-difficulty Trail 7).

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6: ** Trail 6 – From Saint Jean to Alpenzu Grande (45 min, elevation 355m)

The chapel of Santa Margherita in Alpenzu Grande

The chapel of Santa Margherita in Alpenzu Grande

From Saint Jean: The destination of this trail 6 (actually one of the most challenging, as it reaches the 3315m of Testa Grigia) is the beautiful village of Alpenzu Grande (in titsch Gròsso Albezò), 1779m, one of the very first Walser settlements in the valley, unharmed by the advance of time. Positioned on a natural balcony from which there is a thrilling view of Saint Jean, the village is partially inhabited only in good weather. Right in the middle of it is the Alpenzu Grande Shelter, open from June to the end of August (it is possible to spend the night there).

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7: ** Trail 6B and 7B – from Stafal/Gabiet to Blue Lake (1 hour, elevation 346m)

Blue Lake taken from above

Blue Lake taken from above

From Stafal/Gabiet: The route starts from the Gabiet Lake area (accessible by gondola from Stafal) and arrives at the beautiful Blue Lake. From the Adler’s Nest hut take trail 6B that leads up to the Salza Pass, and turn onto trail 7B as soon as you find the signs. The trail would continue to Punta Telcio, but the arrival to the summit presents some technical difficulties, so as soon as you reach Blue Lake you can stop.

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8: ** Trail 3A – from Saint JeanWeismatten to Punta Della Regina (1 hr 15 min, elevation 397m)

Punta della Regina

Punta della Regina

From Saint JeanWeismatten: much loved by families is the 3A path that from Saint JeanWeismatten brings to Punta della Regina. It must come down to Weismatten with the chairlift of the same name, and next to the Carlo Mollino Refuge/ Capriata House (it is possible to stay overnight there) you take the trail 3A leading first to a grassy basin with a pond (the Lake Gombetta where, if you wish, you can stop without continuing further) and then, with a short climb, to Punta della Regina, very scenic peak but at the same time devoid of the slightest risk.

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(***) High physical effort (elevation between 400 and 800m)

9: *** Trail 8A – from Stafal/Sant’Anna to Salero Lakes (1 hr 15 min, elevation 413m)

The two lakes of Salero

The two lakes of Salero

From Stafal/Sant’Anna: Once you get to St. Anna by ascending to it from Stafal by cable car, or via Trail 8, you can take Trail 8A and go up to the Salero Lakes. The trail is rather short, steep in the initial part only, allows along the way even better views of Monte Rosa than from St. Anna, and makes it possible to arrive at these two tiny but beautiful mountain lakes. It is a very busy trail, so if possible it is advisable to walk it in the early morning hours.

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10: *** Trail 2 – From Saint Jean to Weismatten (1 hr 40 min, elevation 590m)

The Carlo Mollino/House Capriata Refuge

The Carlo Mollino/House Capriata Refuge

From Saint Jean: Trail 2 starts at the end of the road past Savoy Castle. Once past the initial section in the forest, the rest of the route is almost entirely on the track of a ski slope, wide and unpaved. You arrive at the Carlo Mollino/Casa Capriata refuge, an excellent refreshment point on the banks of an artificial lake (it is possible to spend the night there). Various trails start from here if one wanted to go further, such as the just-mentioned Trail 3A to Queen’s Point.

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11: *** Trail 11B – From Saint Jean to the Valley of the Princes (2 hr 10 min, elevation 703m)

The stream that runs through the Valley of the Princes

The stream that runs through the Valley of the Princes

From Saint Jean: the climb to get to the Valley of the Princes along the trail 11B is a moderately strenuous but highly satisfying route The Valley of the Princes is a broad, picturesque plain cut by the wide loops of a stream that forms here and there placid pools within which to plunge your tried ends (or more, if you are daring). The trail is steep for the first two-thirds, then flattens out just past the valley step, and the journey to the finish is through an environment that varies constantly, including peat bogs, gentle knolls and alpine pastures from various eras.

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12: *** Trail 3 – from Saint Jean to Ranzola Pass (2 hr 10 min, elevation gain723m)

Colle Ranzola and the chapel

The Ranzola Pass and the chapel

From Saint Jean: the ascent via the Trail 3 to Ranzola Col starts at the end of the Castello Savoia roadand climbs the shady forest on a wide, well-trodden track until it comes out of the trees and past the Ranzola Superiore huts, which just precede the arrival at Ranzola Col. From the Col, if you feel like taking a few more steps, you can climb up to Punta della Regina by following the short (but steep) trail 7A.

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