Winter - Gibloux snowshoes - Violet trail
- Marietta Galazka
- Jan 26, 2021
- 2 min read
Fribourg Canton, Riaz.
Distance: 3.5 km - 3.9 km.
Elevation gain: 111 m.
Walking time: 1h.
Access: Car.
Parking: Parking at Petit Prary (point P on the map) - 46.658784, 7.019284
Another beautiful, family friendly walk! It was our second time visiting this Gibloux region around Riaz for a winter walk. We already walked the Red trail and this time we were back to discover the Violet trail. It may be the small bridges and following a flowing stream, but it seems to be my favourite walk from the region / map. The trees and bushes were still covered in layers of snow, making the walk even more magical.
In summer, Gibloux is known for the panoramic views towards La Gruyère region from the Gibloux-tower. In winter, there are numerous snowshoe trails and cross-country paths.
Close to the parking, we met a number of hikers, dog walkers and cross-country skiers. We thought that we encountered less people on the Violet path than on the Red path.
We did not come across any snacks or dining opportunities on this walk. Saying this, there were plenty of opportunities for a picnic on the surrounding snow. There was a take-away booth at the main parking (point A), providing fast-food and snacks.
There are a number of snowshoe trails around Gibloux. The segments make it easy to decide on the spot on how long one would like to walk. The trail we followed was violet and we missed out the Q-N-L section. This means that our path was 3.5km long instead of 3.9km.
The map is an extract from Nordic Region Gibloux website. The map (pdf form) can be downloaded here.
The whole path is rather easy and doesn't require much effort. It is said that the snowshoe paths are not prepared, however from what we experienced, the trail was also doable in winter boots. We started our walk with the shortcut of the path, following the road for a brief moment. I am not sure it was worth it: we only saved ~0.4km and the road was quite busy with cars. Once we joined with the Violet path, the trail became quite magical. The route followed the stream for a while, making the walk very pleasant. The trail went through the forest until the final section S-P, which was descending through a field.
Other activities around this hiking trail:
- Sledge routes.
- Cross country skiing. It is possible to rent all the skiing equipement at the parking.
Nordic Region Gibloux website here provides information on the trails for snowshoes and cross-country skiing. More details of the Red Trail can be viewed on Fribourg Region website here.
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