Valais Canton, Crans Montana.
Distance: 3.1 km.
Elevation gain: 209 m.
Walking time: 1h 15 min.
Access: Car or bus.
Parking: Cable car parking at 46.308457, 7.466611
Bus: Stop at Crans s. S., Téléphérique
Since we started spending our New Year eves in Switzerland, we have a tendency to end the old year and start the New Year on an active note. This year, we ended 2020 and started 2021 in Sierre, visiting Crans Montana, St Luc and Zinal. Our first hike of this get-away was around the twin-town Crans Montana, which is located at an altitude of around 1500m. This rich ski resort allows sighting of Matterhorn and Mont Blanc, but we were not lucky enough to spot them on this hike.
We passed many hikers with kids and skiers.
We did this snowshoe hike during the pandemic, where all sit-in restaurants were closed. Saying this, the parking of the cablecar (start & end of the hike), was full of take-away booths with hot meals and drinks. MyPicknick also offers picnic backpacks sets with local products. There are also plenty of other restaurants around Crans Montana.
The snowshoe hiking trail we followed was path no. 6.
This map extract is downloaded from Crans-Montana Tourist website here.
The majority of the path is nicely prepared and while it is possible to do this walk without the snowshoes (racquettes); they become very useful on brief, steep inclines and declines. The trail intersects with other paths - hiking non-snowshoe trails, cross country ski trails. At numerous points, we found the signage of the path not being clear enough, so we would advise staying alert.
The starting point is clearly marked and follows a short, steep ascent until reaching the forest, where the majority of the incline is much smoother. Here, we didn't notice a sign and followed a wrong path for 0.8km before coming back to path no.6. Once on the right track, the path was very peaceful and quiet. We only heard silence, cracking snow underneath our feet or singing birds. Occasionally we saw the mountains behind the trees. Once we reached the first viewpoint of the lake, the path took us around the long side of it. The return path from the lake was fast and busier.
We would advise checking beforehand if this trail route is open (you can check here). During our stay near Crans-Montana, majority of the hiking paths listed on the map were closed.
Other activities we recommend around Crans-Montana:
- Snow Island for kids. A large golf course is transformed into small slopes for kids, ski beginners and sledges. There are also cross country tracks and winter walking paths.
- Free cable car ride from Grand Signal to Arnouva.
Hiking and snowshoe maps and routes are available on Crans-Montana Tourist website here. Other snowshoe routes are also listed on SchweizMobil website here. List of other winter activities in Crans-Montana can be viewed on Crans-Montana Tourist website here. General information about the twin towns Crans-Montana can be found on MySwitzerland website here.
The map is downloaded from Crans-Montana Tourist website here.
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