A magnificent circular hike in the mountains of Wallis

After being on the trail for nine days in a row, the time had come for a well deserved rest. Having left behind the Bernese Alps in the meantime, I was looking forward to explore the canton of Wallis for the next two weeks. Settling into the campsite of the mountain village of Vissoie, I was in for a surprise however. At the check in, the lady asked if I wanted to have a liberty pass and not knowing what it was, she explained that I would get free rides on the local buses, as well as on the cable cars and that as a guest of the campsite I was entitled to have the pass for free. Well, there simply was no way I could turn down that offer and so I got one for the three days I intended to stay in Vissoie. :) As you probably can understand, it would have been a shame not to use the pass, but with a bad weather front moving in, I decided to use it only on the first day where the weather was supposed to be good until late in the afternoon. Because of my rather tired body, I just settled for a half day hike and it simply felt great to skip most of the altitude difference by bus and chairlift. :) The terminus of the chairlift was a place called Tsapé and that was the designated starting point of today's hike. Two peaks and a couple lakes wanted to be visited and spontaneously deciding to head to the Schwarzhorn first, I started to follow the signs from Tsapé. Walking along a wide dirt road, the Schwarzhorn basically could be seen from the beginning and it didn't take too long until the first lake appeared as well.

The view for starters. :) Looking at the Illsee and its surrounding mountains. The Schwarzhorn was to the right of this picture and can't be seen on here

It was a stunning sight already, but as I would pass the Illsee later on, I resumed my walk towards the Schwarzhorn and when I eventually left the dirt road behind, a proper hiking trail brought me to the foot of the mountain and its adjoining lake. To my surprise, a blue and white sign, indicating an alpine trail, greeted me there, but as I only had a daypack with me, I wouldn't have minded a little scramble at all. :) Before I began to ascend however, I took some time to enjoy the beautiful Lac Noir, which at that point wasn't very crowded as it was still too early in the morning.

Lac Noir (which means "Black Lake") was definitely a fitting name for a lake residing just below the Schwarzhorn (meaning "Black Horn") :)

Eventually starting the ascent to the top of the Schwarzhorn, the slope once more was just amazingly steep. But while the path was narrow and I had to use my hands a couple times to get over some unstable rocks, there was nothing in my opinion that was that difficult, that would have justified a blue and white trail. Actually, the biggest challenge was to find the correct way, as there were only a few faded markings to be seen. Luckily, numerous cairns helped to lead the way through some boulder fields, as without them I would have been lost more than once. :) Arriving on the top after ascending for half an hour, a gorgeous panorama unfolded all around me. Mountains and lakes wherever I looked. :) Fortunately, the weather was holding up as well and only some distant clouds were a first sign of the rain that was about to follow later on.

The view from the Schwarzhorn towards the Illsee and the Rhone Valley. At that point I figured that it had been a very good decision to use the liberty pass :)

Sadly, I couldn't stay too long on the peak and so I retraced my steps rather sooner than later. Taking the turnoff towards the Illsee at the Lac Noir, it again didn't take too long until the artificial lake came into view. A tiny second lake appeared as well and the colors of that one were so mind blowing, I had to take a break to admire its beauty for a while. :)

My beautiful Switzerland :)

The whole area in general was just lovely and I had a good look at it, while I strolled along the Illsee. Coming upon the next turnoff however, the time had come to leave the Illsee behind for good, as I had to conquer another steep slope to make my way to the Illpass.

Sorry, but I couldn't resist to share one more picture of the Illsee. :) This one was taken just before the ascent to the Illpass began

While there hadn't been many people around the Schwarzhorn, there was much more going on around the Illpass and so I wasn't only out of breath because of the ascent, but also because I had to say "Bonjour" to each and every one. :) Yes, right, I was in the French speaking part of the canton Wallis and struggled myself with my rusty French through the occasional conversations. :) The views from the slope and from the Illpass just remained top-notch and even though it was more clouded in the meantime, I still enjoyed the hike to the fullest.

Taking a look back during the ascent to the Illpass. The Schwarzhorn is the peak just to the right of the Illsee

On the Illpass itself, I turned right to head up to the ... Illhorn and I guess that name doesn't come as a surprise. :) It was a rather gentle ascent and within 20 minutes I had reached the peak. To my surprise the view was even better as from the Schwarzhorn, as not only the highest mountains of the region could be seen, but also the Rhone Valley with its countless cities. It was a 360° panoramic view that couldn't have been better and it was no wonder that the summit was fairly crowded.

Yes, I know, this is not crowded at all. :) The picture is a bit deceiving however, as not all the people that actually were there can be seen on here

All the same, I found a spot to sit down, had my lunch and marveled at the scenery for the next hour. Leaving the summit when the clouds in the distance got bigger and bigger, I first retraced my steps to the Illpass. From there a 15 minutes walk led me back to Tsapé, where the chairlift brought me down to Chandolin again. Taking the bus home to Vissoie, I was totally happy with today as the whole hike had turned out perfectly well. :)

Highlights of the day: the beautiful lakes and the view from the Illhorn

This hike is for you if:

- you want to scale two peaks without too much effort

- you're looking for some beautiful mountain lakes

- you want to do a circular hike that is entertaining from the beginning to the end

- you want to try yourself for the first time on a challenging ascent (up to the Schwarzhorn)

This hike is not for you if:

- you're seeking solitude

- you're looking for a rush of adrenalin

- don't want to see one of the best panoramic views that the region has to offer :)

Another hike that is pretty straightforward and there shouldn't be too many problems if you want to do it as well. The way is marked throughout and as it is a popular destination among hikers, you most probably won't be alone anyway. The only exception is the ascent to the Schwarzhorn. As it is pretty steep and marked blue and white, many people refrain from doing it, so if you want some solitude this might be a good option. Beware though, as the path is marked pretty badly. So make sure you have a map with you and keep an eye out for the many cairns that help you to find the way to the top.