Belalp – Hiking Trails, Glacier Views and Alpine History

Belalp: Glacier Views and Mountain Trails

Belalp is an alp and a summer and winter sports destination in the municipality of Naters in the canton of Valais. At 2,094 m above sea level, it lies high above the Rhône Valley, offering views of the Aletsch Glacier. Its high-altitude setting frames a stay focused on everything from hiking and mountain scenery to winter activities and historic landmarks. The destination has around 60 kilometres of trails that lead through a varied mountain landscape.

Trail Lengths and Natural Sites

Two signposted routes can be compared by their specific lengths: the Belalp Glacier Educational Trail is 2 kilometres long, while the Tyndall Educational Trail is 3 kilometres long. The Belalp Glacier Educational Trail is therefore one kilometre shorter. Another clearly defined crossing is the Riederalp–Belalp suspension bridge. It is 124 metres long and crosses the Massaschlucht gorge at a height of 80 metres, directly in front of the glacier portal of the Great Aletsch Glacier. The Massaschlucht can also be crossed. The historic Massaweg trail runs along a suone, a traditional irrigation channel.

At Lüsgersee, nature and leisure come together: the lake is a nationally important amphibian conservation area and is suitable for swimming in summer. Swimming is therefore a summer-season activity and can be planned separately from the other nature and hiking experiences.

Summer and Winter Activities

In winter, the Belalp ski area has 60 kilometres of pistes and extends from 1,300 to 3,112 m above sea level. At Hohstock, winter sports enthusiasts can ski a run with a gradient of up to 60 percent. A circular cross-country ski trail is about 1 kilometre long and can be reached from the gondola lift’s mountain station at Chiematte. A downhill run from Belalp to the valley station in Blatten also serves as a toboggan run. Winter visitors can therefore choose from several specific activities, from skiing and cross-country skiing to sledging downhill.

History and Traditions on Belalp

The Hotel Belalp was built on Belalp in 1856/1857. Another historic landmark is the Tyndall Monument, dedicated to the Irish physicist and mountaineer John Tyndall. From 1861 until his death in 1893, Tyndall spent his summers mainly on Belalp. After his death, his wife Louisa had the monument erected there in 1911. These dates place Tyndall’s stay and the monument’s construction in the history of the area.

The Schäful is a tradition of its own: every late summer, the people of Naters celebrate this traditional festival on Belalp. The sheep return to Belalp after spending the summer in the inner Aletschji. This annual seasonal celebration gives visitors a cultural point of interest alongside nature and sports when planning a trip.

Getting to Belalp

Travel by train via Brig, then take PostBus 624 to Blatten bei Naters and continue by aerial cableway to Belalp. The aerial cableway between Blatten bei Naters and Belalp has a diagonal length of 1,767 metres and overcomes an elevation difference of 763 metres. For your travel dates, check the timetable for suitable train, PostBus and aerial cableway connections. This makes it possible to plan each leg of the journey around the focus of your trip.

Discover more destinations: Rothwald, Naters, Zwischbergen, Rosswald, Eggerberg, Mund, Ried-Brig, Birgisch

For the broader travel overview: Brig.