September 12 – Evolene to Grimentz – 10.8 miles, +3900/-2400 feet
Haute Route – Day 8 – Arolla to Evolene
September 11 – Arolla to Evolene – 8.6 miles, +1000/-2700 feet
Haute Route – Day 7 – Lac des Dix to Arolla
September 10 – Lac des Dix to Arolla – 12.5 miles, +2800/-3600 feet
Haute Route – Day 6 – Cabane du Mont Fort – Lac des Dix
September 9 – Cabane du Mont Fort to Lac des Dix – 12.0 miles, +2900/-3900 feet
Haute Route – Day 5 – Verbier to Cabane du Mont Fort
September 8 – Verbier to Cabane du Mont Fort – 5.6 miles, +3200/-100 feet
Haute Route – Day 4 – Champex to Verbier
September 7 – Champex to Verbier – 11.8 miles, -2800/+2900 feet
Haute Route – Day 3 – Trient to Champex
September 6 – Trient to Champex – 10.7 miles, +3100/-2500 feet
Haute Route – Day 2 – Argentiere to Trient
September 5 – Argentiere to Trient – 10.2 miles, +3100/-3000 feet
Haute Route – Day 1 – Chamonix to Argentiere
September 4 – Chamonix to Argentiere (5.5 miles, +600 feet)
The Haute Route – A Brief Guide (2019)
Introduction
The Haute Route (Walker’s High Route or WHR in many books) is a roughly 130 mile walking route across the Pennine Alps of central France and western Switzerland. It begins in the French resort of Chamonix below Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, and concludes in the Swiss resort of Zermatt, beneath the Matterhorn, Switzerland’s most striking mountain. In between, it passes westward from valley to valley parallel to the spine of the Alps, offering dazzling mountain scenery, punctuated at frequent intervals by picturesque villages and towns. The route is well marked and requires no special equipment or guide. Unlike long-distance treks in the mountains in California, the Haute Route has plenty of hotels and mountain inns along the way, so one need not carry anything more substantial than a daypack. Unsurprisingly, it has also become quite a popular trip, and while it remains far less crowded than the nearby Tour du Mont Blanc, it does see plenty of traffic, especially in the middle of the summer.