Haute Route Epilogue - A Full Perspective
After finishing the Haute Route in Zermatt, Michele and took the day after to ride gondolas up into the very high mountains above Zermatt to enjoy the astoundingly clear views.
The day after we finished the Haute Route, we all had travel plans that took us away from Zermatt. Brian was flying home, Mark had plans in Zurich, and Michele and I were heading back to Champéry.
The skies in the morning were gloriously clear, however, with just a bit of cloud around the Matterhorn, so Michele and I decided to take a little extra time in the morning to go up into the high alps to enjoy the scenery while we could.
This was the Matterhorn view from our hotel balcony in the early morning.
There is a gondola in Zermatt that goes up to the very top of the world, and we got there early to go up. We were surrounded by mountain bikers, glacier hikers, and summer skiers. My people.
One of the many amazing views on our way up.
This was the photo I wanted: the Haute Route end-to-end.
On the left of the shot, you can see the Mont Blanc, where we started the Haute Route. On the right and in front is the Matterhorn, where we ended. Our route goes behind most of the peaks in view - all of which we saw from the trail - to circle from the Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn.
Michele and I on top of Klein Matterhorn.
Views of the Bernese Alps to the north.
Summer skiing between Switzerland and Italy.
The Matterhorn. (Spot the hut!)
And my favorite shots of the day - the Breithorn. I want to ski this peak someday.
What a blessing to be able to hike this legendary trail, experience all the amazing beauty along the way, then to have a day like this at the end.
See Also
- Haute Route Retrospective
- Haute Route overview
- Photos and stories from the other chapters of our 2025 Swiss trip
