Riffelsee

The Riffelsee is located away from the great hiking trails of Zermatt; however, the Riffelseeweg path (no. 21) leads direct to its shores. The view of the Matterhorn, king of the mountains, standing solitary on the horizon framed by a vast sky, is breathtaking: the scene is unforgettable. The best time to visit is when there is no wind and the surface of the lake is completely still – usually early in the morning or in the evening.

Starting point for numerous climbs and walks
The Riffelsee is not visible from the Rotenboden station of the Gornergrat Bahn cog railway, but it’s only a short walk away: about 10 minutes along a trail leading gently downhill. Climbers turn left off the path before the lake to access the numerous climbing routes on the south face of the Riffelhorn. Nature lovers will find beautiful alpine flora in the area.

• Photo subject: reflection of the Matterhorn
• Accessible via Gornergrat Bahn cog railway: 10 minutes’ walk from Rotenboden station
• Rare alpine flowers
• Close to climbing routes on the Riffelhorn (2,927 m)

Reading
“Alpine flowers around Zermatt”, by Hanspeter Steidle, published by edition punktuell, Herisau, 2009. Bilingual German/English, ISBN 978-3-905724-15-8

“Oberwallis Kletterführer/Climbing Guide”, by Eric Pointner and Egon Feller, published by the Swiss Alpine Club, Bern, 2012. Bilingual German/English, ISBN 978-3-85902-310-9.