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In one of the steepest funicular railways with a view of the highest peak in the Alps, past the second largest reservoir in Switzerland, to archosaur tracks that are over 240 million years old; all these attractions await you at Lac d’Emosson in the Lower Valais Trient Valley. The VerticAlp Emosson is a destination that scores with its spectacular means of transport as well as its wonderful panoramic views of the mountains of the Mont Blanc massif. And best of all: all of this can be experienced in the form of a day trip.
By public transport to Lac d ‘Emosson
The VerticAlp Emosson is one of more than 80 leisure activities spread all over Switzerland, for which there are attractive RailAway combined offers. This means that those who travel by public transport and book the leisure service directly with the ticket purchase benefit from discounts.
Long-time Travelita readers know that I have already referred to RailAway combined offers several times, because they serve me as a “treasure trove” for exciting excursions and offer attractive price advantages when traveling by public transport. And you shouldn’t have missed the fact that 99% of our excursions in Switzerland are made by public transport. Accordingly, we took the train to Valais early in the morning in Zurich for this detour into the impressively scenic Trient Valley on a glorious summer’s day.
Win a voucher for booking a RailAway combined offer of your choice for 4 people
And this is how you can take part in our RailAway combined offer competition:
Enter your first and last name as well as your email address in the following form and write in the appropriate field which of the 85 natural attractions you would like to visit.
Important: Only people living in Switzerland are eligible to participate.
The competition runs until July 31, 2021, 11:59 p.m. We will notify the winner in writing by August 4, 2021.
The VerticAlp Emosson – a scenic train experience
For day trips to Valais, I choose a direct IC connection from Zurich to Visp whenever possible. So you can sit comfortably for two hours, deal with pending tasks and watch the world wake up from the train window. In Visp, the connection to the Lower Valais is crisp (4 minutes), but the connecting train stops directly opposite and enables you to change trains at ground level. After 2:43 hours of a relaxed train ride, we reach Martigny. Here we change to the Mont-Blanc-Express. The train connects Martigny via a bold and panoramic route through the Trient Valley with Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blanc.

Make sure you have a window seat on the left in the direction of travel and be careful not to press your nose against the window for the next forty minutes. The views down into the Trient Gorge and the panorama of the Mont Blanc massif are in a class of their own. Shortly before the train crosses the border into France, we press the «stop» button and get off at Le Châtelard. The VerticAlp Emosson train adventure begins in just under two minutes on foot from the small train station.

We overcome the first stage on the route of the former factory railway from 1919. With a maximum gradient of 87%, the funicular is one of the steepest in the world. All the more impressive when you consider that this railway was built at the beginning of the 20th century in connection with the construction of the Emosson reservoir. The whole thing was initiated at the time by the Swiss Federal Railways, who wanted to use it to cover their electricity needs. The ride on the funicular up to les Montuires takes just under 10 minutes.
The next rail attraction is already waiting for you here: the panorama train, which looks like a toy with a track width of just 60 cm. In the following 10 minutes, the miniature train meanders through a magnificent mountain backdrop along the edge of the slope to the foot of the Emosson dam. We overcome the last few meters with a so-called “Minifunic”. The mixture of funicular and lift catapults us up to the Restaurant du Barrage Emosson in less than two minutes.

At this point it is time to take a breather. So many different impressions in such a short time. Wow! We enjoy the view over Lac d’Emosson and enjoy a cappuccino and a fine piece of blueberry cake on the sun terrace of the Restaurant du Barrage.


For connoisseurs: circular hike to Cabane du Vieux-Emosson
Now you could easily be satisfied with the view from the sun terrace or take a short walk (suitable for prams!) Over the dam. Or – you know us – you lace up your hiking boots and let the hiking trail signs guide you over hill and dale up to the Cabane du Vieux-Emosson.
The approximately 1.5-hour ascent via the white-red-white (difficulty T3) marked mountain path has some exciting passages in store (some more delicate parts are secured with chains and can therefore be mastered with surefootedness). You have to expect individual snowfields well into July (this year probably even August). On the ascent, take the time to take a look from time to time into the shady areas of the slope to the left of the path. As a highlight of the day, we saw two beautiful ibexes “wrestling” here.



When I arrive at the Cabane du Vieux-Emosson, my stomach growls. Fortunately, there is still a free space on the terrace. We order half a platter and a cheese slice. Both are fine – the crowning glory is the incredibly delicious “Cafe Glacé Maison” (a kind of iced coffee).
Then we walk along the yellow-marked hiking trail along the road back to the starting point. This section of the trail is paved throughout and can also be walked with a stroller (up to the Cabane). The following map shows you the route of our round to Cabane du Vieux-Emosson (including extra meters up to the Barrage of the Vieux-Emosson reservoir).

starting point | Restaurant du Barrage d’Emosson (1’950 m ü. M.) |
reachability | Accessible by public transport (VerticAlp Emosson) |
Long | 9.3 Kilometer |
Altitude difference | ↗ 490 m ↘ 490 m |
Duration | 3:00 h |
Destination | Restaurant du Barrage d’Emosson (1’950 m ü. M.) |
Catering | Cabane du Vieux-Emosson (summer season from the beginning of July to the beginning of October) |
For the ambitious: Geological hike to reptile footprints
Allow a good three hours for our short circular hike (without stopping at a hut). In good weather conditions and little remaining snow fields, you can follow the white-red-white marked mountain path along the Gorge de la Veudale towards Col de Corbeau. After a good two-hour walk, you reach the site of the 240 million year old footprints of crocodile-like reptiles (so-called archosaurs) not far from the pass crossing. A challenging but exciting hiking option for everyone who likes to move in high alpine terrain. You can see the route on the map below. The time required is around 5 hours (just click on the map for further details).
Back into the valley we take the same connection of the VerticAlp as on the way there. The trips with the Minifunic, the Panoramique train and the funicular down to Le Châtelard are coordinated with the timetable so that you have a train connection to Martigny and from there to Visp (or Lausanne – depending on the time). An absolutely recommendable excursion for everyone who wants to go into the middle of the imposing Lower Valais mountains and experience three very special rail attractions.
Practical tips for your excursion with the VerticAlp Emosson
- If you are traveling by public transport, you can easily book the train ticket and the leisure service online. You will receive a 20% discount on the Liberté Pass with unlimited access for one day to the three cable cars between Le Châtelard and Emosson (price at 20% discount: 30.40 CHF per person)
- You can also get the discount on the leisure service for all offers with the GA / Half-Fare travelcard. To do this, you also have to look for the connection you want and then tick the appropriate box under “Discounts” in the booking field
- The VerticAlp Emosson is open daily from the beginning of June to mid-October (first trip from Le Châtelard at 09:05 a.m.).
- You should allow around 45 minutes for the trip on the three cable cars from Le Châtelard to the Barrage du Lac d’Emosson.
- In addition to simple walks over the dam wall and the two mentioned hikes, you can also take a great mountain tour from Lac d’Emosson towards Lac de Salanfe and attach part of the Tour des Dents du Midi there
- For children there is an educational trail on geology and hydropower (Charlotte la Marmotte)