Hiking the Haute Route in Switzerland

In August of 2025, I hosted a group hiking trip on the Haute Route in the European Alps. We hiked 100 miles hut to hut over nine days from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland. This trail was one of the best I had ever hiked and I recommend anyone looking for adventure to follow my advice in this guide. I flew from New York City to Geneva, Switzerland. I took a scheduled shuttle bus from the airport to Chamonix. We stayed at this hotel and spa which was nice with frog art and forest themed rooms. Hotels this nice are a little overkill for me when I travel on my own dime. My huge 100 liter roller duffel would be transported to our destination in Zermatt. Our group met ready to hike for the first time in the hotel lobby and it's always interesting finally seeing what people would be carrying and what gear they decided to bring. We had hikers of different experience levels and traveling style. Today we'd be hiking only 10 miles and stopping for lunch up at the high point of today's hike. Before then we found wild raspberries, wooden statues, and dense fog. The views at our high point today were limited as clouds filled the valley and rain clouds started to appear. We reached Refuge de Col de Bab as the rain came down covering my camera lens. After a nice coffee break the sun came back out and we started down into Switzerland. We passed purple flowers, took a group photo, and descended into pine forest until reaching a campsite in the valley. The site was still on the popular tour de Mont Blanc so a few subscribers stopped to say hello. In Trient we toured the pink church decorated with flowers and flags with the local valet coat of arms. Tonight we were sleeping at Auberge du Mont Blanc and I was lucky to have a private room with a view of the church. Dinner was traditional Swiss raclette and I flew the drone at sunset to see the mountains around and what I think was Mont Blanc's white top in the distance. The next morning was crystal clear. I packed up my hyper light and started off before the sun hit the valley. We bought falafel pita next to the campsite, filled up water, and mixed in with the TMB hikers already packing up their tents. Today we'd hike another 10 miles starting out with a climb through the forest and past this bridge. The valley eventually turned into glacier reflecting the bright sunlight as we ascended. The fruit tarts at Bouvet de Glacier du Trient were exceptional with a coffee and if I'm butchering these French words I apologize. I took many years of French in school but it's still difficult. I broke from the group a little today as we continued our climb to the pass following the white and red trail markers. We ate lunch at Finette de Appiette and I climbed a little higher to have some alone time while shooting drone shots of the glacier in the background. The sharp peaks with a dusting of snow looked beautiful against the blue sky. At this height the glacier snowfields looked smooth. We started our descent once the entire group reached the pass. Trees and green grass started to reappear as we reached the end of today's hike, Vallée de Appiette. We had plenty of time to relax and look back at the pass we came from. I had a double room with Carlos and made sure to recharge batteries. Another fantastic meal and fantastic sunset to end the day. Today would start with a quick hike down to Champloc where we grabbed groceries, coffee, and waited for our shuttle bus. This transfer was the biggest of the trip taking us to Val de Bagnes and then started up in the cable car to Verbier. The city has huge wooden buildings which look amazing at the window of the cable car. I'd love to revisit this place in the winter to see everything covered in snow. We took another ride to the top of the range and started our easy seven mile hike for today. Keeping together in a long line our group eventually stopped for a photo with my drone. Lunch at the pass was elevated by some fancy mustard and we had time to take photos and relax before hiking down to our next hut. This section was pretty steep with grassy slopes which made for great drone shots with the Dents du Midi mountain range in the distance. I shot a video while hiking there a few years ago. Cabane de Louvet was our first small mountain hut more isolated with great views. I was glad I brought my own cozy camp crocs. Our entire group was in the dorms tonight and we quickly snagged the premium spots. Some folks went swimming and dipped their feet in the lake nearby. Another afternoon with plenty of time for chess, beer, and warming yourself in the remaining day's sunlight. Dinner was soup and pasta at a large table in front of this massive and beautiful painting. Our guide gathered people up for a meeting about tomorrow's hike before we rushed some last photos of the sunset. The hut cat named Chip made an appearance. Day four. Another clear morning. We folded our blankets before departing the hut. Sunlight reflected as we started our climb past flowers at the head of the lake. I got to see some alpine ibex or steinbach. I rushed to the pass alone so it was easier to film and drone and met some polish hikers who subscribed to my channel after chatting. I crossed some small patches of snow with some wild looking clouds overhead. This landscape was dominated with dark gray rocks, white snow patches, and blue sky contrasted with these zebra clouds. It was a nice day to be doing this section. The bright sunlight made it all ultra contrast and really beautiful. I waited for the group to join as we hiked past a gigantic trail marker and a set of turquoise lakes. Eventually we reached Cabane de Poufferie where I ate a delicious swiss roti. We only had to hike about eight miles today so felt like we had a lot of downtime at the hut. Beds were packed into dorms like sardines. The clouds mixed dramatically with the sunset making for some of my favorite drone shots of the trip. Day five. This was the coldest morning and I layered up with everything I had with me. Some last minute coffee while our guide briefed us on the day. Our 11 mile hike today would involve two passes so we set off earlier. Lac de Dix came into view vast and still. After a long flat walk around the shore, we ate lunch before starting the final ascent. Col de Rimaten was a steep gap zigzagging up with chains. The hike down was surrounded by melting glaciers and huge peaks including the tip of our destination, the famous Matterhorn. I pushed through the forest ahead of everyone else and found a nice hotel. While sheep grazed and tourists lounged, I treated myself to pasta and beer before meeting up with the rest of the group and boarding our bus out of Arula. We'd be spending our night at this hotel which had old wooden rooms that felt very Swiss. For dinner, we had traditional raclette again but this time cooked and scraped to order which was more interesting to experience. We drank and hung out well into the night. The next morning, I laid out all of my gear to take a top-down photo for Instagram and all of this gear is linked in the description so you can check it out yourself. We grabbed our takeaway lunch and filled up water. I decided to skip the shuttle bus to Lesage and instead hike the almost full vertical kilometer up to our pass for today. My favorite shot of the trip was this slanted grass field with mountains in the background. It was really nice moving at my own pace through the remaining houses but the flies were terrible and attacked me relentlessly. I stopped for lunch while looking back at the valley I left. Today was probably the hottest and sweatiest day of the trip so I'm glad I had my sun hoodie that helped me cool down. I beat the group to the coal and then entered my favorite section of the entire trip, Lac de Moray. Massive walls of dirt from a retreating glacier left turquoise water and the hut we'd be sleeping at tonight, Cabin de Moray. Perched up all alone against the glacier, it was technically out of the way of the trail but totally worth the extra detour. This was one of the coolest places I've ever slept and I recommend anyone who can book a night to do so. Our group prepared for the hike up to the hut at Bouvet de Glacier with a couple of car tourists. Our hike today was just over eight miles but more climbing than usual with over 6,000 feet of elevation gained. The hut seemed to have two sections, one older and made of stone and one newer made out of aluminum and glass. The interior was modern and allowed for great views of the glacier. We enjoyed Appenzeller beers and prepped our beds in the dorm. The day hikers eventually left and I flew my drone with the sun set on the glacier above. Every shade of gray blue in the expansive layers of mountains fading into the distance. Waterfalls peeking through holes in the ice and a mysterious statue on top of a peak hundreds of feet above the glacier. This woman on Pointe de Morty was one of the most surprising things I've ever found while flying my drone. With warm puffs on, our group enjoyed every bit of remaining light before the moon appeared and we headed in for the night. There was actually a group of climbers who would be leaving super early that morning at like 3 or 4 a.m and we were making a little too much noise outside their window so we had to uh be quiet and go to bed. Today's hike was an easy 9.4 miles almost entirely downhill to Grimantz. With the glacier to our backs we approached the lake with its massive dam. The water it held was so solid in color and still against the curving concrete barrier. Hikers crossed it looked tiny with shimmering reflections of the white glacier behind them. As I hiked the dam grew smaller until I reached town. Our group enjoyed pizza at Hotel Alpina and I took advantage of the downtime by getting a day pass to use the hotel spa. It was lovely taking my first shower of the trip and soaking in the hot tub for a bit. We take another shuttle bus to a cog train up to Caban Bellatola which had off-season ski hut vibes. More beers and more sunsets including on Bellatola peak which we'd be summoning the next day. Today was a hot eight miles up to Bellatola and down to Grubin. I came across a mountain biker carrying their bike up to this peak which meant he'd ride down eventually which seems crazy. At some point a couple of us stopped for lunch and a quick dip in this alpine pond. I remember playing Odessa on my phone and it being like a nice moment of the trip to just relax. The remaining miles were a dry slog across loose rock under hot sun. I descended alone into the valley in our destination for the night Hotel Schwarzhorn. My roast tea was mid but the ice cream there was amazing. One last night sleeping together in dorms on this trip and yes we all smelled by this point. With bottles of wine in hand the group settled into a nearby stream. Eight days of hiking together had formed a unique dynamic and I think we all equal parts felt comfortable yet also ready for the trip to be done. I started the final climb in the shadow of the valley. My legs completely warmed up and used to hiking day after day. One final lunch at the pass with the group marked the halfway point of today's eight mile hike. The weather today was hazier than usual but the views of our final valley were exceptional. I found a good thumbnail for my youtube videos here and our hike officially ended at this restaurant where we drank coke while cooling off. We took the cable car down four at a time to the train station at Saint Nicholas and rode to Zermatt at the base of Matterhorn. I stopped filming and just enjoyed my time there before we all went our separate ways the next morning. And that was the end of our hike and the end of our trip. Before I ever start editing a video I already know what kind of music it needs. Whether I'm making a cinematic hiking film or a more practical guide like this one, the music is doing a lot of the storytelling. It sets the tone, controls the pacing, and helps the video feel more like a film than a typical youtube upload. That's intentional. When I'm working on a project like the Hout Route, the visuals, the rhythm, and the emotion all have to work together. Music isn't something I add at the end, it's part of the structure in my mind from the beginning. I get a lot of questions about the music I use especially from other filmmakers making hiking videos. People ask for the exact song links because the music fits the genre and helps elevate the work in a way that's hard to fake. That's why I use Musicbed. A lot of music libraries technically work but they feel interchangeable. They don't carry as much emotion. When the music doesn't match the experience people feel that disconnect immediately. Musicbed's catalog feels cinematic, emotional, and intentional. It helps my videos resonate and it's a big part of why people keep coming back. If you want to try it for your own work, you can sign up for a 14-day free trial of Musicbed using my link below. In conclusion, it takes a lot for me to do things these days. A decision I'm facing more and more is whether to do these hikes solo or in a group. So why did I do it? For one, I trusted the partnership. I've worked with Veronica at Vagabond Trails before, trail running the Tour de Mont Blanc, hiking Manaslu in Nepal. She's authentic and easy to work with and I think our interests overlap. The route made sense too. The hout route had been high on my list for years. Big mountains, good food, and that unique Swiss hut culture. From a practical standpoint, it worked. I'd get a cut of the ticket sales, about a dozen priced at $5,000 each. I'd also have lower expenses because my flight and trip was covered. Vagabond does all of the difficult work of planning for me, booking the huts, making the itinerary, and managing the group. The guide on trail takes care of everyone so I don't have to. All I have to do is just complete the hike and make my video. Hut to hut hikes cater towards being social. I usually hike alone but that makes more sense when traveling to remote places and doing tent camping. If I'm sleeping in nice huts and have a lot of downtime, it's better to have companions to hang out with. Eating lunch at a pass or drinking beers after hiking all day is much more fun with people. But there were also trade-offs. Shorter days, fewer miles, more downtime, a less complete route, and more stress. I didn't know why everyone signed up and I didn't know what they expected or how much of that was my responsibility. A more outgoing person might find this easy but I personally just don't. Connection has value but it just seems to cost me more energy. I ended up selling out the trip and completely enjoying myself while also shooting a great video though. I'll be hosting more group hikes so make sure to sign up for announcements on my website craigadams.com. You'll find all trails recording from my entire route in the description of this video as well as the gear I used to hike and shoot these videos. Ask any specific questions about the trip by leaving a comment. Thank you for watching.