Five refreshing nights were well spent visiting the beautiful car-free resort of Saas-Fee, the main village in Saastal (Saas Valley), in the district of Visp, canton of Valais, Switzerland. The village perches on a high mountain plateau at 5,900 feet (1,800 meters) elevation, surrounded by thirteen peaks above 13,123 feet (4,000 meters). This year-round, classic ski resort has a heart of well-preserved Swiss wood architecture. (Bustling Zermatt and the Matterhorn lie in the adjacent valley branching west.)
Riding the lifts of Saas-Fee (July 15–18) provided a well-needed break between two strenuous treks: the Tour du Mont Blanc and Swiss Via Alpina (National Route 1), during 5.5 weeks in the Alps. From June 28–August 5 in 2022, we walked 200+ miles and ascended 56,000 vertical feet. Alpenwild.com sponsored my photography and booked our epic Self-Guided packages. Luggage transfers provided between comfortable hotels lightened our day packs every day (except for three overnights in refuges). See Tom’s abridged gallery “2022 Alps favorites: TMB, Via Alpina, Saas Fee“; or full portfolio “2022 Alps: all TMB, Via Alpina, Saas Fee“
Above: Alphubel peak rises above Saas-Fee village.
Above: Our room’s deck in the luxurious Hotel Allalin afforded a great view of Alphubel peak, seen here at sunrise in Saas-Fee.
Above: The Allalinhorn during sunrise.
The scenic Gspon Hohenweg day hike was tougher than an internet article said (adding 800 feet of gain), forcing us to speed walk to finish before the last lift down. Gspon Hohenweg was actually 9 miles with 2650 feet cumulative ascent, 1063 ft descent (measured on Gaia GPS and Suunto altimeter). A sunny weather forecast had tempted us to walk too soon, with bodies still exhausted from the strenuous TMB finished just two days previously. TIPS: Start with the earliest bus from Saas-Fee to Stalden-Saas bus stop. Buy a one-way ticket to the top of the Stalden- Gspon Luftseilbahn (Cable Car). At the end of the hike, take Kreuzboden gondola down to Saas Grund, where a bus ascends to Saas-Fee. (Be sure to examine hiking descriptions closely, as some only report net altitude gain, instead of cumulative vertical ascent, which more accurately represents the actual work required, as I always report here on PhotoSeek.com.)
Below: the Hohenweg starts in the charming village of Gspon:
Above: A butterfly and bumblebee share a magenta pink Knapweed (Centaurea genus) flower.
Above: along the Gspon Hohenweg, admire peaks rising above Saas-Fee village: from left to right are the Allalinhorn, Alphubel, and Dom (4,545 m or 14,911 ft), the main summit of the Mischabel group (German: Mischabelhörner), which is the highest massif lying entirely within Switzerland. Behind Dom lies busier Zermatt, hidden to the west.
Above: In Saas-Fee, we enjoyed sightseeing on the Spielboden-Längfluh lift.
Below: A short stroll from the lift reaches this turquoise pond; on the right is Dom, the seventh highest summit in the Alps.
Below: Roped climbers descend a glacier above Längfluh.
Above: one of the many historic rodent-proof granaries preserved in Saas-Fee village.
Above: For a rewarding outing directly above Saas-Fee, we rode the Hannig gondola round trip for a hike to the peak of Mallig (2.6 miles round trip with 1050 feet gain).
Above: a carved wooden face in Saas-Fee.
In four days based in Saas-Fee, we walked 16 miles, accumulating 3800 feet of vertical ascent and 2200 feet descent.
The above photo highlights are excerpted from my trip gallery “SWITZERLAND: Saas Fee“.
We were ecstatic to return to Europe since our last visit five years ago (in 2017 to the UK). We previously visited the Alps in 2016, 2013, 2011, 2005, & 1981.
To plan a trip, see Tom’s online guide to the Alps.
Recommended Alps travel guidebooks from Amazon.com:
Search for latest “Alps travel books” on Amazon.com (look for updates every 1 to 3 years). Bring a good country guide plus a detailed hiking guidebook:
Alps hiking books by Cicerone Guides
- Lonely Planet Switzerland
- Rick Steves’ Switzerland
- Switzerland (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
- Best Hiking in Switzerland in the Valais, Bernese Alps, the Engadine and Davos: Over 100 Hikes in the Spectacular Swiss Alps Paperback – 2021
- The Tour of Mont Blanc: Complete two-way trekking guide by Kev Reynolds (2020, Cicerone Trekking Guides)
- Trekking the Swiss Via Alpina: 19 stages East to West across Switzerland, plus parts of the Alpine Pass Route, Paperback – January 31, 2024
- Walker’s Haute Route: Chamonix to Zermatt guidebook with Real SwissTopo/IGN Maps 1:25,000/1:50,000 – no need to carry separate maps (The Great Treks of the Alps) Paperback – 2019: The only guidebook for the Walker’s Haute Route with Real Maps: 1:25,000/1:50,000 included for each stage for easy navigation and money savings (no need to buy additional maps).
- 100 Hut Walks in the Alps: Routes for day and multi-day walks (Cicerone Guides) Paperback – 2014
- Explore Europe on Foot: Your Complete Guide to Planning a Cultural Hiking Adventure by Cassandra Overby – Paperback – 2018: highly recommended by Tom for both inspiration and practical details for planning your next walking adventure.