Evolène - Arolla (day 1)
I did this hike on the 3rd of July, 2026 and it was the first of two days hiking in Wallis around Arolla. Initially, I had planned to do two stages of the Alpine Passes Trail, but due to storm damage of parts of the trail, and the road for the transport home, I had to slightly alter my plans. I therefore ended up doing the hike below on day 1 and a loop from Arolla on day 2.
Full route: Swisstopo
It had been some very warm weeks in Zurich, so I was happy when I got out of the bus in Evolène and started the hike in relatively cold conditions. After walking out of town, I crossed the river and could already see some of the higher mountains in the distance. On the other side of the river, I started the ascent which quickly took me up above the valley from where I had views down to Evolène below.
For the first kilometers, the trail went through forest with shorter parts out in the open. It was a nice calm and colder start to the hike, and I did not meet anyone else on this part. Every time I made it through a part of the forest, I had better and better views of the surrounding mountains and just above the tree line, I could for the first time see far into Val d’Arolla on the right side of Dent du Perroc.
Above the tree line, the landscape and views changed. The hiking path was generally narrow, but only in a few places with steep sides and therefore not too difficult. It was getting warmer, but luckily there were quite some wind which made it nice, despite the sometimes steep sections.
Just after reaching the top point of the hike, I had a lunch break. From here, I could enjoy the views back in direction Evolène where I had started the hike a few hours earlier. After my break, I started the first descent of the day on my way to Le Lac Bleu. I quickly made it down into more vegetated areas again and just before reaching Le Lac Bleau, I came past a really nice little pond with the most incredible green color, almost like in a fairy tale.
I reached Le Lac Bleu in the early afternoon and it was just as beautiful as on the pictures I had seen. There were quite a lot of people around the lake, but I managed to find a secluded place in the shade, where I could enjoy the lake in peace. I would love to come back in autumn and see how the area and lake looks with all the golden trees around.
After a break, I left the lake and the crowds and began the descent into the valley. Normally, the trail leads higher up above the valley towards Arolla, but this part had been damage in the storm the weekend before and was therefore closed. Down in the valley, I followed the river for a few kilometers before the trail led me back up through the forest above the valley.
As with the first part of the hike, the trail also here constantly changed between going through more densely vegetated areas and more open spaces. I had amazing views to the mountain massif on the opposite side with the Dent du Perroc peak and its very small remaining glacier and clear moraine in front. On this hike, I really enjoyed all the changing views from above and below.
The last part through the forest was a relaxing ending to a great hike and just before reaching Arolla, I could for the first time clearly see the Mont Collon peak and the Mont Collon glacier coming down to the right. I reached Arolla in the late afternoon and checked in at Hotel du Pigne where I had a nice calm evening and night before my second day of hiking.
