(*) Low physical effort

1: * Trail 15 “of the Queen” – from Saint-Jean to Savoia Castle (1 hour, 63m elevation gain)

The Savoia Castle

From Saint-Jean: If you are looking for a trail that is easily passable by really young children, the choice can only fall on trail 15 “of the Queen,” which from Saint-Jean leads up to the Savoia Castle. Wide, safe, with very low slope variation, it passes near Lake Gover, in the middle of a beautiful forest, next to a wonderful waterfall, and ends at the fairy tale castle: what more is needed?

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2: * Trail 5B – from La-Trinité/Punta Jolanda to Lake Gabiet (50 min, 146m elevation gain)

Lake Gabiet

From La-Trinité /Punta Jolanda: once you take the chairlift up to Punta Jolanda, trail 5B allows you to get up to Lake Gabiet, an artificial lake barred by the remarkable Gabiet dam. It is a short trail, with very little elevation gain, leading to a place full of shelters where you will be able to refresh yourself (from the lowest: theAdler’s Nest, theHotel Del Ponte, the Gabiet refuge and the Gabiet See Refreshment Bar-all reachable in a short time), and where you will find the wide grassy shores of the lake, ideal for a picnic.

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3: * Trail 14 – Saint-Jean to La-Trinité (2 hr 30 min, elevation gain 291m)

The Lys along the trail to Stafal

From Saint-Jean or La-Trinité: Trail 14 , which connects Saint-Jean with La Trinitè is an excellent candidate if you have young children. It is not as wide as 15, but it is risk-free, never steep, passes very often next to Lys, the landscape it crosses varies constantly, and it is highly likely to cross grazing herds. The elevation gain is not small, but it is spread out over a very long route that obviously does not have to be covered in its entirety: at any time you can break off the path, return to the state road (always very close) and, if you wish, go as far as the next bus stop.

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(**) Medium physical effort (elevation gain <400m )

4: ** Trail 6B – from Stafal/Gabiet to Orestes Hutte (1 hour, elevation gain 259m)

The Orestes Hütte

From Stafal/Gabiet: starting from Lake Gabiet, trail 6B, passes by the Orestes H utte (refuge with exclusively vegan cuisine, overnight stay is possible), where you can stop if you do not want to continue to the not far Salza pass (2882m), the trail’s final destination (you still climb an additional 257 meters). From the Orestes Hutte it is possible to travel to Blue Lake (and of course vice versa) with very little additional effort.

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5: ** Trail 8 – from Stafal to St. Anna (1 hour, elevation gain 339m)

The plateau of St. Anna

From Stafal: you can avoid going up by cable car to the plateau of St. Anna (where there are two mountain huts, Restaurant Jutz and Ristoro Sitten – in the latter you can stay overnight), and you can follow the wide and easy trail 8. At St. Anna there is a wonderful view of the Monte Rosa and the headwaters of Lys (reachable from Stafal, if desired, via trail 7, of medium difficulty).

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6: ** Trail 6 – From Saint-Jean to Alpenzu Grande (45 min, elevation gain 355m)

The chapel of Santa Margherita in Alpenzu Grande

From Saint-Jean: The destination of this trail 6 (actually one of the most challenging, as it reaches 3315m at Testa Grigia) is the beautiful village of Alpenzu Grande (in titsch Gròsso Albezò), 1779m, one of the very first Walser settlements in the valley, unharmed by the advance of time. Positioned on a natural balcony from which there is a thrilling view of Saint Jean, the village is partially inhabited only in good weather. Right in the middle of it is the Alpenzu Grande Shelter, open from June to the end of August (it is possible to spend the night there).

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7: ** Trail 6B and 7B – from Stafal/Gabiet to Blue Lake (1 hour, elevation gain 346m)

Blue Lake taken from above

From Stafal/Gabiet: The route starts from the Gabiet Lake area (accessible by gondola from Stafal) and arrives at the beautiful Blue Lake. From the refuge Adler’s Nest take trail 6B that leads up to Salza pass, and turn onto trail 7B as soon as you find the signs. The trail would continue to Punta Telcio, but the arrival to the summit presents some technical difficulties, so as soon as you reach Blue Lake you can stop.

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8: ** Trail 3A – from Saint JeanWeismatten to Punta della Regina (1 hr 15 min, elevation gain 397m)

Punta Regina

From Saint JeanWeismatten: much traveled by families is trail 3A that in Saint JeanWeismatten leads to Punta della Regina. One must arrive at Weismatten with the chairlift of the same name, and next to the Carlo Mollino/Casa Capriata hut (it is possible to spend the night there) you take trail 3A that leads first to a grassy basin with a small lake (the Gombetta lake where, if you wish, you can stop without continuing further) and then, with a short climb, to Punta della Regina, a very scenic peak but at the same time devoid of the slightest risk.

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(***) High physical effort (elevation between 400 and 800m)

9: *** Trail 8A – from Stafal/Sant’Anna to Salero Lakes (1 hr 15 min, elevation gain 413m)

The two lakes of Salero

From Stafal/Sant’Anna: Once you get to Sant’Anna by ascending there from Stafal by cable car, or via Trail 8, you can take Trail 8A and go up to the Salero Lakes. The trail is rather short, steep in the initial part only, allows along the way even better views of Monte Rosa than from St. Anna, and allows you to get to these two tiny but beautiful mountain lakes. It is a very busy trail, so if possible it is advisable to hike it in the early morning hours.

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10: *** Trail 2 – Saint-Jean to Weismatten (1 hr 40 min, elevation gain 590m)

The Carlo Mollino/House Capriata Refuge

From Saint-Jean: Trail 2 starts at the end of the road past Savoia Castle. Once past the initial section in the forest, the rest of the route is almost entirely on the track of a ski slope, wide and unpaved. You arrive at the Carlo Mollino/Casa Capriata refuge, an excellent refreshment point on the banks of an artificial lake (it is possible to spend the night there). Various trails start from here if one wanted to go further, such as the just-mentioned 3A trail to Punta della Regina.

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11: *** Trail 11B – From Saint-Jean to Princes Valley (2 hr 10 min, elevation gain 703m)

The stream that runs through the Valley of the Princes

From Saint-Jean: The ascent to the Valley of the Princes along Trail 11B is a moderately challenging, but very satisfying hike The Valley of the Princes is a wide, picturesque plateau cut by the wide loops of a stream that forms here and there placid pools within which to dip your tried ends (or a little more, if you are daring). The trail is steep for the first two-thirds, then flattens out just past the valley step, and the journey to the finish is in a constantly changing environment of peat bogs, gentle knolls and alpine pastures of various ages.

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12: *** Trail 3 – from Saint-Jean to Ranzola pass (2 hr 10 min, elevation gain 723m)

The Ranzola pass and the chapel

From Saint-Jean: The climb via trail 3 to Ranzola pass starts at the end of the road of the Savoia Castle and climbs up the shady forest on a wide, well-trodden track until you emerge from the trees and pass the Upper Ranzola huts, which just precede the arrival at Ranzola pass. From the pass, if you feel like taking a few more steps, you can climb up to Punta della Regina following the short (but steep) trail 7A.

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