Grimentz, Zinal and Chandolin: gems of the Val d'Anniviers

Le Val d'Anniviers the heart of Valais, in Switzerland, offers all the right reasons to explore the mountains in any season. Fantastic landscapes, traditional wooden chalet homes, preserved traditions, and a beautiful alchemy between a thriving agricultural world and the modernity brought by the ski industry. Let's discover four gems of the Val d'Anniviers, for an outing in the heart of Alpine tradition.

In this article, we will explore:

• Chandolin
• Grimentz
• Zinal
• Dishes from the Lée

Chandolin, and its infinite landscape

On a sunny balcony overlooking both the Rhône Valley and the Val d'Anniviers, Chandolin, our first gem, will charm you with its silence, its fresh air, its sunshine and its landscapes. This village is one of the highest villages inhabited year-round in Europe.

The arrival at the village of Chandolin deserved! This little village perched almost 2000 meters above sea level is via a long, winding road on the slopes of a mountain whose slope is quite dizzying at times. The station, which is more modern, is reached via the main road. It's a good idea to leave your car there, and if you're coming by public transport, this is also the right stop to get off at.

We then take the path that leads towards the old village, slightly below. The landscape gains depth. We almost feel sucked towards the bottom of the valley while admiring these chalets with almost suspended terraces, so quickly does the slope descend towards the Navizence valley which carves out the whole Val d'Anniviers the chalets, mostly made of wood, are arranged lengthwise along a path whose landmark seems to be the Sainte Barbe church. This church, with its slender bell tower, offers the ideal subject for photos that combine heritage and Alpine landscapes. In a bend that goes down towards the old village, we will take a small path that leads to a magnificent belvedere. Calvary, is located at the end of the Bâ de la Saint Jean path. Crosses mark this short walk and benches await walkers for an inspiring break in front of a vast and grandiose landscape. You can choose to stop, on a first bench, in front of the gap in the Val d'Anniviers, with a view of the peaks which culminate at almost 4000 meters above sea level from the bottom of the valley. These peaks form the " Imperial Crown " You can also choose to sit on a bench to admire, towards the west, the course of the sun, above the Vercorin ski resort, whose slopes run through the mountain and the forests opposite Chandolin.

Finally, we can stop on the bench which dominates the central valley of the Valais, that of the Rhône. The view is then clear over Sierre and the Crans Montana plateau. The Alpine ridge between Valais and the Bernese Oberland then appears to the north.

A small panoramic path links various crosses along the edge of the Val d'Anniviers, on this small piece of terrace which dominates the bottom of the valley by more than 1000 meters.

In the old village there are still some old raccards and mayens, but we can see more numerous and older ones in the next stages of the discovery of the Val d'Anniviers. Back in the old village why not visit the cellar of the Glacier wine at the House of the Bourgeoisie of Chandolin?

Around Chandolin, many trails allow you to easily gain height and enjoy increasingly vast panoramas as you climb, notably on the path of the five 4000 up to the Weisshorn hotel for example. This trail continues to Zinal along the mountain at an altitude of around 2300-2500 meters.

Let's now go deeper into the Val d'Anniviers to visit our second gem, Grimentz.

Grimentz, and its village of wooden chalets

When we see Grimentz From a distance, one is surprised by the spread of chalets on the mountain slope. There are some everywhere. Old ones, new ones... but also more modern constructions intended to accommodate all the tourists and skiers who stay there. Grimentz to practice their favorite sports on the side of the Grimentz-Zinal resort. We expect a traditional village and we see an overabundance of second homes. But we must not stop at the first impression; we must enter the old village of Grimentz to grasp its heritage significance.

Between there and the top of the village there is a steep drop, but it is in the heart of the resort, at an altitude of 1572 m, that we will discover this gem of Val d'Anniviers.

In two or three alleys you go back in time: chalets on several floors, raccards, mayens, a church, wells, mills who use the force of the torrent to grind or saw... Everything is perfectly preserved.

The wooden chalets, some dating back to the 1550th century, are adorned with balconies overflowing with red geraniums in summer. The narrow streets lead to the Maison Bourgeoise (XNUMX Maison Bourgeoise), where the famous Glacier wine is aged in larch barrels, a unique local tradition. You'll also discover the raccards on stilts, once used to store harvests away from rodents, and Grandma's House, which offers a glimpse into life in the past.

What is the difference between a chalet, a mayen and a raccard?

This living picture of the Valais mountains offers an opportunity to better understand the essence of Valaisan housing. In Valais, three types of traditional buildings tell the story of mountain life in the past. chalet, it is the image of Epinal of the Alps: a wooden house (often with a stone base), inhabited all year round, warm and comfortable. mayen, is a seasonal dwelling that was used in spring and autumn, when the herds were coming up and going down: simpler, more modest, it is a stopover between the valley and the mountain pastures. As for the raccard, it was only used to store grain or hay away from rodents: built on stilts with stone discs to prevent mice from climbing, it is recognizable among all and a delight for photographers.

The wood of the buildings has browned under the effect of the sun and the cold stands out against the snow in winter, but also against the green background of the pastures surrounding the village. Both disoriented and amazed by this immersion in a time gone by, we continue the ascent of the Val d'Anniviers, towards the third nugget: Zinal.

Zinal and its old village of wooden chalets.

Zinal, at an altitude of 1700 meters, in the upper Navizence valley is renowned for its activities around skiing but also mountaineering. Indeed, this gem of Val d'Anniviers is surrounded by the majestic "Imperial Crown", a circle of peaks culminating at over 4000 meters, such as the Weisshorn (4506 m), the Zinalrothorn (4221 m), the Obergabelhorn (4063 m), the Dent Blanche (4357 m), the Bishorn (4153 m) and the Matterhorn (4478 m). Even if most of these peaks are better visible from Chandolin than from Zinal, as you gain altitude along the hiking trails they appear one after the other. Thus, this grandiose setting is the ideal playground for nature and mountain lovers, summer and winter. If the village, once a simple mayen used during transhumance, has managed to preserve its authenticity with its larch chalets browned by time, its raccards on stilts and its peaceful alleys, today, Zinal is renowned for its outdoor activities. In summer, over 300 km of marked trails invite you to go hiking, while in winter, the Grimentz-Zinal ski area offers 120 km of varied slopes.

You understood, the village of Zinal, as Chandolin et Grimentz, brings together in a single site all the beauties of the Val d'Anniviers: the alpine landscape, the alpine architecture and the alpine playground. But I have a preference for Zinal, because this village is located at the bottom of the valley and not perched on a slope. The advantage. The walks there are more pleasant and easier. Moreover, this is where the walk to the fourth gem of the Val d'Anniviers begins.

But before that, let's return to the old village. The Zinal resort has not developed excessively and it allows the old village to be clearly visible in the heart of it, or even a little apart, which guarantees it preserves its peaceful and somewhat timeless atmosphere. Here too, Zinal, the chalets have browned in the sun. The old village presents its alignment of chalets, old mayens, and raccards, topped by imposing mountains. We pass in front of chalets with colorful shutters, farms, and houses that have kept in their gardens these old raccards whose weight seems miraculously to rest on four precariously balanced stilts. And yet, they have stood for centuries.

At the end of the path, at the edge of the old village, nature takes over. A wide, gently sloping valley through which the torrent flows seems to disappear at the foot of imposing mountains, including the very sharp Pointe de Besso. This is our fourth gem: the Plats de la Lée.

The Dishes of the Lée, the end of the world of Val d'Anniviers

A beautiful loop to do starting from the old village of Zinal through the pastures of Dishes from the LéeThis is the path used by mountaineers who set out to tackle the "4000" of the Imperial Crown, but by staying in the valley, you can appreciate the silence and calm of the high valleys.

We will not fail to go and admire the transparency of the water in the fishing area around the Tzoucdana relay.

On the other side of the valley, you can be guided to discover the old copper mines that once made the valley rich.

The Glacier of Zinal arrived a long time ago just above the overhanging plateau the Dishes of the LéeA trail on the right bank of the torrent provides access to the ancient moraine. But the glacier is now much further away. The hike is nevertheless pleasant in this preserved environment surrounded by peaks that exceed 4000 meters in altitude.

In winter this site is popular with cross-country skiers, who can glide through the silence of winter, in a sunny and bright valley.

While we've chosen these four gems, that doesn't mean there's nothing else to see in the Val d'Anniviers. On the contrary!

Saint Luc, just below Chandolin, for example, has such clear skies that an observatory has been installed there. In Vissoie, you can visit the Medieval Tower. In Niouc, you'll find the highest suspension bridge in Europe, 190 meters above the valley floor.

Finally, the Moiry lake and dam are a magnificent excursion destination from Grimentz, especially in autumn when the vibrant red colors of the vegetation contrast with the blue of the water and the white of the first snow on the peaks. It can be circumnavigated in a mid-slope loop of about 14 km, or a shorter one along the lakeside.

When leaving the valley, we do not forget that beyond the famous sporting competitions like the Sierre-Zinal or the Besso Trail, it is for the agricultural traditions still very much alive that one must come to Val d'Anniviers. The village festival in Anniviers for the désalpe, the moment when the cows, mostly of the Hérens breed, with their black coats, return from the summer pastures is an extremely important moment of reunion for the villagers. Just like the fight of the heifers in October.

Le Val d'Anniviers is a true summary of all the best that the Valais mountains can offer you.

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