Walking to Saas Fee - The Simplon Pass

Ken Baldry's walks around Saas Fee

Second walk-in, from Brig. 3 days - Day One, the Simplon Pass

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Balfrin Hoheweg walk-in

Walking in from Brig
day 2 to Gspon

Ken & Avis'
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Day 1: This page:- Up the Simplon mule track (away from the modern road)
Day 2: The passes (either Usseri Nanzlichi or Bistinen) & the Gebidem Pass to Gspon
Day 3: The Gspon Hoheweg to Saas Grund

Brig is reached by rail either up the Rhone Valley from Geneva (airport or from Paris by TGV to Lausanne) or by the new Lötschberg Basis Tunnel from Bern or Basel (or Paris Gare de l'Est). It is the seat of a bishopric & has plenty of hotels.

Now, for Day 1:-

Simplon Pass above Brig

Assembling the market in Brig

The Altesimplonstrasse

Take the Altesimplonstrasse out of the top left corner of the square. Watch for the footpath signs to the pass but after crossing a meadow, bear right because you need to get under the motorway to go up the ramp to Lingwurm. The path now starts to be labelled "Stockalperweg", Kaspar Stockalper (1619 - 1691) having improved the pack-horse track from 1634, as he had a trading concession over the pass & also built the huge palace in Brig. (Naploeon also improved the road, largely making a new one, which is more significant on going down the other side on this link). With one exception, the Stockalperweg is followed to the top of the pass.

Out of Lingwurm village, I had the misfortune that a farmer was spraying right across the path but by taking the road right, I picked it up further on. The path is well cared for, as where a part has been swept off the hill by rockfall, there are wooden bridges to replace it. The older maps show the path joining the road but this has all changed. Where it meets the road, it soon dives off to the right & one loses a precious 100m, dropping into the Gantertal. However, the path marked "Simplon Pass" goes left while the Stockalperweg carries on down. Go left & one arrives at a bridge over the Gantertal stream & then, there is some decayed metalled road, gradually deteriorating through the Taverwald, which is a very long slog in the woods, the Stockalperweg joining it again eventually.

Brig, back from Lingwurm

Repaired mule track

The jeep track stops at a flood control point but the path goes off left just before that & becomes more attractive, as it is closer to the stream, crossing it several times on wooden bridges, as the “normal” route on the East side has obviously fallen off in places. However, there is no view until the valley widens out a bit & goes to a place called Taverna, which it is not, alas.

After the Gantertal, through the Taverwald

Taverna with the Hubschhorn

Simplon Hospice with me (left)

The Hubschhorn (pretty mountain) is not but dominates this path. Then, pleasant zig-zags take one up to the top of the pass. There is a huge Hospice just over the top of the pass. I went there, too & took a room, which was conveniently close to the loos & showers! I was impressed by the room. There was double glazing on outer & inner windows either side of the thick walls & an interesting simple leather arm chair of one slab of leather. This place is run by monks but there are nuns as well, all in simple short tunics & jeans with small wooden crosses. Above all, It is cheap: Sfr55 including dinner in 2008, which was vegetarian, as it happened but this is not the rule, as two years later, we had meat. The food is ample, that is, it keeps coming until people stop eating. It is served at long, wooden tables where I chatted to a German couple. This is a delightful place. When I stayed with my wife in 2014, the conversation was in English, German& French. About 26,000 paces, it took slow old me (65) about 7 hours in 2005.

You can carry on down the Simplon Pass to Gondo on the Stockalperweg on this link.