Zermatt: The 5 Lakes Trail

On the second day of our Zermatt adventure, we woke up to absolutely gorgeous bluebird skies and decided to spend our day embarking on a series of hikes in the area.

First, we did a little "off trail" hiking at the suggestion of my trusty guide book, which recommended a short walk behind the Fluhalp, through a few meadows and up onto a rock wall of rock debris left behind from the glacier (called a "moraine"), from which you can see the retreating Findel glacier below. This hike was really quiet and serene as we were able to do it early in the morning when the sun was rising and with almost no other hikers around us.

Standing on the moraine wall that the glacier left behind 

Overlooking the Findel glacier - the magnitude is difficult to understand in pictures - for perspective, the glacier was about 1 mile in width

Walking through the meadows behind the Fluhalp

Behind the Fluhalp

Once we returned to the Fluhalp we decided to take the "5 lakes trail" down to the Sunnegga metro. This downhill trail takes around 3-4 hours depending on how long you want to linger and is popular with tourists, so it can get a bit crowded but it is a beautiful and easy hike. It brings you past 5 alpine lakes in descent back towards the Sunnegga metro. The lakes were each very unique, having a different landscape, color, and characteristic due to their locations at varying altitudes.

By far our favorite lake, the reflections of the Matterhorn were surreal!

We ended the day back at the Sunnega metro and rewarded ourselves with a cold soda on the terrace while taking in one last view of the Matternhorn and then headed back down into the world below. Ah, Zermatt -- you are forever my "happy place"!