From Croix de Culet over the Col de Cou pass to Champéry
Champéry
2/14°
Panoramic hike to a dramatic border pass at the top of the Val d’Illiez. Scenic cable car ride, working alpine farms, idyllic Barme plateau, charming mountain restaurants.
Difficulty
IntermediateLength
17.56 kmDuration
5:38 h
Description
The top of the Val d’Illiez forms the border with France. The lowest crossing point is the Col de Cou (1,921 m), popular up to the 1950s as a smuggling route for sugar, butter, tobacco and watches. During the Second World War, locals helped smuggle refugees across the border, along with Resistance fighters and weapons.
The views along the hike to this col are as dramatic as the region’s history. A scenic ride by cable car from Champéry leads to the summit station of Croix de Culet, starting point for the hike. The panoramic restaurant terrace offers jaw-dropping views of the Dents du Midi – a feature of the entire trail.
The path traces a broad sweep across the mountainside, linking a sequence of alpine pastures. At Le Lapisa, walkers can taste cheese made daily over an open wood fire with milk from the cows and goats that graze on the flower-filled meadows all around. In autumn, the farmers make their own sausages; all the produce is available for sale at the friendly restaurant.
Eventually the path climbs steeply to the windswept Col de Cou. The views of the mountains both sides of the border are magnificent, but the skies offer a thrilling spectacle, too: the aerial ballet of migrating birds. The Swiss Ornithological Institute runs a research station at the neighbouring col, just 1 km to the south, where every year volunteers ring 10,000 to 20,000 birds of more than 100 different species.
From the Col de Cou, the route turns east, following the high ridge of the Arête de Berroi – one of the most exhilarating trails in the whole region. The path then drops down to the idyllic plateau of Barme – home to a sleepy hamlet, once a smugglers’ stronghold – before following the valley to Grand Paradis and eventually Champéry.
Highlights
- Varied walk starting with panoramic cable car ride, magnificent views
- Excellent bird-spotting on one of main migration routes across the Alps
- Working alpine cheese farms, welcoming restaurants, delightful Barme plateau
Turn-by-turn directions
From the cable car summit station at Croix de Culet, the trail leads gently downhill across alpine pastures before a steep final climb up to the Col de Cou.
From the pass, hikers retrace their steps for about 150 m before striking eastwards along the Berroi ridge. At the far end of the ridge, the path passes within a few metres of the road that leads from Champéry to the hamlet of Barme. In high season, a shuttle bus runs along this lane, offering the chance to cut the hike short. Our route meets this lane at several places on the way back to Champéry, and at any of them hikers can hop on the bus for a ride back to resort.
The full route, however, continues from the Berroi ridge down to the hamlet of Barme, home to a pair of charming traditional mountain restaurants. The trail then continues down the Barme valley to Grand Paradis. Here walkers can either follow the minor road direct to Champéry station, or follow one of the other lanes through this delightful historical resort.
Start
Croix de Culet (cable car summit station) (1933m)
Destination
Champéry village (1033m)
Author's recommendation
Rides on the Croix de Culet cable car are free for holders of a “Multi Pass”. This also covers indoor climbing, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and tennis in Champéry plus dozens of discounts throughout the Portes du Soleil.
Technical information
Altitude
1934m
1034m
Ascent
+388m
Descent
-1288m
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Best time of the year
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Tags
Public transport
Approach
Parking
Source
This activity is brought to you by Valais/Wallis Promotion
