Walking

Despite the huge range of summer activities on offer in the Alps, most visitors come for the walking. But you don't have to be a budding Chris Bonington to enjoy the scenery, as many of the chairlifts, cable cars and gondolas that bring skiers up the slopes in winter also run in summer. There's a well-maintained network of over 800km of hiking paths, along with mountain huts and cafes at the top, so there's plenty of easy rambling to be found. A range of good day walks are also possible, with the option to take a mountain guide should you choose.

With postcard-perfect scenery, charmingly rustic alpine chalets and mouth-watering local cuisine, the Alps offers an exceptional summer holiday option. On the Dents-du-Midi and the Dents-Blanches hiking tours, nature-lovers will truly have the chance to delve into the region’s magnificent flora and fauna - as they stroll through meadows carpeted with flowers, while listening to the lulling sound of cowbells ringing in the distance.

Because Les Crosets is located in the Portes du Soleil region, it offers the possibility of walking between Switzerland and France, retracing some of the escape routes used during World War II. The Portes du Soleil walking tour has plenty of criss-crossing shortcuts to allow you to come back to the starting point, and the whole tour consists of 33 hours for the French part and 15 hours for the Swiss part. This spectacular landscapes of craggy alpine peaks and pristine mountain lakes, coupled with local festivals and the multitude of unique activities on offer, promises to make this one of your most memorable holidays.

Suggested Walks

1. Walk to Champéry to visit this 100 year old village with its picture-postcard high street, then return via cable car and walk back down to Les Crosets - to relax on the terrace with a well earned drink and watch the sun setting over the Dents du Midi.
2. 

   Visit the Defago Gallery in Champéry, which created by M. Emmanuel Défago in 1862 by carving out a natural fissure in the sheer rock wall, leaving a spectacular promenade 600m long. From the gallery you will have a breathtaking, panoramic view over Champéry and a good part of the Val-d’Illiez. In the late morning, when the sun is fully up over the Dents-du-Midi, this may well be the most perfect view of a picture-perfect village. Many have been charmed by this magical place, hewn into the unforgiving granite of the Alps.

   At the turn of the 20th century, Arthur of Clarapède wrote, “When examining the large rock wall facing Champéry, on the other side of the Vièze River, one is struck by the word gallery, written in capital letters on the rock like a shop sign. This inscription on the side of a mountain, indicates one of the prettiest and most interesting walks around Champéry.”

3. 

   Hike to the small hamlet of Barme at the far end of the Val d’Illiez, which used to be a smugglers’ stronghold and is situated on the border with France. A themed trail takes you back to the days when merchandise was smuggled between France and Switzerland over perilous mountain paths. The milk from the native Hérens cows is made into cheese in the Alpine dairies and these specialities can be tasted at two guesthouses at Barme which are open from the end of May to the beginning of October. Barme can also be reached by bike or alternatively by car in around 45 minutes.

Between the months of August and October this area is also a paradise for ornithologists, as it forms a stopping point for millions of migratory birds and thousands of birds of prey, on their yearly route to the south. An important bird banding station is situated nearby on the Col de Bretolet pass.

Hikes through this landscape, with its abundant flora and fauna, are a special experience. There are a large number of challenging climbs and a mountain-bike trail that leads through the Val d’Illiez to Barme and back – as well as various themed trails which offer in-depth information about the region’s geology, fauna, flora and topography.