Panoramic hike across alpine pastures and through fragrant forests up to the idyllic Lac de Tseuzier. Gentle climb, ideal for families, partly along the Bisse de Sion irrigation channel.

Statistics

5 - 6

hrs

823

m

823

m

18

max°

Difficulty

FATMAP difficulty grade

Difficult

Description

The incline of this walk is gentle, but the views evolve along the way in epic style. At first, as the trail leads behind and above the resort of Anzère, hikers enjoy sweeping panoramic views along the Rhône valley and to the snow-capped peaks on the far side.

As it leads higher into the valley of La Liène, the path looks out over an increasingly wild, forested and rocky landscape.

Finally, the trail emerges at the crest of the Tseuzier dam to reveal a peaceful lake in a magnificent mountain bowl. The route generally follows the Bisse de Sion, an irrigation channel built from 1901 to 1903 to carry water from a point above the lake as far as the slopes overlooking Sion.

Some sections of the bisse now flow through underground pipes; along these stretches, the trail follows a similar route above ground. The trail ends at the Lac de Tseuzier, an artificial reservoir created by the Tseuzier (or Rawil) dam, built from 1953 to 1957.

This captures the waters of the river La Lienne, which originate on the steep mountainsides beyond. In Roman times and during the Middle Ages, this valley lay on the route of a busy alpine crossing: over the Rawyl Pass (2,425 m) into the Bernese Oberland.

There is no road over the pass today, but the trail is popular with hikers. Near the top of the dam, the Restaurant du barrage de Zeuzier (1,777 m) has a large sunny terrace, and makes a relaxing stop for refreshments. This walk can easily be combined with the "Tour du Lac de Tseuzier". NB Expect to see different names and spellings for the lake (Tseuzier/Zeuzier), dam (Rawil/Rawyl) and river (Liène/Lienne). *¶ Highlights ¶ * Panoramic trail with sweeping views, gentle incline * Bisse de Sion - historical irrigation channel * Lac de Tseuzier - idyllic alpine lake, restaurant with sunny terrace equipment #We recommend # * * good footwear * clothing suitable for the weather: always carry a waterproof jacket * hat or cap * sunscreen * bottle for water * picnic * camera * binoculars (optional) * hiking poles (optional) * printout of this hike (click "Print" icon, to download) # For certain walks # * Swimwear