5-Lake trail at Zermatt, Switzerland - by Lily

The day we traveled from Lucerne to Zermatt was a cloudy day with rain in the forecast for Lucerne and cloudy with potential rain/snow for Zermatt. So we decided not to rush too early in the morning. We took the 8am train from Lucerne heading to Bern, Visp, then finally Zermatt after a 3.5hr journey. When we arrived at Zermatt, we were surprised and encouraged by the blue sky and lovely sunshine. After quickly dropping our luggage at the hotel, which happens to be right by the train station, we grabbed some pastry from town and headed to the funicular to go up the mountain. As recommended by others, we took the funicular to Sunnegga then rode the gondola to Blauherd. By the time we reached Blauherd, the blue sky at Sunnegga had changed to cloudy with a flurry of snow. We decided to try our luck and follow our plan to take the 5-lake trail, starting from Stellisee, the lake with highest elevation among the five lakes.

Our 5 lake trail - the blue patches along the trail are the lakes - the trail map was rotated
- up is west, the direction of Matterhorn

The first lake is Stellisee (2537 m elevation). It was supposed to be the best place on this trail to see the reflection of Matterhorn. But Matterhorn was nowhere to be seen with all the clouds. We circled the lake and spotted a grey heron by the rock at the far end of the lake. Seeing it standing in front of the glaciers was quite a unique sight. We waited a while hoping the clouds would lift a bit but no luck. So, we headed to the next lake, Grindjisee, which has elevation 2324 m, a 213 m vertical drop in elevation to get there, a couple of sections of the trail are very steep. The general direction is going west - where Matterhorn would tower the valley if it were not blocked by clouds. Lush green trees surrounding the lake created a contrast against the grey glacier mountains in the background. By the time we reached Grünsee (2300m elevation), the blue sky appeared, the rocks around the lake lit up by the brighter daylight. We took a break there, drank water and had some snack. 

on the way to Stellisee, the cloud in front us broke up a bit revealing a mountain peak, which we mistaken as Matterhorn 

Lake 1 - Stellisee - This is supposed the best viewpoint to see the reflection of Matterhorn, which was behind the block of cloud in center right of the photo

A heron standing on a rock in Stellisee

Steep descend to the valley

Looking backward from Ganjisee - a waterfall, and surrounding glaciers

Matterhorn was right in front of us (center left) - partially blocked by clouds

Lake 2 - Granjisee

Lake 3 - Grunsee

Continuing on, we reached my favorite lake, Moosjisee (2139 m elevation). I was instantly drawn by the color of the lake, emerald green. Decorated by the pink, yellow and white flowers surrounding it, the lush green meadow, glacier mountains, white clouds, and blue sky, it was a heavenly place. We sat on the rock, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine and taking in all the colors.

 

Looking back on the trail, the cloud broke up - more peaks appeared

Lake 4 - Moosijisee

As more clouds moved away, Matterhorn was partially revealed

A short but steep hike (~ 100m elevation gain), we reached the last lake Leisee (2232m elevation). We enjoyed a fun activity, floss float, there. We stood on a wooden raft and pulled a rope to get across the lake. Standing in the middle of the lake we took in a 360 view of the lake and the surrounding mountains. As more cloud moved away, Matterhorn appeared only with cloud near its peak. It was a surreal feeling.

Lake 5 - Leisee

Leisee - viewed from a different angle

floss foat with Matterhorn partially appeared in the background

The 9km trail took us about 4 hours. We took the funicular from Sunnegga and back to Zermatt town.

Despite less than ideal condition - very cloudy sky, and blocked view of mountain peaks most of the time. The come and go of clouds, the momentary appearing of blue sky, glacier peaks, made it thrilling. We enjoyed the hike.