12:20 p.m. on March 7, 2003 (EST)
Does anyone have any experience with the hiking route from Chamonix to Zermatt? I'm interested in doing it, and I'm trying to get an idea on costs for a self-guided trip, the availabilty of accomodations, and the trail conditions in mid-late June.
I appreciate any advice you have,
Ray
9:14 p.m. on May 26, 2003 (EDT)
We did this hike over last labor day, and while the hike itself was quite nice, the weather was terrible. We were led to believe that the weather has been quite chilly and unseasonably cold the past few summers. Costs were higher than we had anticipated. If you do not yet have the Kev Reynold's guidebook, you must get it immediately. However, realize that we couldn't figure out when he took those pictures that show all those sunny days! Just be sure that you have a back up plan for what to do if the weather doesn't cooperate. We ended up taking public transport a few times, and that took a bite out of our budget. The lodges were great, but not cheap. The food was generally pretty good -- do avoid the cabane du mont fort, especially on the weekends -- it's too close to civilization for any peace and quiet. The trail itself is relatively easy to follow and fairly well marked, but hiking in Europe is not like in the US -- it can be a little bit more rugged. We're guestimating that we spent about $150/person/day. It's not a cheap trip, but, if you can catch decent weather, could be worthwhile!
Good luck and enjoy!
Nichole and Roberto
Quote:
Does anyone have any experience with the hiking route from Chamonix to Zermatt? I'm interested in doing it, and I'm trying to get an idea on costs for a self-guided trip, the availabilty of accomodations, and the trail conditions in mid-late June.
I appreciate any advice you have,
Ray
