Photos from this walk:

The Walking Guide
Zermatt to the Mettelhorn

This walk description
remains work in progress
ie. Incomplete & inacurate

Description: This hike ascends steeply to the Rothorn climbers' hut. Hikers are rewarded with excellent mountain scenery in Zermatt's most remote mountain valley. The walk passes through a vast altitude range. Consequently the climate and scenery is very diverse: from forests, pastures, and wildflowers to rocky alpine wastelands and spectacular glacier scenery. There is also a good chance of seeing wildlife. 
Time required: About seven hours (4½ hours uphill at start / 3 hour downhill)
Difficulty: *****  Very long trek            Popularity: ** Quiet
Begins at: Zermatt (1620m altitude)                 Ends at: Zermatt                 Goes via: Edelweiss (1961m - 1 hour walk from Zermatt), Trift (2337m - 2 hours), Rothorn hut (3200m - 4½ hours)

Track Notes: Good shoes are required for very long and steep rocky sections. Be prepared for potentially cold and breezy conditions at the hut. There is also the possibility of encountering snow towards the hut. It is not recommended to ascend beyond Trift in bad weather.
Watch for wildlife - especially at Trift and during the walk for 45 minutes above it. Marmots, Ibex, and mountain goats can often be seen - especially mornings and evenings.
Variants: Stay at the Rothorn Hut  for a memorable night with the climbers (100 dormitory beds - sFr.24 - blankets provided. Breakfast and dinner available. Phone 027 - 967 2043). Optionally, then continue the next day via Trift to Höhbalmen and the Schönbiel Hut for a superb 2 or 3 day high mountain adventure.  

The walk begins and ends in center of Zermatt's main street (1620m altitude), just by the very well known Hotel Post complex and Grampi's Pub. You can find them just 130 yards back down the main street from the church towards the main railway station out of Zermatt. Opposite the Hotel Post is Grampi's Pub. A small cobbled laneway borders Grampi's Pub and leads off the main street uphill to the west. An inconspicuous signpost on the (laneway) wall of Grampi's also points uphill  in the direction of Edelweiss,/Trift, etc.

Begin up the cobbled path behind Grampi's for 60 yards to a three way intersection. Continue straight on uphill past barns and smart wood and glass chalets as the path loops around past the smart new "Into the Hotel". Shortly beyond that the path reaches welcome pastures with a fine view to the right of the Mischabel group of peaks (Täschhorn, Dom). A few minutes of walking up through the fields brings one to a four way intersection (1720m). Take the highest path (right) to Edelweiss. The path ascends very steeply with the rushing waters of the Triftbach (Trift brook) below to your left. As one climbs higher there are clear views up to Edelweiss perched on its cliff top eyrie. 

After another few minutes another intersection (1780m) is reached below some cliffs. Take the left path to Edelweiss and shortly the path crosses the Triftbach below a gushing waterfall.  The trail threads through forest and continues steeply upwards via zigzags between a series of cliffs. Just below the largest cliff on which the restaurant Edelweiss perches is a good area for rock climbing. Beyond that one quickly reaches the restaurant (1961m).  Edelweiss offers snacks, drinks, and meals. There are terrific views from the restaurant terrace over Zermatt and (left to right) on to the Täschhorn, Dom, Unter Rothorn, Gornergrat and Breithorn. 

The second section of this walk is that to Trift (2337m), which is a further hour beyond Edelweiss. This section of the trail follows the rushing waters of the Triftbach up the the narrow and rocky Trift valley.  Behind the restaurant Edelweiss a signpost at the three way intersection points uphill (west) in the direction of Trift. Begin by walking through a beautiful little pasture before the trail enters a magical mountain forest. Thankfully the trail is actually flat for a while here to give the legs a bit of a break from the relentless uphill nature of the this walk.

After while the path does a zigzag through a cliff above the Triftbach, before crossing a bridge by a waterfall and a small Hydro electricity outflow . On the north bank of the Triftbach now, the path continues its steady ascent west. Soon the view begins to open up - first to see the crown of the Wellenkuppe, then to its left the Ober Gabelhorn, and finally to their fine glaciers at the head of the Trift valley. 

Trift itself (2337m) is a delightfully intimate pastureland of wildflowers, marmots and mountain streams. It is protected from winds and makes a fine place to stop for a break. The Trift hotel and restaurant offer walkers a place to relax, but equally fine is a picnic by one of the crystal clear mountain streams. Trift is already very tranquil, but beyond this the walk becomes a truly remote one. Relatively few hikers go beyond Trift.

From behind the Trift hotel, a signpost points in the direction of the Rothorn hut. Follow that path uphill a few minutes to another intersection (2397m). Take the left path in the direction of the Rothorn hut. The trail ascends a steep hillside via a series of zigzags before flattening out at another plateau. A last intersection (2453m) is reached in the trail. Take the left to the Rothorn hut. From here it is still over two hours to reach the Rothorn hut. Already one feels quite high, but this is still half way to the hut from Zermatt.. 

The descent from the hut is very fast. It is possible to return to Trift in an hour, and Zermatt in two hours if one hurries.  Being quite steep, the descent is a bit of a test on the knees.