How to Hike to the Hornlihutte in Zermatt, Switzerland: Map, Pictures, and Complete Trail Guide
The hike to the Hornlihutte is one of the most epic hikes you can do in Zermatt! With unbelievable views from start to finish, you’ll get breathtakingly close to the iconic Matterhorn. However, the hike is a tough one, with steep climbs, metal platforms and chains, rugged terrain, and quite a bit of exposure. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about hiking to the Hornlihutte in Zermatt, including how to get to the trailhead, which cable cars and passes you’ll need, what to expect along the trail, and how to plan your day.
The Hornlihutte is an epic alpine hut sitting over 3,000 meters up at the base of the Matterhorn, and the trail to get to it is one of the best hikes in Zermatt!
While many of other Zermatt’s more popular hikes, like the Riffelsee hike or the Five Lakes Trail, have more distant views of the Matterhorn, the Hornlihutte hike in Zermatt gets you up close and personal to this iconic mountain- like, you can reach out and touch it type of close.
While the view of the Matterhorn is breathtaking enough, the scenery along this entire trail is epic from start to finish, with panoramic views over the snow-capped Alps, their massive glaciers, deep valleys, blue lakes, and jagged peaks the entire way.
Sounds too good to be true, right?
Well, there is a catch…
The trail to the Hornlihutte isn’t exactly a walk in the park. It’s quite the opposite. It’s a challenging alpine trail, involving rugged and rocky terrain, exhaustingly steep climbs, metal ramps and stairs, and chains that offer extra guidance across particularly exposed ledges. And all of this is at high altitude, making the hike that much more difficult.
It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’re up for the challenge, you’ll certainly be rewarded. The Hornlihutte hike was one of our favorite hikes in Zermatt- even though it kicked my butt! It was one of those “type-2 fun” kind of trails- you know, the ones you complain and struggle on but look back and think “Wow, that hike was amazing!”. Yea, it’s that kind of trail… and I’m so glad we did it!
As an added bonus, the Hornlihutte hike lies along the cable route to one of the most popular places to visit in Zermatt- the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, and it can also be connected to another popular (and way easier) trail in Zermatt, the Matterhorn Glacier Trail. Since this cable car route is quite expensive, it can be a good idea to combine all these experiences into one jam-packed and epic day to make the most of your lift tickets and your time in Zermatt. This is what we did, and it was one of our favorite days in Switzerland.
Wondering if you can take on the challenge of the Hornlihutte trail?
Well, you’re in luck, because in this guide we’re going over everything you need to know about the hike to the Hornlihutte in Zermatt. We’ll go over how to get to the trailhead, exactly what to expect along the Hornlihutte hike, the best time to go, how to plan your day and combine this hike with other experiences along this cable car route, and share all our best tips for hiking this trail.
So, let’s get to it!
In this Hornlihutte trail guide:
About the Hornlihutte Hike in Zermatt
The Hornlihutte is an alpine hut located on the northeast ridge at the foot of the Matterhorn. Sitting at 3,260 meters (or 10,700 feet), this mountain hut is used as base for climbers looking to ascend the most popular route to the summit of the Matterhorn. But it also serves as a worthy destination for experienced day hikers, as the trail to get to it offers absolutely stunning views of the Matterhorn and the surrounding Swiss Alps.
The first part of the Hornlihutte hike is actually along another popular Zermatt hike, the Matterhorn Glacier Trail, a scenic point-to-point hike between two mountain cable car stations. The trail to the Hornlihutte detours off the Matterhorn Glacier Trail as it ascends up the Hornli Ridge, and this is where the hike gets…interesting.
The hike to the Hornlihutte involves high altitude, rugged terrain, steep climbs, metal platforms, ropes, and quite a bit of exposure, so it’s definitely not a hike to be taken lightly. But if you can get through all that, you’ll be rewarded with absolutely stunning views in all directions, and at the hut, you’ll be so incredibly close to the Matterhorn- as close as you can get without actually climbing it! We had no idea it was possible to stand this close to this iconic mountain.
There’s lots of steep, rugged climbing to get to the Hornlihutte- but totally worth it
It was definitely one of our favorite experiences in Zermatt. Tough? Yes. But worth it.
To get to the start of the Hornlihutte hike, you’ll take a series of cable cars up to the trailhead. The trailhead lies along a popular cable car route that goes up to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, the highest viewing terrace in Europe, and one of the best places to visit in Zermatt.
Since lift tickets in Zermatt are quite pricey, it can be a good idea to combine the different experiences along this cable car route and make the most of your time up here. So if you wanted to, it is possible to combine a visit to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise with the hike to the Hornlihutte, and even with the Matterhorn Glacier Trail as well. We did all three in one day. It was a busy day, and it felt a bit rushed with the constraints of the cable car schedules, but it ended up being our favorite day in Zermatt.
Later in this guide, we’ll share how to plan out your day to combine all these experiences along this cable car route.
Where is the Trailhead for the Hornlihutte Hike in Zermatt?
The trail to the Hornlihutte hike is a detour off another popular but much easier Zermatt hike, the Matterhorn Glacier Trail. This trail connects two cable car stations above Zermatt- Trockener Steg and Schwarzsee.
Along the trail is a ski lift station, called Hirli, where the junction for the Hornlihutte is found. From here, it’s an out-and-back hike to the hut.
So, you can start the Hornlihutte hike from either cable car station.
If you plan on only hiking to the Hornlihutte (and not combining with the full Matterhorn Glacier Trail), it’s most common to start the hike at Schwarzsee. From here, it’s a shorter hike, however you’ll have a steep climb at the beginning to get to the start of the ridge.
This is the view from Schwarzsee. The Hirli station lies right on top of the grass-covered hills (if you look closely, you can see the building and some of the cable car poles). The Hornlihutte hike then climbs across the rocky cliffs above that (on the right of the picture).
We highly recommend combining the Hornlihutte hike with the Matterhorn Glacier Trail. The Matterhorn Glacier Trail is an amazing hike with unique views of the Matterhorn and crosses an alien-like landscape dotted with picturesque alpine lakes. It’s worth the extra few hours of hiking you’d add on to your day.
If this sounds like something you’d want to do, then you’d start your hike at Trockener Steg, the upper cable car station. From here, it’s a mostly downhill hike towards Schwarzsee. At the junction at Hirli, you’d make the detour to the Hornlihutte and back before completing the Matterhorn Glacier Trail to Schwarzsee.
Views from the Matterhorn Glacier Trail. From down here, you can see the Hornlihutte perched on top of the ridge to the right of the mountain- that’s your destination!
It makes the hike to the Hornlihutte longer to start at Trockener Steg, but the added distance is pretty easy and mostly downhill, and the views are totally worth it.
This is how we hiked to the Hornlihutte- by combining it with the Matterhorn Glacier Trail.
Hornlihutte Trail Map
Here’s a general map of the Hornlihutte hike in Zermatt, with labels showing the location of the Hornlihutte trail, the Matterhorn Glacier Trail, and the relevant cable car stations.
This is a map of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise area of Zermatt, with cable car lines in blue, and relevant hiking trails (the Matterhorn Glacier Trail and Hornlihutte hike) in red
How to get to the Hornlihutte trailhead
To get to either Trockener Steg or Schwarzsee, the two possible starting points for the Hornlihutte hike, you’ll take a series of cable cars up from Zermatt. The bottom station for this cable car route is found at the far southern end of town, located here on Google Maps.
From the train station at the other end of town, it’s about a 20 minute walk (just over a kilometer) and will be slightly uphill, but you might be closer depending on where in Zermatt you are staying. Zermatt is pretty walkable, but if you want, you can take a free e-bus to the cable car station. You’ll want to take the Green Line (the Bergbahnen) which goes to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise lifts. Check out the list of bus stops here where you can hop on, as well as the Green Line timetables here.
From this station, you’ll hop on a small 8 person gondola for a quick 7 minute ride up to the next cable car station at Furi.
In Furi, you’ll have two options to continue on. If you want to start the Hornlihutte hike at Schwarzsee, then you can follow the signs to the gondola which will take you right to Schwarzsee.
Views back down to Zermatt from the Furi-Schwarzsee cable car
If you want to start the hike at Trockener Steg, you can either take a large tram that goes from Furi directly to Trockener Steg, or you can take the gondola to Schwarzsee, which then continues up to Trockener Steg. Which one you take may just depend on the time of day and time of year you’re there, because these two routes operate under different timetables, so just be sure to check the schedules to see which one is running.
The cable car up to Trockener Steg to the start of the Hornlihutte hike
Cable car tickets for the Hornlihutte hike in Zermatt
You can buy the necessary cable cars tickets for the Hornlihutte hike either online in advance, or simply right at the bottom station in Zermatt (at the ticket counter or at an easy-to-use self-service kiosk).
We had no problems just heading to the station on the morning of our hike to buy tickets and then just hopping right on the next set of lifts. There was a bit of a morning rush with all the skiiers waiting to head up to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, but they were shuffled through quickly and there really weren’t any big waits at all.
In fact, we do think this is the best strategy for buying cable car tickets, as the weather in Zermatt can be so fickle and unpredictable. Because of this, we really don’t recommend buying any lift tickets or confirming plans too far in advance (more than a day or two out), before you can get a better sense of the forecast.
Here are your different options for buying cable car tickets for the Hornlihutte hike.
Individual lift tickets
You can buy one-way or roundtrip tickets from Zermatt to any of the stations along this cable car route.
If all you’re looking to do is hike to the Hornlihutte, then you can buy a roundtrip ticket between Zermatt and Schwarzsee, as this is where you will start and end your hike.
If you want to combine the Hornlihutte hike with the Matterhorn Glacier Trail by hiking from Trockener Steg to Schwarzsee, then we recommend buying a one-way ticket from Zermatt to Trockener Steg to start the hike, and also buying a one-way ticket from Schwarzsee to Zermatt for after your hike.
However, as we mentioned earlier, this cable car route leads to one of the more popular places to visit in Zermatt- the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. We do recommend a visit here while you’re in this area, but it would be a lot to squeeze into a day if you’re trying to do the Hornlihutte hike and potentially the Matterhorn Glacier Trail. If you wanted to visit it, then you should buy a roundtrip ticket from Zermatt to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. You can head up from Zermatt to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise in the morning, and then on the way back down, hop off at either Trockener Steg or Schwarzsee to start your hike to the Hornlihutte. Later in this guide, we’ll share how we fit everything into one day and how to best plan your time.
To see all the most up-to-date prices for the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable cars, check their website. Note that prices change based on the season, with peak prices in July and August, midrange prices in the shoulder months of May, June, September, and October, and the lowest prices in winter.
Kombi tickets
If you plan on combining the Hornlihutte hike and the Matterhorn Glacier Trail and not doing anything else along this cable car route, then consider buying this hiking ticket, which gets you from Zermatt to Trockener Steg and from Schwarzsee back to Zermatt at a discounted rate.
How to save money on the Hornlihutte cable cars
Lifts in Zermatt are pricey, but luckily there are a few different ways to save a bit of money.
The Swiss Travel Pass and Half Fare Card
One of the best ways to save money in Switzerland in general is to buy either the Swiss Travel Pass or the Swiss Half Fare Card. If you plan on spending a bit of time in the country traveling to a few different places, chances are one of these travel cards will be worth it.
Swiss Travel Pass: This pass gets you unlimited travel on all of Switzerland’s trains and buses, along with half off most mountain lifts throughout the country. You can buy it based on the number of days you plan to be in the country. It’s pretty expensive, though, so most likely only worth it if you plan on doing a lot of train travel in a short amount of time.
The Half Fare Card: This card gets you half off all train and bus travel plus half off most mountain lifts in Switzerland and is good for an entire month. It’s pretty reasonably priced so this card will likely be worth it, since so many amazing things in Switzerland require taking expensive lifts and cable cars.
Both of these passes get you half off all lift tickets in Zermatt, including the cable cars for the Hornlihutte hike, so it can be a big savings.
Check out our Complete Zermatt Guide for more information on these passes and to see if it would be worth it for you!
The Peak Pass
Zermatt’s Peak Pass is a one-time purchase that gets you unlimited rides on all of Zermatt’s lifts. You buy it based on the number of days you plan on using it, and if you have a Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card, you get 25% off the full price.
It does seem like a great deal, but when we did all the math, we realized it actually wasn’t worth it for us. We planned on riding each of the cable routes in Zermatt (Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, Gornergrat, and Rothorn) just one time each, and the cost of buying individual tickets for this was actually less than the 3 day Peak Pass. So we think this pass is really only worth it if you plan on riding the lifts multiple times.
The Peak2Peak Pass
This pass lets you visit Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and Gornergrat- two of Zermatt’s best places to visit- in one day. It gives you access to all the required lifts, cable cars, and cogwheel trains at a discounted rate (and the Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card gets you 50% off!) but it’s good for just the day, so this pass is definitely worth it for someone with a limited time in Zermatt.
When are the cable cars for the Hornlihutte hike open?
While the cable cars on the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise route are open most of the year, the best time to hike to the Hornlihutte is in the summer months. But even within a given season, their timetables change based on the month.
In July and August (peak season), most of the cable cars along this route are running, and they start earlier in the day and run until later in the evening, allowing you to make the most of your day. This is ideal, especially if you want to do the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and the Hornlihutte hike on the same day.
In the shoulder months (May, June, September, and October), the cable cars have shorter daily windows of operation, and also some of the cable cars stop running all together (for example, the Schwarzsee to Trockener Steg cable car stops running in early September and the Furi to Schwarzsee gondola stops later that month).
Make sure to check the most up-to-date timetables here (make sure to click on the button for the Summer Timetables). Be sure to look at these carefully, and check all the footnotes to get more specific opening and closing times and any planned maintenance closures.
How Long is the Hike to the Hornlihutte in Zermatt?
The length of the Hornlihutte hike depends on which trailhead you start from. Here are the hiking stats for starting from either Trockener Steg or Schwarzsee.
Hiking to the Hornlihutte from Schwarzsee (out and back)
Distance: 8.1 km (5.1 miles) roundtrip
Elevation gain: 907 meters (2,975 ft)
Hiking to the Hornlihutte from Trockener Steg and finishing at Schwarzsee
Distance: 13.8 km (8.3 miles)
Elevation gain: 669 meters (2,195 ft)
Elevation loss: 1,008 meters (3,307 ft)
We did the latter, so our elevation profile and trail map of the Hornlihutte hike reflect this.
Elevation profile
Our elevation profile for the Hornlihutte hike, including the Matterhorn Glacier Trail
Hornlihutte trail map
A map of our hike to the Hornlihutte in Zermatt. The Hornlihutte trail (in pink) is a detour off the Matterhorn Glacier Trail between Trockener Steg and Schwarzsee.
How Long Does it Take to Hike to the Hornlihutte in Zermatt?
Getting to the Hornlihutte is a half day hike.
When combined with the Matterhorn Glacier Trail, the entire hike took us about 6 hours with some time spent at the Hornlihutte, which I feel is pretty average.
This is how our time on the trail was split:
It took us nearly 2 hours to hike from Trockener Steg to Hirli. This can definitely be done faster, but we stopped so much for pictures, and chances are so will you. This part of the hike is so incredibly scenic and you won’t want to rush it too much.
It took us two hours to get from Hirli to the Hornlihutte. This was admittedly slow and this part of the hike can probably be done a bit faster. The trail sign at Hirli estimated it would take about an hour and a half to get to the Hornlihutte from there. I was pretty affected by the altitude up here so was kind of dragging, but there were plenty of others going a bit faster. I’d say two hours is probably the longest it would take you.
Going down was much faster- it took an hour to get from the hut back to Hirli.
It took 30 minutes to hike from Hirli to Schwarzsee.
If you’re doing the hike as an out and back hike from Schwarzsee, I would plan for about 4 – 4.5 hours of total hiking time:
About 45 minutes to hike from Schwarzsee to Hirli
3 hours to hike out and back to the Hornlihutte
30 minutes to hike from Hirli back to Schwarzsee
How Hard is the Hornlihutte Hike in Zermatt?
We’ll be honest, this is a pretty tough hike.
The start isn’t too bad. If you start from Trockener Steg, it’s in fact quite easy to get to the junction at Hirli. If you start at Schwarzsee, it will be a steep climb for about 45 minutes up a set of rocky switchbacks to get to Hirli.
Once you get to the start of the Hornli Ridge at the Hirli junction, the Hornlihutte trail gets challenging. There’s quite a bit of exposure, so you need to be okay with heights. There are also a lot of metal platforms, steep stairs, and some sections with chains or ropes to help guide you along more exposed ledges. It’s a rocky and rugged ascent, and a lot of steep climbing. In fact, it averages out to be over 1,000 feet per mile of elevation gain from the junction to the hut- which is really steep.
Steep climbs and exposed trails make up a good portion of the Hornlihutte hike
What makes everything harder, though, is the fact that this is all at high altitude. The altitude combined with the steepness of the trail will likely slow you down a bit and have you feeling more winded that usual. I was really affected by the altitude up here, which caused our pace to be a bit slower than average. So keep this in mind as you’re planning out your day and timing things out- expect your pace to be slower than you’re used to and allow for some contingency time in case that happens.
Overall, the Hornlihutte hike is a bit of a slog, and quite exhausting, but it’s definitely worth it and the views should keep you motivated to keep climbing!
The Hornlihutte Trail Guide: Our Experience
Here, we want to share our personal experience hiking to the Hornlihutte in Zermatt to help you decide if this epic Zermatt hike is something you want to tackle!
We started our Hornlihutte hike at Trockener Steg, as part of the Matterhorn Glacier Trail. If you choose to do it this way, too, you’ll hike a relatively easy trail through an epic alpine landscape dotted with alpine lakes and amazing mountain views, with a unique view of the Matterhorn towering ahead for pretty much the entire way. You’ll reach the junction for the Hornihutte Trail at the Hirli cable car station after 5.3 km (3.3 miles).
Hiking the Matterhorn Glacier Trail from Trockener Steg- a scenic way to start the hike to the Hornlihutte!
If you choose to start the Hornlihutte hike at Schwarzsee instead, you’ll have a rocky and often steep uphill climb to the junction at Hirli. It’s 1.4 km (.84 miles) to reach this junction, so it’s shorter, but definitely has a lot more climbing (220 meters or 720 feet of it).
Hiking above Schwarzsee and Zermatt on the way to the Hornlihutte
For more details and pictures of both of these hikes to the Hirli junction, head over to our Complete Guide to the Matterhorn Glacier Trail! For this guide, we’re going to start our Hornlihutte trail description at the point where the trail branches off from the Matterhorn Glacier Trail at Hirli- and this is exactly where the trail becomes challenging.
The trail junction at Hirli, where the hike to the Hornlihutte begins. Follow the blue sign towards the Hornlihutte!
At Hirli, the trail to the Hornlihutte follows the beginning of the Matterhorn’s northeastern ridge, called the Hornli Ridge. There will be a trail junction sign- follow the blue sign pointing towards Hornlihutte. Along the trail, you’ll follow the blue and white blazes along the rock, but it’s a pretty straightforward trail to follow regardless.
From Hirli, a narrow gravel trail climbs gradually under the cliff face of the left side of the Hornli Ridge. Already, the views are amazing out to the snow-capped Alps, including the Monte Rosa massif and Gorner Glacier. However, at this point the Matterhorn is hidden behind the ridge.
The start of the Hornlihutte hike as seen from Hirli. The trail starts by ascending the slope up to the Hirli Ridge.
Quicky after starting, you’ll arrive at the first set of metal platforms and stairs that traverse the edge of the cliff walls. These felt a little unsettling at first because they’re just kind of hovering over the gully below, but the platforms are wide and have railings so they aren’t too terrible.
The start of the metal platforms on the Hornlihutte hike
Ascending up the side of the Hornli Ridge
The platforms are interspersed with rocky and exposed sections of trail- sometimes with rails and sometimes without. The drop-off to the left is pretty sheer at times.
Sometimes there’s handrails…
…and sometimes there’s not!
Eventually you reach a point where the Matterhorn comes back into view and it’s straight ahead- it’s an epic view!
Epic Matterhorn views along the Hornlihutte hike!
You’ll continue the gradual climb up the narrow dirt path towards the Matterhorn before reaching another set of easy metal walkways along the cliffside, with gorgeous views of the mountain ahead.
More metal walkways on the Hornlihutte hike
At the end of this long walkway, the metal rail does suddenly disappear for some reason, which was a bit unsettling, and then the narrow dirt path that follows twists around a heavily exposed corner with a chain for extra security. This section was probably the most nervewracking for me, but it was very brief.
Some brief exposure at the end of the walkway
One of the narrowest parts along the Hornlihutte hike
Shortly past this section, the dirt trail then makes some quick switchbacks up the side of the ridge. It’s a bit of a steeper climb now and it gets rockier the higher you go. There is still a bit of exposure here, but the trail was wide enough where I didn’t feel uneasy about it.
Heading up the switchbacks
The switchbacks up to the top of the Hornli Ridge
Looking back down the trail towards the Matterhorn
Towards the top of the climb
You’ll eventually top out on the ridge and continue along its spine. It flattens out briefly up here before the climbing continues up a mostly smooth and well-worn dirt path. The climb switches between gradual and steep inclines throughout this part of the hike. But the views up here are seriously otherworldly. From up here you get breathtaking views over the snow-capped Alps and their massive glaciers completing surrounding you. We hadn’t been to Nepal yet, but the mountain views here are certainly what we would imagine the Himalayan scenery to look like (sort of like it was reminding us of a place we had never been!).
Views from the top of the Hornli Ridge
Continuing the climb along the Hornli Ridge
Loving the panoramic mountain views from the Hornlihutte hike!
Some more steep climbing
Beautiful views from the Hornlihutte trail
At the end of the climbing, the trail is now traversing the right side of the Hornli Ridge- and this was one of our favorite parts of the entire Hornlihutte hike.
For one, the trail flattens out for a bit which was a nice break for the legs… but more importantly, from here, the views of the Matterhorn are stunning. It’s straight ahead, and from this perspective you get views of its iconic triangular shape, and it’s so close!
On the hike out to the Hornlihutte, clouds kept forming in the valley below and moving across the ridge, briefly obstructing the Matterhorn here from time to time, but it made for some super cool, almost ghostly, scenes of the Matterhorn. On the hike back, though, the skies were perfectly clear and we got amazing views of the mountain.
Looking back on the ridge
From the ridge, you can get a good look up at the Hornlihutte, perched high above at the base of the Matterhorn, and as you can see, you still have quite a climb to get there. Enjoy this final flat section while it lasts!
This is the end of the flat ridge walk. Above, you can see the Hornlihutte perched on top of the rocky cliff- which you’ll now be climbing up!
The final push up the ridge to the Hornlihutte is long, steep, and hard, and doesn’t really let up until you reach the hut.
It starts as a steep rocky path through the rock and shale along the side of the ridge. The views to the valley below spotted with blue lakes and surrounded by snow-capped mountains are gorgeous, and they just kept getting better.
The steep climbing to the Hornlihutte begins!
Beautiful mountain views. You can see the flat ridge walk that we just traversed below.
After a bit of climbing, you’ll reach a point where the trail becomes particularly rocky and exposed, and there is a rope running along the side for extra security. Here, the trail begins steeply switchbacking up the side of the ridge and gets quite rugged and rocky.
Some rope along an exposed and rocky section of trail
Rocky switchbacks up to the Hornlihutte
At this point, we also started encountering some leftover ice along the trail from the previous two days of rain and snow. Luckily the sun was out all day today and melted a lot off, but there were some slick parts here that weren’t too fun to be on given the exposure! Luckily by the time we were hiking back down, the ice was completely melted and this part was much better.
Some slick parts of the trail
Towards the top of these steep switchbacks is another roped section to help you ascend up a smooth section of rock to reach the spine of the ridge. Once at the top, take a minute to catch your breath and enjoy the incredible panoramic mountain views on both sides.
Another roped section on the Hornlihutte trail
Views from the top of the climb
From this point, you’ll be walking across the top of the Hornli Ridge, using lots of metal staircases and platforms to help you over the hard stuff.
Ahead you’ll see the first of these stairs. Climb these and continue across a rocky, narrow, and exposed section using the rope to guide you.
The first set of metal staircases on the final push to the Hornlihutte
Continue up the second set of metal stairs and around the corner where you’ll be greeted by…you guessed it…more stairs! These ones are stone steps which climb further up the ridge to…can you guess? More stairs!
Ascending all the fun trail features on the Hornlihutte hike
More stairs!
The further up you continue to climb, the more and more the views open up behind you, and the scenery up here is seriously breathtaking. We couldn’t get over it- definitely the highlight of our time in Zermatt!
You’ll continue hiking along exposed paths with ropes and up metal stairways. It’s a steep and seemingly never-ending climb, and the altitude just makes it that much harder. I was definitely going much slower than I was used to and having trouble catching my breath on these steep climbs. So take your time, and take as many breaks as you need.
Beautiful views all around from the Hornlihutte hike!
Lots of stairs and steep climbs!
The final FINAL (we really mean it this time) push up to the hut is a series of very short and steep switchbacks through the shale on the left side of the ridge. Make sure to keep your eye out for the rock blazes here (which are now red), because they’ll keep you on track and guide you through the path of least resistance up the ridge.
The start of the final set of switchbacks up to the Hornlihutte
The hut is now in view at the top of the ridge!
Be sure follow the red blazes for the best way up
This picture was taken near the top of the switchbacks. Looking back down, you can see all the ants making their way up and down the trail!
Eventually the hut will start to peek out overhead and you know you’re so close! This part is just simply a grind to get to the top.
The climb ends with a steep stone staircase and voila, you’re there!
The Hornlihutte!
Easy peasy, right?!
At the top of the Hornlihutte hike, you’ll be rewarded with the most stunning views of the Swiss Alps, and an amazing-up-close view of the Matterhorn- you’re literally right at its base. How cool is that?!
Hanging out at the Hornlihutte at the base of the Matterhorn
At the Hornlihutte, you’re right at the foot of the Matterhorn!
Honestly, it was so neat to be able to later look at views of the Matterhorn from other places around Zermatt because on a clear day you can make out where the Hornlihutte sits on the ridge if you look closely, and it was super rewarding to be able to say, “Yea- we were up there”.
So have a seat, take it all in, and give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. You did it!
Epic views from the Hornlihutte
If you have the time, you can order food and drinks from the hut, or just eat a packed lunch. Just an fyi- if you don’t order food, you can’t sit at the tables outside of the hut, so we just found a spot below the terrace to sit and eat our lunch.
We only spent about 20 minutes up here. It was getting late in the day and we weren’t sure how long it would take to hike back down, and we wanted to make sure we were able to get the last cable car from Schwarzsee back to Zermatt (again- remember to keep a close eye on the time during this hike!).
But thankfully, the way down from the Hornlihutte went muuuuch faster, and it was way easier and smoother than I was expecting it to be! We actually cruised right down back to Hirli in about an hour.
On the way back, we continued to enjoy the absolutely amazing views from the trail, and as hard as this hike was, these views made it 1,000% worth it.
Saying goodbye to these epic views of the Matterhorn
Once back at Hirli, the best way to finish the Hornlihutte hike is to take the trail down to Schwarzsee. From here, it’s about a half hour away down steep and rocky trails with lots of loose rock, but the views are still incredible as you can now see out to Gornergrat and Rothorn and other peaks surrounding Zermatt (check out our Matterhorn Glacier Trail guide for more information on this part of the hike!).
From Schwarzsee, we hopped on the gondola and began our descent back down to Zermatt.
Best Time to Hike to the Hornlihutte in Zermatt
The best time for the Hornlihutte hike is between July and September. Snow can linger on higher elevation trails well into June and sometimes even into July depending on the year, but we like to check recent conditions from fellow hikers on AllTrails before heading out, just to make sure.
By September, the weather can be a bit of a mixed bag. It’s historically a nice month, however when we visited Zermatt in early September, the weather was all over the place and there was already snow dropping at the higher elevations. The previous two days before we hiked to the Hornlihutte were completely rained out down in Zermatt, and that rain was actually snow at the higher elevations, which made for some incredible views of the snow-covered peaks. As a result, the upper parts of the Hornlihutte trail along some of the more exposed sections did have some snow and ice, which made things a bit more nervewracking, but most of it had melted off by the time we made it up there thankfully.
Some more shaded parts of the trail still had snow and were a bit slick
So, if you plan to hike to the Hornlihutte in September, just be prepared for anything weather wise and to potentially have to turn around on the trail, or have backup plans just in case. You don’t want to be on this trail with a lot of snow and ice because it becomes too dangerous without the proper gear.
Aside from weather considerations, we highly recommend hiking the Hornlihutte trail in July or August because of the lift schedules. During these peak months, the lifts for this trail operate earlier and later each day, giving you about two extra hours to play with. If you’re trying to fit a lot into one day like we did, these extra two hours matter.
We visited in September, so had a smaller timeframe to work with. We rushed through Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, and felt a bit rushed through the hikes as well as we knew we had to make the last gondola down from Schwarzsee. With a few more hours, we could have visited the Ice Palace, spent more time up at the Hornlihutte, or just had a more laid- back hike in general. Instead, the stress of getting off the hike in time popped into my head every time I wanted to stop for an extra picture or for another rest break.
If you visit outside of these months of July and August, doing everything in a day is still possible (we proved it!) but your day will feel more rushed- or you can just plan to hike all the way back down to Zermatt at the end of the day and bypass the gondolas. If this is your plan, make sure to pack a headlamp with you for the hike down just in case it gets late!
If you’re only looking to hike to the Hornlihutte and back, it’s not as big of a deal to get the earliest start possible so these cable car schedules won’t matter as much to you, but if you’re trying to make the most out of this cable car route and do other things on the same day, you need an early start.
In terms of the best time of day to hike the Hornlihutte Trail in Zermatt, the earlier the better.
This is true especially if you plan on combining the Hornlihutte hike with the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and Matterhorn Glacier Trail like we said above. Make sure to get the earliest start you can so you have time for everything because trust us, this is one hike you do not want to feel rushed through! Between wanting to stop and take pictures every ten feet and the steep climb at altitude, you’ll want to be able to take your time.
But even if you just plan on doing just the Hornlihutte hike and nothing else, we still recommend hitting the trail early.
For one, you’ll avoid the crowds. Something that really surprised about the Hornlihutte hike was just how crowded the trail was! We weren’t expecting this given the challenges of the trail, but it was the busiest hike we did in Zermatt! Part of this was probably because we didn’t get onto the Hornli Ridge until midday. Before that, on the Matterhorn Glacier Trail, we barely saw anyway until we got closer to Hirli and the midday crowds grew. By the time we got to the Hornli Ridge, there were a lot of people going both up and down. So we do recommend an early start to this hike, particularly if you’d feel more comfortable avoiding two- way traffic on the more narrow and exposed sections of trail. If you can get on one of the earliest gondolas up and hit the trail, you’ll get ahead of the pack.
We were pretty surprised with the crowds on the Hornlihutte trail!
Getting an early start on the Hornlihutte hike is also a good idea for more ideal conditions. Often the Matterhorn is clearest in the morning before afternoon clouds begin shrouding it out. Even on a perfectly clear and sunny day, the Matterhorn can be hiding by the afternoon. So if you want to do most of the hike with the Matterhorn in view, start early.
Also, the sun tends to set behind the Matterhorn, making for harsh lighting and pictures towards the later afternoon and evening.
How to Plan Your Day on the Hornlihutte Trail in Zermatt
If you just plan on hiking to the Hornlihutte, you don’t need to plan your day too carefully- just get there early and head out. You should have plenty of time for this hike within the constraints of the cable car timetables.
But, if you want to do more with your day and make the most of your time on this expensive cable car route, it’s possible- you just have to plan out your day carefully and make sure you’ll be able to make it in time to get the last gondola back to Zermatt.
This is especially important if you’re not visiting in July or August when the gondolas run the longest.
We visited in September, and before we set out, we carefully planned out our time, noting where we needed to be for all the milestones of the hike in order to make it off the trail in time.
Here’s what our schedule looked like for combining the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, the Matterhorn Glacier Trail, and the Hornlihutte hike.
8:00 – 9:00 am: Ride the cable cars from Zermatt to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (luckily the cable cars started running early that day- they weren’t supposed to start until 8:30 so this was super helpful for us!). If you’re visiting in July or August, you can get an even earlier start here.
9:00 – 9:30 am: Take in the views from the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise viewing terrace. Our time up here was really abbreviated since we had a lot of hiking to do. But if you come in July and August and get an earlier start (7 am), you can have more time up here to visit the Ice Palace, the cinema lounge, and the shop. When we were done, we got the gondola back down to Trockener Steg.
10:00 am- 11:50 am: Hike from Trockener Steg to Hirli.
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Hike from Hirli to the Hornlihutte. We spent about 20 minutes at the top. Our time up here was also really abbreviated since we wanted to make sure we got the last gondola in time. Again, with an earlier start, you can spend more time up here and maybe grab a bite to eat at the hut.
2:20 pm-3:30 pm: Hike back to Hirli.
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Hike from Hirli to Schwarzee.
We highly recommend heading up to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise to get views like this! From up here, you can see the Trockener Steg station (the cluster of buildings to the right). The Matterhorn Glacier Trail traverses the gray lake-filled landscape to Schwarzsee (the smaller cluster that you might be able to make out just above and to the left of Trockener Steg). The Hornlihutte hike traverses the long cliff feature in the center of the picture (the Hornli Ridge).
Tips for Hiking to the Hornlihutte in Zermatt
Here are some of our final tips for the Hornlihutte trail in Zermatt!
Wear good hiking shoes- The Hornlihutte Trail is rocky and rugged the entire way so this should go without saying, but make sure to wear hiking shoes or boots with good traction and ankle support.
Have sun protection- The entire Hornlihutte Trail is exposed and at altitude, so have sunscreen and a hat at the very least.
Hang onto your lift tickets- Each time you get both on and off a lift on this cable car route, you have to scan your ticket to get through the gates, so keep that ticket in a safe place!
Bring layers- As you get higher in altitude along this hike and walk along the Hornli Ridge, it can be cool and windy. Even if it’s a warm sunny day to start down in Zermatt, bring warm layers and even a light rain coat just in case. If you go all the way up to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise before hiking to the Hornlihutte, it’s good to have warm clothes to visit the viewing terrace and Ice Palace.
Freezing conditions up at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise!
Expect to feel the altitude- The Hornlihutte sits at 3,260 meters, or 10,700 feet, and because the trail is so steep and strenuous, you’ll likely feel the effects of altitude as you hike. You might hike slower than usual and feel more out of breath. Remember this when planning out your day and add in some wiggle room for a possibly slower than normal pace. For some reason, I was really affected by the altitude on this hike once we got to the top half of the Hornli Ridge. I had trouble catching my breath on the steep climbs, and my chest was feeling heavy, so it was very slow-going for me. Kevin was okay, though, and was able to hike a bit faster. So just listen to your body, make sure to drink lots of water, and go at your own pace.
Check the forecast before you hike- You’ll want to have good weather and clear skies for the Hornlihutte hike. Bad weather can make this hike dangerous, and if there are no views then it’s a lot of wasted effort (in our opinion!). So be sure to check the forecast- we recommend checking the day before and even the morning of before making any concrete plans. Forecasts in Zermatt are fickle and change often leading up to the day!
Check Zermatt webcams- We loved the webcams in Zermatt! They are at most of the mountain stations around the valley and are super useful when trying to make plans for the day. It can be hard to see the Matterhorn from town depending on where you’re staying, so checking the webcams will let you see what the views will be like from different places around Zermatt. This is useful because depending on how the clouds are settled throughout the valley, the Matterhorn could be seen from one mountain station and not another, so checking the different webcams can help you plan out your day and help you decide where you want to go. For the Hornlihutte hike, check webcams for Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, Trockener Steg, and Hirli.
Pack a lunch- Especially if you plan on fitting a lot into the day, we recommend packing a lunch for the Hornlihutte hike. You can eat at the hut itself, and there are restaurants at the Schwarzsee and Furi cable car stations, but if you are planning on doing other hikes, you may not have time to sit at a restaurant and eat. In the morning, we recommend heading to Fuchs Bakery (there are a few locations in Zermatt) for some breakfast food and stuff to pack for lunch, or the night before stop at the Coop or Migros grocery store.
More Zermatt Guides
Looking for things to do in Zermatt after your hike to the Hornlihutte? Be sure to check out all our Zermatt guides!
The Hornlihutte hike in Zermatt was one of our favorite and most rewarding hikes in the Swiss Alps! Are you planning to hike to the Hornlihutte? Let us know if you have any questions and as always, happy hiking!