Saas-Almagel Travel Guide

 sandysmith Says:  At the beginning of the path from the dam it is quite narrow and may be wet from the many waterfalls that cascade down from the snow melt waters high above. This walk coukd be even more interesting after a heavy rainfall! 

 sandysmith Says:  As the circuit around the dam was not accessible and the next bus back was 2 hours away we decided to make good use of our time and walk back to Saas-Almagel by a high ridge path back down towards the valley. This took about 2-3 hours and our reward was some fine views of... 

 sandysmith Says:  The road snakes its way up to the Mattmark Dam. Half way up is the power station which can be toured once a week with arrangement at the tourist office. We didn't do this tour but I think it was availbale on Tuesdays. 

 sandysmith Says:  The Mattmark reservoir at 2200 m is the biggest earth dam in Europe. Apparently it’s an easy, flat hike around the reservoir - takes about 2 1/2 hrs. but unfortunately the road had been closed off due to a partial rock fall.You could still get a good view of the scenery... 

 sandysmith Says:  A nice little mountain restaurant with a relaxing sun terrace just by the hamlet of Fuggstalden above Saas-Almagel. Try to ignore the plastic sheep in front of the restaurant though ! Appel strudel with vanilla sauce and cream with fruits :-) 

 sandysmith Says:  The Almagelleralp is a long valley above Saas-Amalgel. Its a pleasant spot to walk amongst the alpine flowers to the restaurant up here for a picnic or lunch. It can be reached from Kreuzboden at Saas Grund - a pleasant ridge walk around the mountain (2-3 hours) or about an... 

 sandysmith Says:  From the Almagelleralp you can return to Saas Almagel the easy way by following the path down alongside the river or for something a bit more exciting across the adventurous trail around the Almagellerhorn via its various ladders and rope bridgs to the oldest hamlet still in... 

 sandysmith Says:  An alternative to reachiing Furggstalden if you cannot face the adventure trail is to take the easy forest path up from Saas Almagel. Walking time is only about 40 minutes but its also an educational trail as there are various info boards en route about the local flora and... 

 sandysmith Says:  The quaint old hamlet of Furggstalden awaits you at the end of the adventure trail. Just a handful of the traditional valais barns on the meadow up here plus a couple of relaxing restautants with sun terraces facing the opposite mountains of Saas Fee - a perfect place for an... 

 sandysmith Says:  At the end of the forest walk into Saas Almagel cross the bridge over the river into the village centre. Just across from the duck pond is a fine view of the moutains around the Mattmark Dam. Watch out for the ducks on the village pond here as they always seem to be hungrry! 

 sandysmith Says:  There are paths leading down from the forest to a lower valley path into the village but stay on the higher path and you will have fine views of the village of Saas Almagel. 

 sandysmith Says:  Its an easy broad forest trail from Saas-Fee (1800 m) to Saas-Almagell (1672 m). Half the way down the restaurant Bodmen is an inviting place to stop for a coffee and cake with its sunny terrace. The village seen below is Saas Grund - the other main village in the Saastal. 

 sandysmith Says:  Saas-Almagell is just a ten minute bus ride away from Saas Fee - our base in the Saastal but the pleasant way of getting there was a 40 minute stroll down a forest path into the village. Cross the panoramic bridge over the gorge in Saas Fee and take the path to the left.