Exploring Switzerland: The Message of Water

The Rhône Valley entices with wine, and the mountain communities offer wonderful hiking trails along medieval water channels: Especially in the off-season, the Swiss Valais is quiet and easy to discover.

Maybe one actually starts by simply looking down, here, where otherwise everything reaches for the sky. A few steps down, there are three open boats on the shaded water, and one glides, once everyone is seated, almost silently into a black cave. It takes long enough until the next light to let oneself be atmospherically absorbed into this contrast: outside, the bright luxuriance of the Rhône Valley; inside, barren and cool with only water and stone. A few spots glow high, along the walls, into the vault of marble, slate, and gypsum.

'The acoustics are excellent,' says Cédric Savioz with a French accent and a subdued voice. It's enough to understand him well and get what he means. Savioz runs the Lac Souterrain company, which includes a geology exhibition, souvenir shop, and café. It offers everything needed when 100,000 visitors from March to the end of October want to explore the largest natural underground lake in Europe. We learn: The water is almost constantly eleven degrees Celsius cold, and the air is nearly consistently 15 degrees cool, and the mountain towers 70 meters above us.

But all the data and facts Savioz lists-who can really imagine them?-all of that doesn't say as much in this moment as the crystal-clear sound of his enthusiastic voice, the cool shiver, and the slight eeriness that this mysterious space exudes. It can be a starting point or an endpoint for considering the waterways in Valais, which also lead into this underworld.

'The water is our great treasure,' says Savioz, referring, of course, to the attraction in St. Léonard. But here in the canton of uniqueness, everything is interconnected, the very bottom to the very top. Three of the largest Alpine glaciers-the Aletsch, Gorner, and Fiescher glaciers-feed the rivers. Most of the forty-thousand-foot peaks completely on Swiss territory pierce the sky, namely 22 out of 41 in Switzerland and 82 Alpine peaks in total, with eminences such as the Matterhorn, Weisshorn, or Täschhorn. Hundreds of kilometers of naturally or artificially snow-covered slopes wind their way in winter to Verbier and Zermatt.

In between, far less prominently, run the Suonen, the historic irrigation channels of Valais. They are quintessential for the region and of particular significance. Even though alpine glamour plays out at higher altitudes, the off-season trump cards are the many fabulous hiking trails that run along these medieval water paths.

They charm in lush landscapes until the ski circus premiere; in spring, the apricot and apple trees bloom; in fall, the vines on the southern slopes above the Rhône hold grapes up to the sun.

'The water is our greatest treasure,' says Guillaume Savriacouty-no joke-at the end of an explanation about the Bisses, as the Suonen are called in French, and it doesn't sound like a cliché. He talks about the big picture, including the hydropower that's been utilized for a hundred years. We're touched upon it while walking under his guidance along the Great Suone of Vex, over Veysonnaz towards Nendaz.

It's all about the water, the incline is no steeper than an aqueduct-very comfortable. The route goes 12 kilometers through diverse nature, bright larch forests, dark-mossy coniferous groves, and open meadows, all at a medium altitude of about 1,500 meters between the valley and peaks at the level of the Mayens.

These alpine meadows with huts were and partly still are several-week stops for the cows on their way up to the high pastures in spring and back down in fall. Some of the wooden huts are now also coveted residences: 'Since the pandemic, many have been bought by private individuals and converted into weekend homes,' says Savriacouty. Yet, we meet no one.

The interest is understandable. Along the way, spectacular views through the trees open up: glistening snow peaks, rocky valleys, swaying morning mists above and below the mountain hamlets opposite. Added to this, creaking ravens and the constant gurgling, gushing, and babbling of the watercourse: all seemingly laid fresh for the few visitors.

Leading through picturesque landscapes, studded with sensational views and easy to walk in a morning or afternoon-that's the allure of the trails along a Suone. They can be found throughout Valais; the easternmost is the Trusera near Ernen; the Bisse du Trient runs all the way in the west of Valais to the tongue of the Trient glacier with its ice falls.

'The water is our greatest treasure,' says Guillaume Savriacouty-no joke-at the end of an explanation about the Bisses, as the Suonen are called in French, and it doesn't sound like a cliché. He speaks about the big picture, including the hydropower that's been utilized for a hundred years. We're touched upon it while walking under his guidance along the Great Suone of Vex, over Veysonnaz towards Nendaz.

Today, a caretaker still looks after the maintenance of the Bisse de Vex, which is partly made of wood, runs through ground trenches, but also has concrete or metal beds, stands on stilts, runs briefly underground, and then bubbles its way through rocks again.

'When mountain farmers more and more switched from grain to livestock farming, the irrigation network was also expanded,' explains Savriacouty. The population increased in the 19th century, the railroad reached Sion, trade expanded, and the water channels grew to about 1,500 meters in length, ensuring prosperity along the Valais mountain slopes.

So today, without any use? 'No, we still use the water from the Suone for the vines in the upper part of the vineyards,' explains Jean-Marc Amez-Droz down in the valley. The vineyards of the Celliers de Sion, a collaboration of the traditional producers Varone and Bonvin, extend up the steep slopes behind him.

The Suone can be seen from here, and a hiking trail follows it. Here grow Chasselas, the main yield grape, Petit Arvine, and Cornalin, 'and finally, at the end of October, we harvest Humagne Rouge, a very old indigenous variety in Valais,' says Amez-Droz.

Getting there: You can fly to Zurich or Bern from the northern U.S., but it's also easy to travel by train from many cities. From there, you can also continue by train to Sion in Valais. The last leg to Veysonnaz or Nendaz is via postbus. Between the communities, a Bisses Shuttle operates during hiking season - register with local tourist information.

Attractions: The underground lake of St. Léonard is already open. All information and tickets for about $13 per person are available on the website.

Activities like guided hikes from Veysonnaz or even professional guidance on the local yoga path can be arranged by the tourist office.

Dining: On the route from Veysonnaz to Nendaz, you pass the hamlet of Planchouet. At Gîte de Planchouet, enjoy fine seasonal dishes made with local game, mushrooms, and other regional products. Like elsewhere, cheese fondue is always on offer-even on the delightful sun terrace.

In the opposite direction, though already in Veysonnaz, just before the end of the tour, a detour is worth it to the long-established, cozy mountain inn Les Caboulis, where you can enjoy a regionally focused menu for about 65 Swiss Francs, or around $67, in good weather.

Further Information: The Suonen hiking trails offer varied and easy tours of around three hours in the region around Sion and the whole Valais. The Grand Bisse de Vex, for example, has a total length of twelve kilometers and requires an approximate walking time of 3.5 hours. A comprehensive overview of Suonen hikes is available online.

The trip was supported by Switzerland Tourism. The editorial staff alone decides on the selection and orientation of the content.

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