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Via ferrata Belvédère

Belvédère via ferrata is a 450 meter-long beginners’ route. It goes up to a viewpoint over the Rhone Valley in the Swiss Valais. It’s a route for the whole family even though its overhang section can intimidate the youngest children or those starting out in this activity.

K2SwitzerlandVia ferrataFor beginners

Location

NaxHérensValaisSwitzerland Technical description Via ferrata builders

• provertical.ch - NAX
• Year: 2000

Downloadable files

How to get there

» We leave Sion taking the road that goes up to Nax, the Route du Nax. It’ll take about 13 minutes to the parking lot from the E62 highway. We’ll see a bus stop (386-388 bus-lines), a large indicative sign post about the via ferrata and a metallic sculpture portraying a climber when we’re in a very sharp turn to the right. This is the exact location of the parking lot in Gmaps.
» Another option is to continue up the road and park near the Nax viewpoint, Balcon du Ciel, and retrace our steps down to the beginning of the via ferrata. The parking lot next to Nax viewpoint.

Getting closer

» If we park at the bottom we’ll have to follow a dirt track on the right hand side of the sculpture. We’ll go down slightly and divert to the left leaving the information signposts behind, and we’ll see the start of the ferrata after taking an uphill turn to the right. 10 minutes.
» If we park at the top we’ll have to look for the Balcon du Ciel viewpoint and follow the path down on the western face of the mountain. The path is very steep and it has patches of very slippery loose rocks. After 250 metres we’ll take the left path at the diversion, where we’ll go into the forest and we’ll continue our way far from the wall, prone to rock falls. The path leads us to a wide dirt track with the informative signpost of the via ferrata and the directions to get to the starting point. 35 minutes.

The route

Start of the vía ferrata -very popular itinerary among families-

From the wide range of Swiss via ferrata on offer, the Belvédère one is considered an itinerary for families. In Switzerland, this kind of via ferrata is prepared to secure your seconds with ropes in the pigtails when it’s time to change lifelines. In these itineraries the level of difficulty is always moderate, but you shouldn’t relax if you’re doing the route with kids under 1.50 metres tall.

Like in France, here in Switzerland it’s common to see large groups of different ages sharing an activity. If you want to avoid excessive queuing or having to wait or overtake, you should do the route first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening.

Belvédère via ferrata is not your typical beginners’ route. It’s a K2 verging on a K3 if it weren’t for only one stretch: the difficult overhang shortly after the starting point. This stretch would be the reason we wouldn’t do this route as a first-time ferrata, but for kids or adults with some experience, it is recommendable.

We’ll find another vertical section exiting the overhang, and then we’ll reach another interesting spot on this first part of the route: a short Tibetan bridge with amazing views. Here the complication is the cumbersome exit rather than the bridge itself, which is easy to overcome.

Not a very smooth exit of the tibetan bridge

A vertical section awaits us after the bridge, and soon we’ll start a flank to the right that leads us to a second vertical section, less exposed and not as steep. We’ll alternate between ascending and walking, secured with our lifelines. This second part is somewhat monotonous, but we’ll enjoy it thanks to the open views and the informative signposts about the fauna, flora and myths of the region, in which the Asp viper and the Peregrine falcon feature as main characters.

We’ll cross our second Tibetan bridge, a 3 metre-long one. There used to be an exit half-way along the route that took us down to the Grand Paradís camping site and that joined the return path, but it was closed due to landslides a few years back. Now we have to do the entire route, there is no escape.

Once at the summit, the Belvédère -1,230 m- we should take advantage of the occasion and go up to the Balcon du Ciel viewpoint -1,300 m.- If we parked at the top it’s a must. The way up is steep and slippery but the great views over the Rhone Valley are more than worth the effort. There is an informative signpost detailing all the summits, some over 3,000 metres like les Diablerets, the highest one in western Switzerland.
This via ferrata stays open throughout the year, contrary to many others in the country. You can do it together with the nearby ferrata Evolène Region, a K5 with excellent equipment.

Oficial video

Oficina de turismo de Nax - Region

The way back

» We’ll go back along the same path we took to go up. We’ll take a diversion to the left after 250 metres; we won’t continue straight on since we’d get to the summit of the ferrata. We go into the forest, further away from the wall, where there have been landslides. The path leaves us on the wide approach dirt track. 35 minutes.
» If we parked at the top we’ll just have to get the car, close to the viewpoint. 2 minutes.

Bibliography

Nax Region

Nearby routes

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