rhone glacier visit

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How to Get to the Rhône Glacier

• September 22, 2023 January 10, 2024
• Glaciers , Trains

Last Updated on January 10, 2024 by Darla Uhl

The Rhône Glacier is the eighth-largest glacier in Switzerland, the largest in the Uri Alps, and one of the oldest in the Alps. It gave birth to one of Europe’s most important rivers, the Rhône River, which flows through Switzerland and France before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea . In this article, we will discuss how to get to the Rhône Glacier .

For those who want to visit the Rhône Glacier, logistical concerns will inevitably arise. Visiting the Rhône Glacier by public transport isn’t easy. In this article, we will explore your options to visit the Rhône Glacier.

How do you get to Rhône Glacier , Switzerland? Let’s find out.

Overview: Navigating Swiss Transport

You can start by visiting the SBB website:  www.sbb.ch.  Using the website, you can type in your departure and arrival destinations. It will then guide you to where and when you need to be. An app is also available for iOS and Android devices.

If you wish to pay half the fare for all your train rides in Switzerland, a  Half Fare Discount Card (1-month validity) is available on  www.sbb.ch . This allows you to travel for half the price on all SBB routes and most other railways during the duration of your discount card.

Using the Swiss Pass , you get unlimited travel by train, bus, and boat in Switzerland. Over 500 museums are also free or discounted, and there are free or discounted excursions to mountain summits.

Getting tickets from RailEurope is convenient while traveling within Europe and/or visiting multiple countries. Having been in operation since the 1930s, RailEurope ‘s extensive history, user-friendly website and mobile apps, flexible currency payment options, commitment to customer satisfaction, and strategic partnerships with leading rail operators, collectively establish it as a reliable and trustworthy platform for booking European train travel.

You can obtain from RailEurope the following travel passes :

• Swiss Travel Pass – choose between continuous or flexible Swiss train passes for 3, 4, 8, or 15 days. The perks? unlimited use in over 90 Swiss cities, free admission to more than 500 museums , and discounts on mountain railways and cable cars. You also get discounts on high-speed Lyria trains between France and Switzerland as well as Nightjet trains that go through Switzerland. See RailEurope for more information.
• Eurail Global Pass – unlimited train travel to 40,000 destinations in 33 European countries for non-EU residents
• Interrail Global Pass – access to 40,000 destinations in 33 European countries for citizens and permanent residents of the EU

How to Get from Zurich to the Rhône Glacier

If you plan to use public transportation to travel from Zurich, it’s important to note that buses to Furka Pass do NOT run frequently . To ensure you can return on time, I recommend starting your journey in the morning. This way, you can better coordinate your trip and avoid any scheduling issues.

Considering the infrequent bus schedule for this trip, I strongly suggest visiting the SBB website for additional information before you start your journey. This will help you plan your travel more effectively. That said, I strongly suggest either renting a car or staying overnight in Andermatt. This way, you won’t rush through your visit.

To ensure a successful car rental experience, it’s important to conduct thorough research. Browse websites like RentalCars.com to compare cars that fit your needs and budget, and be sure to check for any hidden fees or insurance coverage limitations. Additionally, plan your itinerary and route ahead of time and make yourself aware of local driving rules and regulations.

Once you get to Furka Pass, you can easily get to the Rhône Glacier and the Ice Grotto . The glacier and ice cave are only a short distance away from the entrance gate.

How to Get from Zurich to the Rhône Glacier (6:05 AM Departure)

If you’re an early riser, you’re in luck. The fastest and cheapest way to get to the Rhône Glacier from Zurich is by catching the earliest possible train connection.

• There’s a train departing from Zurich at 6:05 AM headed to Göschenen .
• In Göschenen, take the regional train to Realp .
• In Realp, take Bus 681 (Direction; Oberwald, Bahnhof). Alight at Belvedere Furka .

In Belvedere Furka, go to the Eisgrotte Belvédère am Rhonegletscher and pay the entrance fee to see the Rhône Glacier and the Ice Grotto.

Even though there are other trains and buses later in the day, I think that they might be too late for you to get back to Zurich on time. So, it’s a good idea to stick with the earliest train connection for a safer trip.

How to Get from Zurich to the Rhône Glacier (9:05 AM Departure)

If you can’t catch the 6:05 AM train, there’s another one departing three hours later. Keep in mind that train schedules vary between weekdays and weekends, so it’s a good idea to visit the SBB website to find out the platform’s departure time for your specific day of travel.

• In Zurich, get on the IC 2 Train (Direction: Lugano) and get off at Arth-Goldau .
• In Arth-Goldau, take the regional train to Göschenen .
• In Göschenen, take the regional train to Andermatt .
• In Andermatt, take the regional train to Oberwald .
• In Oberwald, take Bus 681 (Direction: Andermatt, Bahnhof). Alight at Belvedere Furka .

Even though there are other trains and buses later in the day, I think that they might be too late for you to get back to Zurich on time. So, it’s a good idea to stick with the earliest train connection or the 9:05 AM connection for a safer trip.

If you find the schedule and/or transfers too difficult, I strongly suggest either renting a car (check out RentalCars.com ) or staying overnight in Andermatt. This way, you won’t rush through your visit.

How to Get from Andermatt to the Rhône Glacier

You can also catch Bus 681 from Andermatt. If you miss the bus that will take you there directly, you may also take the following train connections:

• In Oberwald, take Bus 681 (Direction: Furka Passhöhe). Alight at Belvedere Furka .

Check out the timetable for Bus 681 to Belvedere Furka from Andermatt and Oberwald VS.

How To Get to the Rhône Glacier by Car

To get to the Rhône Glacier by car , you will have to drive to the Furka Pass , which is open between late May and early November. You can also use a motorcycle or a bike.

You can reach Furka Pass from Andermatt, Uri or Gletsch, Valais .

If you want to learn more about driving on the Furka Pass , you can check out this article: The Legendary Furka Pass in Switzerland .

How to Get to the Rhône Glacier on Foot

You can access all the necessary information for a hike to the Rhône Glacier on the Obergoms Tourist Office’s website: https://www.goms.ch/tour/furkapass-rhonegletscher .

Before embarking on the hike, you will have to make your way to Furka Pass first. In case you have your car, you can park it in the Furka Pass parking lot. From Furka Pass, the 3.64-kilometer circular trail will bring you to the viewpoint over the Rhône Glacier and back.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Keep in mind that rockfalls can happen near the glacier entrances, the grotto, and the surrounding area. Additionally, it’s important to be cautious when staying on the glacier’s tip and near the lake, as there’s a risk of ice melting or ice collapsing in these areas.

How Long Does the Journey to the Rhône Glacier Take?

The following table shows the journey from Zurich to Rhône Glacier (updated December 2023):

How Much Will the Ticket to Belvedere Furka Cost?

As of December 2023, the ticket prices aren’t up on SBB.ch yet. But let’s check out the November 2023 prices to get to Belvedere Furka below:

Am I Allowed to Travel to the Rhône Glacier?

You can get to the Rhône Glacier via Furka Pass as long as the road is open. Furka Pass is only open during the summer , usually starting late May to early November. 

Furka Pass also closes when weather and avalanche conditions are bad. Check https://www.alpen-paesse.ch/ to see if it’s open.

* Disclosure: By clicking on our affiliate links, you may support TouringSwitzerland.com while incurring no additional costs. We appreciate your support!

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Darla Uhl is the owner of TouringSwitzerland.com. Her home is in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Having lived almost 20 years in Switzerland, she's traveled extensively all over the country.

Darla's favorite regions to visit in Switzerland include Engadin, Lake Geneva, Bernese Oberland, Ticino, and Valais. She loves spending time with her family, hiking, visiting museums, and reading books.

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Rhône Glacier Hike, Switzerland

The Rhône Glacier is probably one of the most beautiful and easily accessible glaciers in the Swiss Alps as it requires only a short hike. Or two.

View of the Rhone glacier from the upper panoramic trail.

Yes, there are two hiking options to get to the Rhône Glacier. One free, which will give you the best panoramic views of the glacier and its surroundings, with fantastic views of both the Furkapass and Grimselpass.

The second option requires you to pay an entrance fee, to get close to the glacier and visit the Ice Cave. I’ll describe both options in this post and, regardless of which one you choose, this is definitely one of the best and most accessible glaciers you can visit in the Swiss Alps.

Hotel Belvedere.

Also, this is the location of the famous Hotel Belvedere, probably the most famous Hotel Pass in Switzerland. A very beautiful building, in series need of some TLC.

Table of Contents

Overview of the rhône glacier hike.

Panoramic view of the Rhone Glacier, upper trail.

How to get to the Rhône Glacier and Parking

First off, the glacier is only accessible from late spring to early autumn, and only when the mountain passes are open. At the very least, the Furkapass would need to be open. Potentially the Grimselpass too, depending on where you are coming from. You can check the status of the Furkapass here, as well as the status of all the main Swiss mountain passes.

• Driving Directions : the only way to get there is by driving the Furkapass, from either direction.
• Parking : on busy days, you are unlikely to find parking in front of the Ice Cave entrance. fear not. If you are coming from the Grimselpass or the Valais, you can drive past the Hotel Belvedere and you will find several parking spots on your right. Likewise, if you are coming from the Furkapass/Andermatt direction, I’d recommend parking before the Belvedere Hotel.
• Public Transport : Post Bus 861 running between Andermatt and Oberwald stops by the Belvedere Hotel. The name of the stop is “Belvedere Furka”.

View from the lower trail

The Rhône Glacier Hike Trail

To access the upper trail to the panoramic view, you do not need to pass through the souvenir shop and buy a ticket. The upper trail is free to access; there’s a sign marking it, but you will also see a trail on the side of the road.

From there, it’s a short 5-10 minutes walk to the panoramic view and to the Rhonequelle stone. You can actually continue a birth further too, to another panoramic point. The trail is a little rougher, but do not go too further ahead. See my map below. If you only have time for one hike, do this and save the time/money you would need for the lower trail and Ice cave.

The Souvenirs shop and entrance to the Ice Cave below the upper trail.

The trail leading to the viewpoint above the glacier

To me, this is the best viewpoint of the Rhône Glacier. You can also take a small detour to view the “ Vier Quellen Weg” or “The four sources trail” in English. This is part of a longer trail that connects the sources of the Rhine, Reuss, Ticino and Rhone rivers.

From here, if you want also to do the lower trail, you will have to head back, go through the Souvenir shop, and purchase the access ticket. This will give you access to the lower trail and to the Ice Cave.Both the lower trail and the Ice cave will require an additional 20 minutes or so to visit.

Panoramic view of the Rhone Glacier

The View Quellen Weg Stone by the Rhone river Source

The Rhône Glacier Ice Cave/Ice Grotto

To access the Ice Cave, you’d have to pass through the souvenir shop and buy a ticket. The cost is 9 CHF. For the price of the ticket, you get to see the glacier up close and an Ice Cave.

However, the ice cave is small and did not give the impression to be well-maintained. Also perhaps because the glacier is melting fast. The lighting inside the cave feels a little random ad the site cover drops in in places.

So, is the Rhône Glacier Ice Cave Worth it? Personally, the Rhône Glacier Ice Cave wasn’t worth it. Perhaps because I have visited others. However, if you have never visited one and this is your only chance, then go for it.

If you can and want a better experience, I’d recommend the Titlis Ice Cave instead.

Forecasted progression of the ice melt

The rather “uncelebratory” entrance of the Ice cave. I wasn’t actually sure if it was the entrance or a working area.

Inside the Rhone Glacier ice cave

A less nice area of the Ice Cave, below the cover.

White Blankets Covering the Rhône Glacier to Slow Down Melting

While hiking around the Rhône Glacier, you can’t help but notice the huge white cover on top of it. This has been done to try and slow down the melting rate of the Rhône Glacier, specifically, the one where the Ice Cave is. If you look for photos of how the glacier looked like only a decade ago, like these photos comparing the Rhône glacier in different years , you’ll easily why they resorted to such drastic measures. Sadly, like all Swiss glaciers, it’s going fast.

The giant white cover on the Rhone Glacier.

The Rhône Glacier Hike Photos and Photography Tips

Photographically speaking the best and most panoramic views are on the upper trail, the one freely accessible. Although there are not many different compositional possibilities from up there, I’ve used any focal range between 14mm and 200mm.

On the lower trail, you may have the chance to photograph some small icebergs and get close to the glacier. Still, not much f a panoramic view compared to the upper trail.

There isn’t much to photograph inside the Ice Cave either – if not just as a memory.

Lastly, don’t forget the Hotel Belvedere. If you pass by at night and the sky is clear, with the milky way in the background perhaps.

View of the glacier from the lower trail

Another view from the upper trail, 14mm shot

The Hotel Belvedere

200mm shot of the upper part of the Rhone Glacier

Map of the Rhône Glacier and Ice Cave Hike

Here is the map of the Hike. A GPX track isn’t really needed here, though. Both the upper and the lower trails are very short and visible,

Where to stay

There isn’t really much in the area. The closest accommodations are either toward Obergoms, Andermatt, or the Grimselpass. If you are driving around in a van, it may be possible to spend the night in some parking areas.

Additional Resources

• Here are two amazing nearby hikes: The Sidelhorn and the Gelmersee Hike on the Grimselpass, the Gornergrat and Riffelsee hike in Zermatt , and The Sidelengletscher and Albert Heim Hütte Hike on the Furkapass. Also, check out the mighty Aletsch Glacier hike ! For something a little bit out of the ordinary, check out the Chüebodengletscher and Gerenpass Hike .
• Check out the main Switzerland page for more hikes and an overview of Hiking in Switzerland.

About the Author: Marco

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Gletsch Nature Trail

Obergoms Tourismus AG Furkastrasse 617 3985 Münster VS Phone  +41 (0)27 974 68 68 goms.ch

The name of the village, Gletsch, says it all: it is clearly a place near a glacier. That was indeed the case 150 years ago. Today, the Gletsch Nature Trail bears witness to the once mighty presence of the Rhone Glacier.

The icy tongue of the Rhone Glacier once extended as far as the valley floor and guests at the “Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhône” were able to dine with a view of the ice flow. Lasting just under half an hour, the nature trail runs from the “Glacier du Rhône” hotel in Gletsch by the Furka Pass through the foreland of the Rhone Glacier. Six information points describe moraine walls dating from various eras, pioneer plants, the dynamics of a glacier river (the Rhone in this case), fauna in and alongside the stream, wetlands and low-moor bogs. The “Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhône”, where the atmosphere of the golden age of Alpine passes at the start of the 19th century lives on, is well worth a visit.

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Discover the surroundings.

Obergoms Tourismus AG Furkastrasse 617 3985  Münster VS Switzerland

Phone  +41 (0)27 974 68 68 [email protected] goms.ch Show Route

Obergoms Tourismus AG Furkastrasse 617 3985 Münster VS Phone  +41 (0)27 974 68 68 goms.ch Show Route

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Valais/Wallis Promotion Avenue de Tourbillon 11 1950  Sion +41 (0)27 327 35 90 +41 (0)27 327 35 71 [email protected] Website

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Along the Rhône river

Exploring the Rhône Glacier

Explore the Rhône Glacier and discover the wonders of the Swiss Alps? Take a journey through glacial and geological history to encounter a landscape of striking and ephemeral beauty.

• At the glacial source of the Rhône River

Located in Switzerland, this 8-kilometre long glacier stretches across a valley that has been in existence for several centuries. The Gletsch Valley is home to spectacular ice caves , glacier meltwater lakes and the Furka road from Gletsch to Andermatt.

Dive into the heart of the Swiss Alps to discover the fascinating secrets of the Rhône Glacier.

History of the Rhone Glacier

Geographical features.

The Rhone Glacier is located at the north-eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland, and gives rise to the Rhône river. It begins on the Dammastock massif at 3,600 metres above sea level and descends for 8 kilometres until it gives rise to the Rhône at an altitude of 2,200 metres.

At the height of its course, at 1,000 metres wide , during the Little Ice Age in the 19th century it descended to the foot of the village of Gletsch at an altitude of around 1,800 metres.

In the 1880s and 1890s, heavy snowfall and falling temperatures allowed the glacier to form and expand to its present size.

The formation and expansion of the Rhône Glacier was spectacular and the valley was filled with frozen snow. The glacier expanded into the Goms valley , the trace of which is symbolised by an old ice cave near the Hotel Belvedere, which has now disappeared with the melting * .

Alpine travellers can reach the Rhône Glacier by car via the Furka Pass road, which has linked Gletsch to Andermatt since 1866.

Characteristics of the Rhone Glacier

The Rhône Glacier is located in the Uri Alps at the north-eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland in the district of Goms .

With a length of 8 kilometres, it reaches at its widest 1,000 metres.

From its highest point at around 3,500 metres on the Dammastock massif, the glacier is a nevé or firn, the Eggfirn , which plunges 600 metres downhill.

At around 3,000 metres, the Rhone Glacier joins the Trift Glacier and flows southwards on an increasingly gentle slope.

The glacier is bordered by a rocky bar, a massif and a summit: Dammastock (3,631 metres), Galenstock (3,586 metres), Tieralplistock (3,382 metres), Gärstenhörner (3,183 metres).

It covers an area of 800 hectares , with a constant retreat since the 19th century. For example, the glacier lost 11 metres between 2001 and 2002 and its thickness is decreasing by 25 to 50 centimetres every year.

Since 2020, white tarpaulins have been covering the glacier in summer to limit its gradual disappearance, which is expected by the end of the 21st century.

• Melting glaciers: 2022, sad record in Switzerland, France 3 (French)
• Map of the Rhône river
• Towns and villages along the Rhône
• Where to sleep in the Rhône valley?
• Weather along the Rhône
• Taking the train in Switzerland and France
• Rhône bike road
• Activities and leisure in Switzerland

Rhone Glacier

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• (3.87 mi) Hotel Grimsel Hospiz
• (6.78 mi) Hotel- Restaurant Astoria
• (9.83 mi) Lodge and Hostel Basecamp Andermatt
• (9.68 mi) The Chedi Andermatt
• (9.66 mi) Radisson Blu Hotel Reussen, Andermatt
• (0.06 mi) Restaurant Furkablick
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• (6.56 mi) Locanda Orelli
• (9.95 mi) L'ambasciatore Andermatt
• (9.70 mi) The Restaurant at The Chedi Andermatt

© font83/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Rhône Glacier

Top choice in Valais

Coming from Valais, the mesmerising Rhône Glacier is first seen from the tiny hamlet of Gletsch. This glacier is the source of the Rhône River, which flows the length of Valais, into Lake Geneva, then south to the Mediterranean. Still 8km long, the glacier has lost 1.4km of its length since 1870. Recent frightening calculations estimate it will lose 50% of its ice volume by 2050 and be down to 10% of the present volume by 2100.

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Why The Rhone Glacier Is The Best One To Visit In Switzerland

Switzerland's Rhone Glacier is perhaps the most accessible glacier in Europe and one that offers a very rewarding day trip.

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Rhone glacier - europe's most easy to reach glacier, visit the ice grotto tunnel in the glacier, the rhone glacier is in retreat.

The Rhone Glacier in Switzerland is one of the most stunning and easy-to-reach glaciers in the Swiss Alps. The famous glacier has been easy to access ever since the modern-day Furka pass first opened some 150 years ago. It is a glacier with a memorable Victorian/James Bond hotel and an ice tunnel, and it is a glacier telling the unfortunate story of a global glacial retreat.

The Swiss Alps a famously picturesque and offer some of the most dramatic alpine landscapes in Europe. Switzerland is famous for its alpine trains, and one of the highest places in the world one can reach by train is the "Top of Europe" in Switzerland. The highest one can reach by cable car is Klein Matterhorn at 12,700 feet. If one can afford Switzerland, it is a country with an endless number of alpine adventures to enjoy.

The Rhone Glacier is accessible from the nearby Furka Pass road - the tight turns of the pass make it one of the most stunning roads in Switzerland. Nowhere else in Europe is access to a glacier so easy. Here one can just drive to the glacier, park one's car, and admire the glacier close up (if there's parking space nearby).

• Location: Swiss Canton of Valais
• Road: Furka Pass Road
• Café: There Is A Café Onsite

Rhone Glacier sits in the stunning valley of Goms and is the source of the Rhone River.

The old Victorian hotel built for the glacier may have closed, but at least there is a café at the car park for those visiting the glacier. Just up the road is the Furkablick restaurant.

There, visitors are rewarded with a panoramic glacier viewing platform. Soon there will be a new glacial lake platform because as the glacier melts, a new lake is forming at the end of the glacier.

Related: The Glacier Express: Arguably The Most Scenic Train Ride In The World

One of the most famous attractions to the glacier since Victorian times is the ice grotto. It is a tunnel that has been carved into the glacier since 1870.

• First Carved: 1870
• Altitude: 2,300 Meters Above Sea Level
• Duration: Around 30 Minutes
• Length: 70-100 Meters

Every year, the grotto is carved anew into the ice. When the tunnel is carved, it is around 100 meters long, but the glacier is moving and melting all season long, so by the end of the season, the tunnel is only around 70 meters long.

• Opening Hours: 9.00 am to 6.00 pm
• Admission Fee: 9CHF ($9.50)

It takes around 30 minutes to tour the ice grotto, and visitors can tour it by themselves without a guide. It is an otherworldly experience to walk through a tunnel and ice chamber in a river of ice. It is a unique experience to be inside a glacier and to admire the fine shades of blue from the inside (even if the glacier looks whitish-gray on the outside).

As the glacier is constantly moving, so is the tunnel that is predrilled through it every year. The glacier moves by around 30-40 meters every year. It is a good idea to have closed shoes and warm clothing while going through the grotto.

Related: See Switzerland's Stoosbahn: The World's Steepest Funicular

The Rhone Glacier has been a tourist attraction since the 1800s. The eye-catching Belvedere Hotel was built right at the doorstep of the glacier in the 1880s hotel when on to feature in a James Bond movie. When Sean Connery was filming the James Bond film "Goldfinger," the hotel was still in fall swing, and the glacier had not retreated as much. But since then, the glacier has retreated, and the hotel has closed.

• Retreated: Around 1.2 Miles Up The Mountain

Since the Victoria-era hotel was built for tourists who came to admire the glacier, it has retreated around 2 kilometers or 1.2 miles up the mountain.

Today residues of gray scree and boulders are reminders of where the mighty glacier once flowed. Rhone glacier is not alone; over 500 Swiss glaciers have vanished, with 90% more of the remaining 1500 in danger of following by the end of the century.

The Rhone Glacier has been in retreat for many years now, and authorities are making efforts to steam the worst of the melt. Special blankets are placed on the glacier to slow the melt during hot spells.

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Rhone Glacier

Gletsch is located immediately next to the Rhone Glacier. In those days, the guests of the Hotels Glacier du Rhone were able to dine with a view onto the nearby ice flow. These days one has to hike several kilometres before encountering the glacier. Nonetheless, this hike is very interesting because it is interspersed with many informational signs (in six languages) showing the apron of the glacier in all its splendour. There are moraines from different ages, plants that have found a home in the apron, the dynamics of the ice flow, animals that live here, wet zones and the various types of moors that the glacier has left behind. There is also some information on glaciologists and the science of glaciology.

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Altitude: 2208 - 3620 m Length: 7.8 km

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Rhone Glacier

IMPORTANT NOTICE! The great heat of the last few days has also left its mark on the Rhone Glacier. A strong melting can be observed on the glacier (partly with ice collapses). Due to this fact the already existing lake is getting bigger and bigger.

• Due to the retreat of the glacier, rockfalls can occur in the area of the "exposed slopes" at the accesses to the glacier, the grotto or the surrounding area.
• Also the stay on the glacier tongue as well as in the area of the lake is risky.
• The municipality of Obergoms therefore asks all persons staying in the area of the Rhone glacier  to be aware of this danger and to behave accordingly (self-responsibility) . (July 2022 / Municipality of Obergoms)

Rhone Glacier 3999 Belvedere Schweiz

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Rhone Glacier, Switzerland

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High in the Alps of south-central Switzerland, the Rhone Glacier tips southward from the southern slopes of the massive Dammastock Peak. As the source of the Rhone River, the glacier is one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva, about 155 kilometers (96 miles) downstream to the west. During the Ice Age, the Rhone Glacier would have filled the long, narrow valley through which the river now flows. Today, small alpine towns overlook the valley, offering stopping over points for sight-seers and adventurers.

This pair of images from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite shows the rugged terrain of south-central Switzerland, with a close-up view of the Rhone Glacier (below). Made from a combination of visible and infrared light that ASTER detected, the image shows snow in white, vegetation in red, and water in bright or deep blue. Glaciers appear bluish-gray, sometimes dusted with white. Between the vegetation line and the snow cap, bare gray-brown rock is exposed on many of the mountain slopes. The image was captured on August 24, 2001.

Although glaciers have been retreating in the Alps and other mountain locations since the end of the Ice Age, change in the last few decades has been rapid. This recent, rapid decline in glaciers is almost certainly due to human-caused global warming. The Rhone is one of the region’s shrinking glaciers. Tourist towns such as Gletsch, which depend on the attraction of the glacier, are reportedly going to heroic lengths to protect the glacier during the hot summers, covering the terminus of the glacier with insulating blankets to try to slow the melt. The retreat of glaciers in the Alps doesn’just affect tourism. The glaciers are an important part of the water supply, and the melting and crumbling of glacier margins can destabilize steep mountain slopes, causing avalanches of rock and ice.

• State of the Cryosphere: Glaciers from the National Snow and Ice Data Center
• View of the Bernese Alps, including Rhone Glacier from the International Space Station

NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.

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