Experiences along the Grand Tour - Canyons

10,000 years ago, 100 billion cubic metres of rock thundered into the valley. Known as the Flims Rockslide, this event created the Ruinaulta, a canyon-like gorge in the Anterior Rhine Valley that can be reached on foot, over water, by train or by bike.

While in the past it was only courageous crystal hunters who braved the Massa Gorge, it is now accessible to the general public thanks to the building of the Gibidem Dam.

Bringing the history to life in the Tamina Gorge. This is the source of the 36.5° C warm thermal waters that have made Bad Ragaz world famous.

The natural wilderness is just a few steps away from the old town of Montreux. The La Baye de Montreux River flows through the gorge from the foot of Rochers-de-Naye into Lake Geneva.

Discover Areuse Gorge. It is a study in contrasts: sometimes wide open, sometimes narrow, with burbling waters and spaces of deep silence.

Inspired by the Niagara Falls and created over seven years of painstaking manual labour: the rock gallery of the Roffla Gorge.

The wildly romantic Taubenloch Gorge near Biel promises a pleasantly cool hike in summer. Plus there’s a free geography lesson thrown in for good measure.

Crossing the Schin Gorge between Tiefencastel, Alvaschein and Sils in Domleschg was not for nervous travellers.

The Schöllenen Gorge stretches from Göschenen to Andermatt in the Gotthard region. It was here over 200 years ago that the French fought the Russians. The Suvorov Monument is a memorial to the fallen.

A trip to the Breggia Gorges is a real time travelling experience. In this part of the Mendrisiotto along the Breggia River you will find some unusual geological formations.

The name is already promising: “Pichoux” means 1,000 springs.

Less than one kilometre from the village square, a thermal source footbridge crosses the Dala Gorge at Leukerbad.

As visitors enter the Valais, they are greeted by impressive mountain cliffs and a waterfall that is, unfortunately, smaller than it used to be.

She was once hated: the wild, deep gorge carved out by the Hinter Rhine was called the “Evil Road” by mule drivers. Today, visitors are drawn to the spectacular expanse of water and rock.

The geological formation in the Clemgia Gorge with its green serpentine interspersions is particularly fascinating. The narrow trail wends its way above the Clemgia up to the end of the gorge, leading alternately through mixed forests and across craggy Bündnerschiefer (slate formations typical of Graubünden).

The Gorner Gorge is one of the most fascinating scenic attractions in Zermatt. It is an easy 20-minute walk from the south end of the village of Zermatt.

Between Broc and Châtel-sur-Montsalvens in the canton of Fribourg lies the spectacular and romantically wild Jaunbach Gorge. Wooden bridges, tunnels and rock galleries make this walk an adventurous excursion for the entire family.

Wallbach Gorge is a cool tip for a hot day. The wide stream bed at the end of the falls and the outdoor grill are both enjoyable places to spend time.

The Trient Gorge was carved out of the Mont Blanc massif by the wild river of the same name. The 200-metre deep gorge is a paradise for both climbers and botanists.

Coloradoschlucht Gorge in the Vaud Jura.

There is quite a contrast between the southern village of Martigny at the elbow of the Rhone and the wilderness of Durnand Gorge, or the Gorges du Durnand as it is called in French.

In the olden days, the road through the Twingi Gorge could be deadly in winter. Before the tunnel between Ausserbinn and Binn was built, the self-sufficient valley would be cut off from the outside world for weeks.

Illgraben is a bowl-shaped, steep-sided mountain basin that towers over the Rhone Valley. It is also one of the key starting points for debris flows in Switzerland.