Once in Gressoney-La-Trinité, park the car near the Punta Jolanda chairlift and, after crossing the torrent on an arched bridge, head to the orographic right near the Welf food store, where the trail begins. The first part, which is rather steep, leads through a larch forest past the remains of an old copper mine, the mining of which was discontinued in 1941.
Shortly afterwards, the trail leaves the forest and with a few hairpin bends moves to the right before reaching a plateau where the Hockene Stei alpine pasture (2313 m) is located. A stop here is a must. In the middle of summer, it is easy to encounter a herd of cows grazing on flower-filled pastures overlooking the valley below, with the Monte Rosa chain as a background. The route then continues to the right, crossing a slightly uphill grassy slope before turning left and ascending a steeper, rocky section that leads to a col. Contrary to what one might imagine when looking at the mountain from below, this does not lead to a ridge, but to a plateau of rocks and red earth, which, ascending slightly to the right, leads to the summit of the Rothorn marked by a wrought-iron cross. The surrounding landscape is magnificent: to the north the Monte Rosa massif, to the west the Testa Grigia (3315 m), to the east the aerial view of the upper end of the Valle del Lys, and to the south a wide gravelly area dotted with tiny, brightly coloured flowers.
The descent is along the route of the ascent.
