This description of the Hornlihutte (Hornli Hut) trail starts on the Matterhorn Plateau at Schwarzsee, reached by taking the Matterhorn Paradise. If you choose to walk from Zermatt to Schwarzsee add four to five miles (depending on the route) and 3,100-ft. in elevation gain to the hike. The hike difficulty for Hornlihutte was medium. From Schwarzsee to the start of the ridge you are on a red and white marked trail that is quite simple, although even on that trail there are rocky sections and a few drop-offs although nothing dramatic. Once up on the ridge it is a blue and white alpine trail. This means stop walking if you aren’t up for a bit of a challenge. There was nothing extreme on the trail but you can expect drop-offs, a few ladders and a little bit of clambering up rocks.

Schwarzsee to Hornlihutte is 4km with 715 meters of incline. Obviously you have to come back down to Schwarzsee so that is a minimum of 8 km. However, if you go for sunset or miss the last 4:30 pm cable car, you will need to walk all the way back to Zermatt.  We took 6 hours for the whole trip arriving at the cable car at 4 pm. It includes the cable car ride, 1 hour rest at the hut and lots of phototaking session. So, the advice is start very early if you intend to do this hike in one day. The Matterhorn is also famous for its cloud, which is more likely to form as the day progresses.