Derborence Nature Reserve

The Derborence Nature Reserve is a small, remote valley in the Valais Alps, below the Diablerets massif, where a great rockslide in the 18th century produced one of the most unusual landscapes in Switzerland. In 1714 a huge mass of rock fell from the Diablerets onto the valley floor, burying alpine huts and killing a number of herdsmen, and in 1749 a second rockslide followed. The debris dammed the stream, creating a lake, and left a chaotic field of boulders that covers the valley floor. The place name became known well beyond Switzerland through the writer Charles Ferdinand Ramuz, whose 1934 novel Derborence is set in the aftermath of the first slide.

What makes the reserve special is what grew afterwards. The rockfall zone has been left to nature, and without logging or grazing a forest has grown back over the boulders, a dense, old growth stand of spruce and fir with fallen logs, moss and dead wood. Forests of this kind are very rare in the Swiss Alps, where almost all woodland has been managed for centuries, and the reserve is valued by ecologists as a place where natural forest processes can be observed. The trees grow in the gaps between rocks, the ground is uneven and wet, and the atmosphere is quiet and slightly mysterious. Deer, chamois and many birds live in the woods, and rare insects and fungi depend on the dead wood.

The Lac de Derborence, formed by the rockfall dam, lies in the centre of the valley, a small, calm lake with clear, green water that reflects the cliffs of the Diablerets on a still day. A path loops around the lake and through the forest, and wooden walkways and information boards make the route easy to follow. The surrounding mountains rise in steep walls, and in early summer waterfalls pour from the cliffs. It is a good place for a short walk, a picnic or a day of exploring on foot, and longer trails climb to alpine pastures and passes.

The valley is reached by a narrow, winding mountain road from the Rhone valley that passes through short tunnels cut into the rock and is only wide enough for one vehicle in places, so drive carefully and expect to wait for oncoming traffic. The road is usually open in summer and closed by snow in winter. Check access and weather before you go, as rockfall and storms can also close it.

The reserve suits walkers, nature lovers, photographers and readers of Ramuz. Allow half a day, bring waterproof footwear and do not leave the marked paths.