The story goes that the sheer insurmountable obstacle with bare perpendicular walls of gneiss rock down to the river was bridged by the builders of Stockalper Castle. Napoleon had it opened up by dynamiting a tunnel in 1805 in order to construct the first navigable road crossing the Alps.

Gabi/Gstei on the Simplonstrasse Road is the starting point for the five kilometre long hike through the Gondo Gorge. The Stockalperweg mule track passed this way. Shortly after the lime kiln, you will cross the modern granite bridge. The Alte Kaserne Museum explores the history of the crossings over the Simplon Pass. The trail goes underground to the former military Fort Gondo. It was once a secret fortress which held strategic importance for the region in the 19th century. Tours of the fort are offered. After crossing the Doveria (Pont des Sapins), the path ends in Gondo, whose village centre had to be rebuilt after it was destroyed by a mudslide in the year 2000.

Getting there: From Brig by PostBus or car to the village of Simplon. You can take the PostBus back to the starting point at Brig.