The Euseigne Pyramids are moraine columns capped with boulders, located where the Val d’Hérens meets the Val d’Hérémence. You can see them up close from the old cantonal road, now pedestrianised, right at the foot of the formations.
Natural curiosity
Euseigne Pyramids
Main highlights
- Moraine columns 10 to 15 m high capped with large boulders that protect them from erosion
- Natural site of national importance, nicknamed “fairy chimneys” or “hoodoos”
- Footpath at the foot of the site along the old cantonal road, since bypassed by a tunnel
Overview
The Euseigne Pyramids are mounds of moraine 10 to 15 m high, most of them topped by a large boulder. They formed at the end of the last Würm glaciation, roughly 80,000 to 10,000 years ago. As it retreated, the glacier left behind a compact moraine dotted with boulders.
Rain and meltwater then exposed these stones. Thanks to their weight and size, they protect the earth cones beneath them from erosion. The site is listed as a natural site of national importance and is protected.
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What to see and do
On site, you can take a close look at the moraine composition of the cones. Each pyramid illustrates glacial retreat and the process of differential erosion : earth protected by a boulder stays in place, while the surrounding soil is washed away. The site helps you understand the glacial processes that shaped the entire Alpine region.
A tunnel now bypasses the pyramids. The old cantonal road that ran beneath the formations has become a footpath, which protects the site and gives you access right to the foot of the columns for a close-up view.
The spot is ideal for photography. In winter, snow highlights the contours of the cones and the boulders that cap them.
Practical information
Getting there : from Sion, follow the Val d’Hérens road towards Hérémence. The pyramids are just before the village of Euseigne.
On site : parking spaces just past the pyramids.
Visit duration : allow 15 to 30 minutes depending on your interest in geology.
Suitable for : easily accessible site, suitable for families with children.
Visitor tips
Come early in the morning or late in the afternoon for low-angled light and fewer crowds, especially in summer.
Do not climb on the pyramids : these formations are fragile and protected. Stay on the footpath to view them.
Nearby
- Tourbillon Castle, former residence of the Bishops of Sion, offers a panoramic view over the capital of Valais.
- The Church of St. Nicholas, a Baroque building in the centre of Hérémence, is a fine example of Valais sacred art.
- The Longeborgne Hermitage, a pilgrimage site nestled in a cliff of the Borgne gorge, overlooks Bramois.
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