Goppenstein railway station

Goppenstein (1,216 m) is a Swiss hamlet in the canton of Valais, located in the lower Lötschental and traversed by the Lonza river. It belongs to the municipality of Ferden. Goppenstein is mainly known for its railway station on the Lötschberg railway line, at the southern entrance of the Lötschberg Tunnel leading to Kandersteg. Road vehicles can be carried through the tunnel to Kandersteg by open sided car shuttle trains.

Ferden is a municipality in the district of Raron in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. Besides the village of Ferden itself, the municipality includes the hamlet of Goppenstein, and the alpine settlements of Faldum, Resti and Kummen.

Kippel is a municipality in the district of Raron in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.

Wiler (Lötschen) is a municipality in the district of Raron in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.

Stausee Ferden ("Ferden reservoir") is a reservoir on the Lonza river at Ferden, Valais, Switzerland. Its surface area is 10.6 ha (26 acres).

The Chistehorn is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Hohtenn in the canton of Valais. It lies south of the Wannihorn.

The Wannihorn is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, located north of Hohtenn in the canton of Valais. It lies south of the Wilerhorn, on the range between the lower Lötschental and the Jolital.

The Hogleifa is a mountain in the Bernese Alps, overlooking the Lötschental in the canton of Valais. It lies at the western end of the Bietschhorn-Aletschhorn chain.

The Niwen (also known as Einigs Alichji) is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking the Rhone in the upper canton of Valais. It lies in the massif that separates the valley of Leukerbad from the lower Lötschental and that culminates at the Ferdenrothorn.

Hohtenn is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Valais and municipality of Steg-Hohtenn. The station is located on the Lötschberg line of the BLS AG. It takes its name from the village of Hohtenn that lies just over 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from, and 253 metres (830 ft) below, the station.The station is served by the following passenger train: Hohten station is the starting point of the Lötschberg South Ramp walking trail, which parallels the south ramp of the Lötschberg railway as it descends the northern flank of the Rhone valley into Brig. The walk covers the 23 kilometres (14 mi) to Brig, passing by the stations of Ausserberg, Eggerberg and Lalden on the way, and offering views south over the Rhone valley.

The Lötschberg is an Alpine mountain massif, usually associated with a major, historically important transit axis of the Alps in Switzerland with, at its core, the Lötschen Pass (German: Lötschenpass, Swiss German: Lötschepass). The mountain pass, which culminates at nearly 2,700 metres above sea level, are part of the eastern Bernese Alps, whose main crest straddles the border between the cantons of Berne and Valais. The valleys concerned by the Lötschberg are those of the Kander in the Berner Oberland, with Kandersteg at the head of it, and a secluded side-valley of the Upper Valais, the Lötschental, with Ferden at the valley's entrance and at the bottom of the pass. Although the Lötschberg is one of the main north-south axes through the Alps, it is not on the main chain of the Alps, the Pennine Alps, further south, making up the main water divide. As a main north-south axis through the Alps, the Lötschberg is thus completed by the Simplon, between Brig and Domodossola in Italy. The Lötschberg alone constitutes an important shortcut from the Swiss Plateau to the Upper Valais, the alternative route involving a long detour via the lower Rhone Valley (Monthey) around the western end of the Bernese Alps. The Lötschberg is crossed by two railway lines and tunnels. The first line, the Lötschberg railway line was opened to traffic in 1913. It has at its centre the 14.6 kilometre-long Lötschberg (Culmination) Tunnel, with portals in Kandersteg (BE) and Goppenstein (VS). It culminates at a height of 1,240 metres and is the highest railway on the main Swiss network. The second line uses, since 2007, the 34.6 kilometre-long Lötschberg Base Tunnel, which has its portals in Frutigen (BE) and Raron (VS). The maximum height of the new railway is 828 metres. Both railways are connected to the Simplon railway, which runs from Lausanne to Domodossola (and further to Milan) via the Simplon Tunnel. Unlike the Gotthard, the other main north-south axis in Switzerland, the Lötschberg is not crossed by a road pass nor by a road tunnel. However, a car shuttle train is operated between Kandersteg railway station and Goppenstein railway station. The Lötschen Pass itself is the lowest point (2,676 m) on the crest between the Balmhorn to the west and the high range west of the Jungfrau to the east, making up the water divide between the Rhine (north) and the Rhone (south). On the north side of the pass is a two kilometre-long glacier named Lötschengletscher. Although it is a glacier pass, the Lötschen Pass can be crossed by hikers without mountaineering equipment and a mountain hut, the Lötschenpasshütte, is located on the top of the pass. The pass is traversed by a trail (reaching 2,690 m) from Kandersteg via the secluded valley of Gasterntal to Ferden. The complete traverse from the railway station of Kandersteg to that of Goppenstein lasts about 10 hours. On the south side the approach can be shortened by a few hours starting from Lauchernalp, accessible by cable car from Kippel.

The Ferdenrothorn is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, located between Leukerbad and Ferden in the canton of Valais. It lies south of the Balmhorn and overlooks the Lötschen Pass on its north side. Its east side shows well marked folds.