Pyramids of Euseigne

The pyramids are earth pillars formed in glacial moraine: rain washed away the loose material around a scatter of large boulders, but each boulder sheltered the ground directly beneath it, so columns of compacted till survive under stone caps while everything else eroded. The result is a row of tapering pillars several metres high, each with a rock hat, and they are still slowly being consumed - when a cap finally topples, its pillar goes within a few seasons. The Val d'Herens road runs through the formation in a short tunnel, which is how most people first meet them. A viewing area and a short path allow a closer look, but the pillars themselves are fenced off because approaching accelerates the erosion.

What you actually see

• Capped earth pillars - columns preserved under the boulders that shelter them.
• A road through the formation - the tunnel cut in the Val d'Herens route.
• Ongoing erosion - pillars that fail once their cap falls.
• A short viewing path - the pillars fenced to slow the damage.

When to go

All year. An hour - it is a roadside stop, not a destination.

Honest expectations

Parking is small and awkward on a busy mountain road. You cannot walk among the pillars. The site takes fifteen minutes. Best combined with the drive up Val d'Herens rather than visited alone.

Nearby

Val d'Herens continues to Evolene and Arolla; Sion is down in the Rhone valley.