High in the Alps, at 2365m/7759ft above sea level, at the head of the Dixence Valley, stands the Grande Dixence Dam. 285m/935ft tall, it’s the highest dam in Europe and the largest of its kind in the world; by volume, it’s larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza. During the summer you can tour the inside of the dam: Swiss engineering on a massive scale. The outdoor view from the top of the dam is heady--glaciated peaks above a milky blue lake to the south, pastoral valley sloping down to the Rhône to the north... From the dam itself you can go hiking on the ‘sentier des bouquetins’ (trail of the Ibexes). Wildflowers in the high meadows are almost a sure bet...maybe you’ll see some of the namesake alpine goats...
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from the highest dam in Europe...
High in the Alps, at 2365m/7759ft above sea level, at the head of the Dixence Valley, stands the Grande Dixence Dam. 285m/935ft tall, it’s the highest dam in Europe and the largest of its kind in the world; by volume, it’s larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza. During the summer you can tour the inside of the dam: Swiss engineering on a massive scale. The outdoor view from the top of the dam is heady--glaciated peaks above a milky blue lake to the south, pastoral valley sloping down to the Rhône to the north... From the dam itself you can go hiking on the ‘sentier des bouquetins’ (trail of the Ibexes). Wildflowers in the high meadows are almost a sure bet...maybe you’ll see some of the namesake alpine goats...
