The Rhône begins as the meltwater of the Rhône Glacier in the Valais, in the Swiss Alps, at an altitude of approximately . From there it flows southwest through Gletsch and the Goms, the uppermost valley region of the Valais before Brig. Shortly before reaching Brig, it receives the waters of the Massa from the Aletsch Glacier. It flows onward through the valley which bears its name and runs initially in a westerly direction about thirty kilometers to Leuk, then southwest about fifty kilometers to Martigny.