| Region: | Engadin, Graubünden, Switzerland |
| Start: | Corvatschbahn cable car |
| End: | Pontresina train station |
| Car: | Parking at Pontresina train station (Cuntschet 47 7504 Pontresina) or Corvatschbahn (Via dal Corvatsch 64 7513 Silvaplana) 10 mins from St Moritz, 3hr30 from Zürich |
| Public transport: | Bus stop: Surlej, Corvatschbahn 22 mins from St Moritz, 4hr from Zürich HB |
| Trail: | 13 km one way, about 5.5 hours |
| Elevation: | highest point 2740m |
| Skill: | moderate red/white mountain trail, Swiss trail rating T1/T2 |
| Condition: | narrow footpath, no strollers |
| Services: | hut and mountain restaurant along the trail |
| Cost 2020: | One way cable car CHF 29/adult Reductions for SBB GA & Half-fare. Junior card accepted. Included in the Engadin Mountain Railways Included pass |
| Open: | July to mid-October |
| More info: | www.corvatsch.ch |
Overview
This trail is located in southeastern Switzerland in the Engadin region near St. Mortiz.
This is a one-way trail starting at the Murtèl middle station of the Corvatschbahn. It hikes over the Fuorcla Surlej pass, down the mountain to Val Roseg and follows the river through the valley to Pontresina. You can return to your starting point by train/bus.
The trail is only difficult because of the long, sometimes steep descent from the pass down to Val Roseg. Otherwise, the walking in the valley is quite easy.
After 2.15 km (less than an hour), there is a hut at the Fuorcla serving drinks and simple meals. After 6.2 km (about 3 hrs), you reach the Val Roseg valley where there is a hotel and restaurant with more elaborate meals, a great place to stop. At Val Roseg, you can ride a horse carriage the remaining 7km to Pontresina. It’s expensive (CHF 20/adult) but might be worth it. For a longer adventure, you can hike to the Chamanna Coaz hut and maybe stay overnight.
Shorter version: You can hike from Corvatsch Murtèl to Fuorcla Surlej, have a picnic at the lake or eat at the hut, then hike back. Total 4.5 km.
Getting There
By car: Since this is a one-way trail, you’ll need to use public transportation to connect your start and end points. We chose to park the car at the end point at the Pontresina train station (Cuntschet 47 7504 Pontresina) and take a bus to our starting point at Surlej, Corvatschbahn. Bus 1 is a direct connection, running hourly on the xx:24 and taking about 34 mins. This one-way bus fare is inexpensive at CHF 8.40 full fare.
At the end of the hike, we saw that there is a parking lot for this trail (GPS: 46°29’25.5″N 9°53’58.7″E). You might choose to park here instead of at the nearby train station. It costs CHF 1/hr.
Alternatively, you could park at the Corvatschbahn (Via dal Corvatsch 64 7513 Silvaplana) and take the bus at the end of the day. But then you might have to wait a long time for the bus in Pontresina.
By public transport: Take a bus to Surlej, Corvatschbahn, which drops directly at the cable car station. The hike ends at the Pontresina train station, where you can catch a train or bus back to your starting point.
Tickets & Operating Times
You need a one-way cable car ticket from Surlej to Murtèl. In 2020, this costs CHF 29/adult. Reductions for SBB GA, Half-fare, Day pass, Swiss Travel Pass and children. SBB Junior Card and children under 6 ride free. Check current prices.
The cable car runs every 20 mins from 8:25 – 16:45 (until 17:05 in summer). Summer season is from mid-June through mid-October. Check current operating times.
If you want to ride to the top of Corvatsch to catch the views before hiking, you’ll need a one-way ticket to and a round trip ticket between Murtèl to Corvatsch.
1. Riding up the Corvatschbahn
This trail starts at the Murtèl middle station shown here.
But you could optionally ride up to the Corvatsch peak to catch the views before hiking. We did that because we had the Engadin Mountain Railways Included pass so it didn’t cost us extra. The cable car runs every 20 mins. We only stayed on the top for 20 mins and caught the next cable car down.
The views are very nice at Corvatsch but not much to do up there. There’s a restaurant and small observation deck. But you can’t walk around on the peak, everything was blocked off.
Views north toward St Mortiz.
2. Hiking from Murtèl to Fuorcla
We rode back down to Murtèl then followed signs to Fuorcla Surlej, which took us about 45 mins, a bit quicker than the sign and we weren’t walking particularly fast.
It’s an easy path, slightly uphill for about an hour until you reach the pass.
Looking back on the trail.
A bit steeper with some switchback as you near the pass.
3. The pass at Fuorcla Surlej
When you reach the pass, you are rewarded with this amazing view – a nice surprise!
So peaceful here. It was too early in the hike for lunch, but we took a break and had some snacks.
There’s a hut here serving drinks and simple meals.
3. Hiking down to Val Roseg
Now starts the long downhill to the Val Roseg valley.
The trail splits near the top. Follow signs to Val Roseg to your left, not to Chamanna Coaz, which is a hut far up the valley. You’ll notice that Pontresina is sometimes spelled “Puntraschigna” on the trail signs. It’s the same place.
It’s a stunningly beautiful valley. You’ll be looking at it for the next couple hours, so enjoy.
Eventually you’ll see a super blue lake in the distance. Unfortunately your trail doesn’t lead here. That lake is near the Chamanna Coaz Hut, which is accessed by that other trail we saw earlier. We’ll just have to come back and hike there next time.
Getting closer to the river valley. It took us about 1hr20 walking time to get down the mountain, plus breaks.
4. Lunch at Hotel Roseg
The long downhill ends at Hotel Roseg where you should definitely have lunch. It can get really busy there so you might have to wait a bit for a table. If you know what time you will be there, you can reserve a table.
They have lots of seating on their outdoor patio, which also has a small playground. FYI, the prices were higher than normal, with the main dishes costing between CHF 40-50. We had the pasta dishes which were around CHF 25. They also have a kids menu. You can pay with a card.
The best part was their dessert buffet which has so many different kinds of cakes and creams that I had to get two. For Covid times, it’s not self-serve but attended by a server that fills your plate as instructed. Most cakes are about CHF 7. You tell them your table number and it’s added to your bill.
If you don’t want to walk the remaining 7k to Pontresina, you can ride on one of the horse carriages. In July and August, it generally runs hourly on the xx:45 and takes about an hour to reach Pontresina. Check the schedule before making your plans. A one-way ride costs CHF 20/adult, CHF 10/child aged 4-12, under 4 free. It’s best to book ahead if you definitely want a ride. www.engadin-kutschen.ch
5. Walking along river to Pontresina
Once your tummy is full, walk out to the river to join the trail.
The path starts along the right side of the river. Now it’s easy walking to Pontresina. It’s a long way but not difficult.
You’ll walk on the dirt road for awhile, which was not my favorite. It was quite hot in the sun.
Eventually the walking path diverges from the road and I was much happier. We also got some welcome shade in the forest.
In the forest, there are several activity stations that are part of a children’s theme trail.
Make sure to stop at this swing to enjoy one last view before it’s all over. Best swing in all of Switzerland I think.
It took us about 1hr45 to get from the hotel to Pontresina. We were on the trail for about 7 hrs including breaks, about 4 hrs actual walking time.
