Trupchen Valley Hike in Swiss National Park

This hike in the Swiss National Park was my favorite Golden Larch trail of our visit in late October this year. The long valley is packed full of larch trees, so we were enjoying the bright colors the entire hike. It also has tall mountain peaks, a winding river, and the occasional wildlife if you know where to look.

For our teens, it was the perfect length and difficulty for a day hike, a bit of effort but not too hard that anyone complained. Even though it’s apparently the most popular in the Swiss National Park (well deserved!), we didn’t find it excessively crowded on a sunny weekday during the school holidays, though weekends may be another story.

If you need a shorter hike, you can trim off about an hour of your hike by riding the Express Parc Naziunel shuttle into the valley.

Gallery

Location

This hike is located in the Swiss National Park in southeast Switzerland, near Zernez. This park does not have an entrance fee. It does have special rules, like no dogs, no fires, no drones, no camping, no leaving the path, etc. 

Trail overview

The closest village and train station is S-chanf (1). The trail starts at the Prasüras parking lot (2) where you’ll find a cafe, toilets, picnic area and ropes climbing park. The trail hikes up the valley to Alp Trupchen (3), which is simply alpine meadows at the end of the valley. There are no services at the end of the valley. 

Near the end of the trail, there is a fenced designated picnic and wildlife observation area (3), the only place where you are allowed to sit off the trail. On the way back, we ate at the Parkhütte Varusch restaurant. Then another 2 km to the parking. There is also a shuttle bus that goes between the parking at Parkhütte Varusch.

The national park service offers a guided wildlife observation hike in this valley. Learn more.

Hiking map

The trail is a 14.2km loop. We hiked it counterclockwise, starting on the shady side of the mountain with views to the sunny side. I thought this was a good choice.

View map on Komoot • SchweizMobil • OutdoorActive

The path is a typical mountain hiking trail, mostly a narrow dirt footpath with uneven terrain and some stairs. I would not call it an exposed trail, but there are a few sections where the hill slopes steeply to one side. 

This trail is the official national Route 811 Senda Val Trupchen.

How to get there

You can drive or take a bus directly to the start of the trail at Präsuras.

By car

Drive towards S-chanf, then follow signs to Val Trupchen and the Prasüras parking at : 46°37’04.7″N 10°00’36.3″E. The first parking lot is closer to the ropes climbing park. Keep drive to reach a second parking lot next to the cafe. The trail starts here. On busy days, you may have to park in the lower lot. As of 2023, parking is free.

By public transport

You can ride Bus 7 to S chanf, Parc Naziunal, the bus stop at the start of the trail. This bus typically runs from early June to the third week of October. Your exact connection depends on your starting point. From St Moritz, it takes about 40 mins. From Scuol, about 1hour. Find your connection on SBB.ch.

If you plan to participate in a guided hike or other National Park offer, you can get a discount on your public transport. See FahrtZiel-Natur.ch for more info. 

If you want to visit after the bus stops running, you can take a train to S-chanf. Then a 30 min walk (2km) to the park entrance. But please note that the park rules forbid entry during winter.

AlpinTrans shuttle bus

From June to mid October, you can reach this trail with the AlpinTrans shuttle bus. This special bus runs from Zuoz to S-chanf to Prasüras and another 2 km up the trail to Parthütte Varusch. It runs a few times per day and costs from CHF 5 – 11 depending on how far you ride. You pay in cash or with TWINT. No reservations except for large groups.

If you drive to Prasüras, you can ride this shuttle from the parking to Parkhütte Varusch, skipping the first 2 km of the trail. In this case, it costs CHF 5 each way.

Opening hours

The park does not have a gate to restrict access. But the national park rules forbid entry to the park at night and during winter. One sign said that you could not hike in the area before 8:00, so you do not disturb the animals. Please read all signs to make sure you are following the rules.

Where to eat

At the parking lot, you’ll find a small cafe that is open from mid May to mid October. Behind the cafe, there is a picnic area with a grill and tables as well as a big playground.

About 2 km up the north side of the trail, you’ll find Parkhütte Varusch (see on map), which has a restaurant with lots of outdoor seating. We ate a late lunch there near the end of our hike. They are typically open from the beginning of June to third weekend of October.

From June to mid October, the AlpinTrans shuttle bus takes you directly to Varusch, skipping the first 2km of the trail. This special shuttle runs between Zuoz via S-chanf and Prasüras to Varusch. It runs a few times per day and costs from CHF 5 – 11 depending on how are you ride. You pay in cash or with TWINT. No reservations except for large groups.

Toilets

At the parking, there are free toilets at the cafe. At Parkhütte Varusch, there are toilets for customers. If you are not a customer, I think they ask you to pay a small fee to cover their costs.

Photo story of trail

The pictures here were taken on 17 Oct 2023. The larch trees were just starting to turn in this area. Typically the larches would be at peak color around 25 Oct to 5 Nov.

Before starting your hike, familiarize yourself with the park rules. We saw two park rangers during our hike enforcing the rules.

Trail sign at the beginning of the trail. We stayed on Route 811: Senda val Trupchen. We did the loop counterclockwise, starting on the west side of the river.

The trail starts behind the cafe, passing through the picnic area.

There is a very nice playground in the forest above the cafe, next to the picnic area.

The trail starts uphill in the forest.

Even though you are often in the forest on this side of the trail, you very often get open views of the other side of the valley.

Looking up the valley. In mid October, The larch trees were in various states of turning colors.

The first half of the trail has many sections in the shady forest. On cold days, the temperature drops quickly when you leave the sun.

Crossing a nice river near the beginning of the trail.

Joining a service road for a couple minutes. There wasn’t a trail sign, but turn left and you’ll see a sign soon.

Joining the trail again, leaving the road and heading into the forest.

The trail on this side is much higher up the mountain than the other side, making for dramatic views down into the valley.

Looking back on the trail. The path winds around many hills, making for a curvy route.

Getting prettier every minute.

In the national park, you are not allowed to leave the trail, even for a picnic. So we took a short break here on the trail.

The forest gets less dense as you approach the peaks.

We crossed a few landslide areas. Could be a little trick in very wet weather.

Arriving at Alp Trupchen

After about 2 hours, we arrived at this bridge, much photographed and promoted by the tourism website. Just after the bridge, you join with the other side of the trail, then turn right to hike the last bit to the end of the valley. There was a park ranger waiting here and directing people to the official rest area.

Hiking the last bit to Alp Trupchen, the end of this trail.

You’ll pass the official “rest area” where you can picnic and look for wild animals. Lots of people had binoculars and were spotting animals on the opposite hillside.

As you head up the valley, you cross a large dry river bed. I don’t know if it has water in spring and summer. 

The 811 trail “ends” at this

At Alp Trupchen, you’ll see this hut, but it’s not public and does not serve food or have toilets.

View at the end of the valley. 

Looping back

Now walk back the way you came. After passing the bridge, stay on the trail on the right side of the valley.

This side is less forested than the first half, dipping up and down the hillside above the river.

Looking back up river.

Some steep descents on this side, some with stairs and switchbacks in the forest.

Some parts are down by the river with some bridges.

Another bridge and easy walking by the river.

I kept turning around and taking lots of pics, the colors changing as the afternoon light faded.

A few grassy sections.

Parkhütte Varusch

From Alp Trupchen, it took us a little over an hour to reach Parhhütte Varusch, which as a restaurant and toilets. They have lots of outdoor seating with a beautiful view of the larches.

We enjoyed these lounge chairs in the sun.

If you don’t want to walk anymore, you can catch the park shuttle just below Varusch. It costs CHF 5/person to get to the parking.

We chose to walk back, which took about another hour. At this sign, we were a little confused. It points left over the bridge to the trail we hiked up in the morning. We wanted to see something different, so we stayed on the service road instead.

I liked the view from the road and it was easier to manage at the end of the day when our legs were tired.

Nice sections along the river. We finished the hike at 17:00 and the light was really fading fast.

FAQ

Can I bring dogs on this trail?

No, dogs are not allowed in the Swiss National Park, even on a lead.

What to wear

This hike is best done with sturdy hiking shoes with good tread. I found my hiking sticks helpful on some parts of the trail, but not absolutely necessary.

This is a mountain hike, so weather and temperatures can change quickly. Dress appropriate to the weather forecast, bringing layers like a fleece and windbreaker/rain jacket as needed. This trail does not have thick undergrowth, so shorts would be fine for a hot day.

Since the trail is in the forest, you have a higher risk for ticks. Consider using a tick spray and getting the tick vaccination. 

What to bring

I suggest bringing at least 1L of water per person and snacks to sustain you over the 4 hours of hiking. You can buy drinks at the cafes near the start of the trail. Near the parking, there is a water fountain where you can fill your water bottles. For picnic supplies, there is a Volg grocery in the nearby town S-chanf – Bügl Suot 87, 7525 S-chanf.