Sfazù - Bernina Pass
I did this hike on the 29th of October. It was the first of three days hiking in Engadin and around the Bernina Pass, trying to catch some of the autumn colors and larches turning golden. I really like this area around the Bernina Pass and Alp Grüm, and I was also in this area the year before when I hiked from La Rösa to Alp Grüm.
Full route: Swisstopo
I stayed in Samedan for my long weekend and reached the start of this hike with a direct bus from Samedan to Sfazù. After leaving the main road, I turned onto a smaller gravel road leading me towards the forest and the beginning of the hike. It was a really lovely morning, and the autumn colors were great right from the beginning.
For the first kilometers, the hiking path was following a wider gravelroad making for an easy and relaxing start to the day. After getting further into the forest, the trail changed into a more regular hiking path, some places narrow, steep and with steps or chains in the wall to hang onto, but nowhere did I find it uncomfortable or challeging.
I really liked this part of the hike. It was like a low panoramic trail with great views over Val Poschiavo, a place I really love and have visited several times while hiking in the area. I was completely alone on the trail for the first couple of hours until I reached Giardino dei Ghiacciai di Cavaglia. This also made it an even more lovely part of the hike, as I could fully hike in calmness and my own pace.
Although being in the area multiple times before, I never managed to visit the Cavaglia Glacier Garden, which was one of the main purposes of this particular hike. The glacier garden is a smaller area which is specifically known for its many potholes. There is a well marked path going through the area. Along the way, there are info boards with information about the formation of the pot holes as well as the glacial history of the area, which I found very nice.
Leaving the Cavaglia Glacier Garden, I continued past the Cavaglia train station in direction Alp Grüm. The train journey here, which I have taken several times, is incredibly beautiful and in my opinion one of the most beautiful stretches in autumn. The path towards Alp Grüm was for the first couple of kilometers flat but then got stepper on the ascent up to Lagh da Palü.
I reached the area below Alp Grüm by Lake Palü and had my lunch break here. The views and colors of the lake and larch trees were stunning, and it is an area I know I will keep on coming back to again and again. After my break, I continued around the lake until I reached the trail leading up towards the Bernina Pass and Ospizio Bernina.
Walking up, I had really great views down to the lake and over the area. I did this exact part of the hike the year before, but in the other direction, walking from La Rösa to Alp Grüm. I again had the trail mainly to myself, meeting only a few people on the way, everyone on their way down towards the lake.
The higher I got, the more amazing views I had. From up here, I could see through Val Poschiavo and into Italy and the mountain peaks lightly covered by clouds in the distance. The trail followed a broader gravel road up to Lago Bianco, and it was a very nice and pleasant walk although slightly cold due to a strong wind. As I reached the lake, it was still early in the afternoon, so I decided to walk a bit further up above the lake and take a later train back.
I walked up from the lake onto the broad ridge leading towards Piz Campasc, a peak I was visiting the year before and which has amazing panoramic views of the area. There are several lakes up here, and I walked about half an hour in direction Piz Campasc, and took a couple of breaks to enjoy the sun and the views over the area before I turned around.
Walking back down in direction Ospizio Bernina, I could see far into Engadin and the mountains above St. Moritz. Lago Bianco is a very beautiful lake surrounded by the rough landscape of the Bernina Pass, and as I was a bit early for the train, I had extra time to enjoy the scenery. I went with the train and bus back to Samedan, where I was staying for the night.
