Maloja - Lej Nair
I did this hike on the 13th of June, 2026. It was the second day of a two day hike I did with a stayover at the campground just outside Maloja. I had seen the lakes above Maloja on the map, and decided to do the hike below. On the first day, I hiked from Marmorera to Maloja, which is also a hike I really can recommend.
Full route: Swisstopo
It was another very nice summer morning as I started out from the campground. Everywhere around me, I had colorful flowers and mountain tops. The first part of the hike was back towards Maloja along the lake. In Maloja, I bought some snack for the hike and continued the trail out of town.
The trail quickly led me up above Maloja. It was already warm in the morning, so I took several water breaks on the way up. The views were absolutely amazing, both in direction Maloja and the lake, where I had just spend the night, and also into Val Bregaglia, with its pointy slightly snow covered peaks.
After the first steeper part of the ascent, the trail flattened out for a short time and followed a small river in the landscape. There was still snow patches on the ground up here, but nothing that made the hike problematic.
I made it up to the first lake, Lagh dal Lunghin, and it was gorgeous. Part of the lake was still covered with ice, but the water I could see had an amazing color. I took a break up here to enjoy the views and the calmness of the surroundings.
After my break, I continued in direction Lej Nair. The trail until the lake was mainly flat and a bit down hill. I had great panoramic views from this part and could see the mountains peaks in direction Piz Bernina.
The ascent up to the second lake was short but steep, and well worth the effort. Up here, there were no ice on the lake, and I found a place on some rocks to have my lunch break. I was also alone by this lake and it was again a very peaceful moment that I enjoyed.
When I started the descent, the heat had really started to pick up, and I decided to make the hike a bit shorter, as I could feel it would otherwise be a struggle. The way down was really beautiful, mainly through open landscape with some shorter parts through vegetated areas.
The last part of the hike was on a gravel road going through forest before I came down to the lake. I generally really loved the views on this hike and would love to come back to the area for more hiking.
Down by the lake, I caught the bus to St. Moritz from where I started the train ride back home to Zürich.
