Our first three stages of the Tour of the Bernina were varied. We began with a short stage to Chamanna Coaz, followed by a long balcony walk that brought us to the town of Maloja. From Maloja, we ascended into the mountains, where we stayed at Fornohütte, perched high above Forno Glacier.
This is part of a series of posts on our 2021 Tour of the Bernina. Posts include:
- An overview and notes on planning the Tour of the Bernina
- Arrival, a day hike at Oeschinensee, and transit to Pontresina
- Tour of the Bernina – Stages 1-3: Pontresina, Chamanna Coaz, Maloja, and Fornohütte (this post)
- Tour of the Bernina – Stages 4-6: Fornohütte, Rifugios Longoni, Carate Brianza, and Bignami
- Tour of the Bernina – Stages 7-10: Alp Grüm, Berghaus Diavolezza, Boval Hütte, and Pontresina
You may also be interested in our packing list for hut-to-hut hikes. Links on this page to Booking.com are affiliate links; we earn a small commission on bookings made through those links.
Day 1: Pontresina to Chamanna Coaz
In the morning, we woke and enjoyed Hotel Abris’s excellent breakfast before setting out. The forecast called for severe afternoon thunderstorms, so we were glad for a relatively straightforward first day.
Our route took us through Val Roseg. The way soon left Pontresina behind, passing through a forest. It soon met up with a milky blue river and followed it up valley along a road through intermittent forest. We covered this forested, mostly level stretch quickly. As we neared Hotel Restaurant Roseg Gletscher, the way opened and we slowed considerably. The views of the snow-capped peaks beyond the valley, with channels of blue waters running through, were simply too good to rush.
We passed cows and began ascending, at times hiking along a moraine. This brought us to Lej da Vadret, a glacial lake. As we snacked and enjoyed the view, clouds began to build over the mountains. This was our cue to head out.
While the remaining distance to the hut was quite short, we still had much our elevation gain to do. Fortunately, our legs had warmed up and we ascended quickly. We reached our hut, Chammana Coaz, after a total of 9.3 miles and 3336′ of elevation gain.
There, we checked in, changed, and ordered beers. We sat down outside to enjoy the stunning view. Below, we could look down on Lej da Vadret and back down the Val Roseg toward Pontresina. On the other side, the peaks of the Bernina range rose above us, with glaciers reaching down from the heights and waterfalls cascading below.
The sky opened up with the forecast storms before we got far into our beers. We retreated inside, where the dining room made for a cozy spot to enjoy our drinks while we waited out the storm.
It passed and we were soon enjoying the views outside again. Then it was time for dinner, which featured a soup, curry with rice, a mix of pear, pineapple whipped cream, and paprika, and chocolate pudding.
Day 2: Chamanna Coaz to Maloja
I woke up early for sunrise. Initially, I was discouraged by low hanging clouds, but soon the sky turned pink, orange, and purple. Lej da Vadret reflected the colors in the valley below.
While we ate breakfast, the clouds lifted. We set out in a beautiful, crisp morning.
Our route first paralleled our hike through the valley the previous day, albeit much higher. After a while, we turned upward and cross the ridge at Fuorcla Surlej. We did not stop at the hut here, but spent some time at the nearby tarns, which reflected the clouds and surrounding peaks.
From Fuorcla Surlej, we continued a little bit further until had views down to Lej da Silvaplauna (Lake Silvaplana) and Lej da Segl (Lake Sils). These lakes stood out as deep blue among bright green fields bounded by darker green forests and then the grey peaks. We decided this would be a good place for a snack.
After our snack, we continued our balcony walk. Val Fex interrupted this otherwise undulating trail. Here, the trail turned up valley, allowing for a gradual descent. Once in the valley, the route turned to climb again, though we did not regain as much elevation as we lost.
There are a number of detours possible here. Our guidebook recommended continuing further up the valley. Instead of descending, we also could have stayed high for a detour to Lej Sgrischus, which also looked beautiful. While tempting, our day was already going to be a long one, and so we decided against each.
After the trail left Val Fex, it descended to Isola on the shore of Lej da Segl. From here, the trail felt less like a hiking trail and more like a walk through a park. Many families and individuals were out for walks along the sections of the lake, and we joined them as we headed toward Maloja.
We walked through Maloja to reach our hotel at the other end. The Maloja Kulm hotel sits on the side of the road at the head of the pass, offering views into the next valley. Our total hike for the day had been 15.4 miles and 2175′ of elevation again.
We checked into our room, which was spacious and had a lovely view, and cleaned up.
For dinner, we decided to add the half board option at the hotel. This was probably the best dining choice we made of the trip. For a very fair price, dinner included some sort of pâté / sausage amuse bouche, a shrimp and bacon Caesar salad (Sean), creamy spinach soup with poached egg (Kyle), veal with brussels sprouts, potatoes, sauerkraut, good bread (we ate so much), a really nice cheese plate, and frozen yogurt + berry “parfait” for dessert. I cannot say enough good things about the quality and quantity of this meal, as well as the friendly and attentive service.
Day 3: Maloja to Fornohütte
Our route for day 3 would include a deviation from the route described in our guidebook. That route goes from Maloja over Passo del Muretto and into Italy. When planning, however, I had run across Fornohütte on a map and looked it up. It sits high above a glacier amid many peaks. This was too appealing a destination to pass up, and so I amended our route to add it.
This still left us with choice of how to approach it. We could depart from the valley earlier, taking a side valley to the southwest that would lead us to the end of the glacier below Fornohütte and then a steep but short climb to the hut. Alternatively, we could climb about halfway up to the Passo del Muretto before turning off. From the junction, the Panoramaweg would lead us on a climb around the shoulder of Monte del Forno, to a lake, and then down to the hut.
Over breakfast–which was as good as we hoped, based on the dinner–we checked the forecast and considered the options. With good weather predicted, we decided to take the longer and higher Panoramaweg approach.
Our day’s hike started with a walk through fields on the outskirts of Maloja. We then entered a forest and climbed briefly, to Lägh da Cavloc, at the base of the Orlegna valley. This lake has a park-like atmosphere, with trails running around it and several places to sit and buildings.
From the lake, the trail climbed gradually and began to feel more wild. About a mile further along, we came across maybe a hundred goats being herded down valley. They clearly had the right of way, and we were glad to be near the junction between the lower approach to Fornohütte and the trail up to Passo del Muretto. Stepping just past the junction gave us a good spot to watch the goats pass by.
The trail toward the pass continued a gradual climb, with great views back down the valley. Wildflowers– mostly saxifrage and campion–dotted the way. In less than another mile, we reached the junction with the Panoramaweg. There, our route steepened slightly until we reached a few small tarns around 7800′. We paused here for another snack before continuing.
The trail continued climbing through 9000′ feet as it wrapped around Monte del Forno. We then leveled out and descended to a large tarn among a boulder field. The rocks here varied. The cliffs above the lake featured light layers crisscrossing through the overall dark rock. Boulders and smaller rocks were similarly interesting, with some featuring dark green crystals and others a layered mix of textures and colors.
From the lake, we climbed again briefly before turning and descending toward the hut. The long tongue of Forno Glacier came into view below Monte Sissone.
Just a few minutes later, and after a total of 7 miles and 4899′ of elevation gain, we reached Fornohütte. We were each surprised at how good we felt after that much elevation. The combination of the mostly gradual trail and scenery that kept our attention focused away from the climb had made it seem like less work than it was.
After cleaning up, we explored the area briefly. Fornohütte has a wonderful terrace overlooking the glacier. We ordered beers and sat in comfortable chairs for a relaxing afternoon of reading and gazing at the mountains and glacier. At times, we could hear ibexes clambering across the rocks below us. It took us some time to spot them amid the boulders.
Dinner, served in the hut’s cozy dining room, was soup, beef with rice, risotto, peas, and Bundt cake. Portions were ample and the food good.
The next day, we would hike into Italy. Continue reading with Stages 4-6 of our Tour of the Bernina.
