Engadine: golden larches at Sils

Cobalt-blue lakes, whole forests of larches turning gold and peaks mirrored in the water: autumn in the Engadine is the postcard kind, and you see all of it in a single day.

The experience

We set off with the Guidders from Maloja and climb through the larches to the little Lägh da Bitabergh and on to Lägh da Cavloc, set below the peaks of Val Forno. On the way back we pass the glacier potholes, wells carved by the ice, and the Belvedere Tower. Then the finest stretch: the shore of Lake Sils, flat and golden, to the hamlet of Isola and on to Sils Maria, where the PostBus takes us back to Maloja in a quarter of an hour.

Nietzsche spent his summers in Sils Maria and found the idea for «Thus Spoke Zarathustra» here; Giovanni Segantini, the painter of this light, lived and worked in Maloja.

Anyone happy to walk all day: the climb is only at the start, then the path is almost flat along the lake.

Come and see the golden Engadine with the Guidders: it is the most beautiful autumn journey you can make in a day from Milan.

A valid ID in your pocket, not in your rucksack: Switzerland is not in the European Union and border checks do happen.

Mountain rescue is charged for: in Switzerland the helicopter is billed to the person who calls it. Guiddy accident insurance is included, but a Rega card (about €40 a year) or a policy covering rescue costs in Switzerland is what we suggest to everyone.

Swiss francs: huts and cable cars almost always take cards, but a few valley huts are still cash only. The European health card is valid in Switzerland for emergency care.

Maloja is about two and a quarter hours from Milan: the SS36 to Chiavenna, then Val Bregaglia, the Castasegna border crossing and the hairpins of the pass. There are no Swiss motorways on this route, so you don't need the vignette. Car pooling in the outing's Telegram group.

How hard is it, really

What's included in the price

Itinerary

One day, approximate times. The final details come in the group chat.

Sunday

18 Oct

15 km · D+ 450 m · 5 h

The stops · 15 km

Meeting point 9:30approximate

Meeting at Maloja, Maloja, Canton Grigioni, Svizzera. The exact time is confirmed in the group chat. We usually meet a little earlier for breakfast together, when possible.

HOW TO GET THERE

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09:30MEETING

Meeting at Maloja

We meet the Guidders at Maloja, at the top of the pass: Lake Sils ahead, Val Forno behind.

10:15VIEWPOINT

Lägh da Bitabergh

The first little lake hidden in the larch wood.

11:00VIEWPOINT

Lägh da Cavloc

The lake below the peaks of Val Forno, with the larches mirrored in it.

12:15VIEWPOINT

Glacier potholes and Belvedere Tower

The wells carved by the glacier and the panoramic tower: packed lunch in the woods.

13:30LAKE

On the shore of Lake Sils

The flat path along the lake, between golden larches and blue water.

14:00VILLAGE

The hamlet of Isola

A handful of stone houses on the stream's delta, between lake and forest.

14:45VILLAGE

Sils Maria

Nietzsche's village: a short stroll through the centre, then the PostBus to Maloja.

15:30RETURN

Back to Maloja

A quarter of an hour on the PostBus along the lake and we are back at the cars: goodbyes to the Guidders.

What to bring

A list made for this hike. No technical gear: just good shoes and a well-packed backpack.

Questions?