Hiking in the Upper Engadine, early July or Sept?
Asn89 and their wife are planning a 10-day hiking trip next summer in the Upper Engadine/Bernina area, with Pontresina as their base. They’re looking for advice on the best month to visit, debating between late June, July, late August, and September for ideal hiking conditions and fewer crowds.
- Consider hiking in September for better weather and fewer tourists.
- If you choose June, focus on lower-altitude trails to avoid snow problems.
- Take advantage of the Rhatische Bahn railway for flexible hiking options, where you can walk between stations.
- Many trails won't be crowded even in peak season, so enjoy the peace of hiking.
AI-generated summary-
Hello everyone,
So my wife and I are planning for 10-day hiking trip for next summer in the upper Engadine/Bernina Area. We’re planning to base in Pontresina since it’s close to the Bernina area. I was wondering if anyone has any experience hiking in that area since I have a couple of questions that I’m not able to figure out. Most important is we can’t decide on what would be the best month to travel. It seems that late July to August is peak season. I’ve read that late June to early July is beautiful for hiking with all the alpine flowers blooming but the snow may not have melted in some places especially in the high paths. September also seems nice as the weather should be more stable with less rain but wouldn’t it be colder for hiking? Honestly it seems that we’re between early July and September, would appreciate any advice.
Thanks!
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Hi Asn89 and welcome to MySwissAlps!
June is a bit early if you would like to hike on higher altitude. I prefer September, as it is not peak season anymore, but the weather is usually still good. Beginning and middle September is the best. You can read more about the seasons and months at http://www.myswissalps.com/besttimetovisit.
I recommend you this page to check about hiking in Switzerland: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking.
Ildiko
Also check these:
- About the Bernina Express: http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress
- About Upper Engadine: http://www.myswissalps.com/upperengadine
- Accommodation in Upper Engadine: http://www.myswissalps.com/upperengadine/hotels and http://www.myswissalps.com/upperengadine/rentals
Being generally restricted to UK school holidays, I often visit Switzerland in mid-late August and have done plently of hiking in the Engadine.
Some points based on my experience:
1) if you end up going earlier (eg June) for hiking, there will be lots of hiking you can do at altitudes where the snow will be long gone.
2) related to above, lower altitude hiking with the high mountains constantly as backdrop can be just as beautiful as high altitude hiking, and often more ‘relaxing’. For example there is a lovely level walk from Spinas, done the valley to Bever, then across to the side of the valley avoiding Samedan and round the hillside to the Muragl area, thence Pontresina.
3) A well know ‘sport’ is to walk between stations on the Rhatische Bahn railway. You can vary the length of hike depending on how you feel. With my wife we have done both ‘further than originally planned’ and less far then originally planned’ – eg you can walk along the valley from Bever towards Scuol, and curtail your walk at any of the stations along the route. We did this once and went as far as Zuoz from Bever having only planned to walk as far as Madulain.
4) When hiking, you won’t really notice any ‘peak season’. It’s not as if Swiss hiking paths are like central Manhattan! As I said above I often hike in Mid August and you can walk in many places without seeing huge numbers of other people
Hi asn89,
In addition to Ildiko’s useful links and 1960man’s helpful suggestions, the Engadin website also has plenty of information on hiking trails in the summer. http://www.engadin.ch/en/hiking/
Regards,
Anna
Thanks guys for all the useful tips, really appreciate it! 🙂
Hi, last summer I went twice, primarily for hiking around that region; The first trip was from June 15th for two weeks, and the second was the third week of August for two weeks.
In addition to all the expert advice you have received to your questions, I can offer the following. It is a beautiful region, and one of highest valley areas in Switzerland. My main base was Sils Maria, which is surrounded on either side by large lakes. There are wonderful hiking trails in all directions. The village and lakes are 6000′ altitude, and that is at the base of the mountains surrounding it. Pontresina, and St. Moritz are similar. So on my first trip in June, only a few of lifts and gondolas were open until very late June or early July. My second trip was preferable, access wise, and nature wise regarding the trails. It also happened to be surprisingly uncrowded. I was told that the throngs of tourists who were there earlier, had just left.
Thanks for sharing Maloja Snake!
Regards,
Anna
Ever since ‘Maloja Snake’ started posting on this forum I had the sneeky feeling they were fans of the upper Engadine… 🙂
LOL; Thanks, I keep seeking appreciation for this under-appreciated region. And a reminder of my favorite locale of Sils Maria, the best webcam in the Alps that captures it all : sils.roundshot.com/
Well, you have every right to promote this beautiful area Maloja Snake :-)! Thanks for sharing the webcam link: it’s wonderful to enjoy the views near Sils this way.
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