Walking in the Pontresina Area

Grüezi,

I have booked accommodation at Pontresina Youth Hostel in the Graubünden region from the 1st June - 4th June. The aim of the trip is to do long medium/difficult hiking. However, after looking at the walking routes in the Swiss National Park they are currently closed. I emailed someone via the National Park website, and they said some routes may be open during my stay, but no guarantee. They are suggesting that the best time to visit the park is from the end of June until August.

Would you recommend still visiting this area at this time, and are there other good walks you would recommend near Pontresina?

Kind regards,

Hi WalkingGirl! Whether routes in the National Park are open mainly depends on how much snow is still left. Visiting in high season (July and August) indeed increases your chances of being able to walk all routes, but even in cold summers there's no guarantee to this. My advice would be not to postpone your trip and visit Pontresina as planned: it's a stunning region with lots of hiking possibilites, outside of the National Park as well. You may have to pick trails that don't include the highest summits, but again: weather and snow conditions can hardly be predicted for the longer term in Switzerland. Webcams and weather forecasts may give you an impression of your route, but for a reliable impression you should check shortly in advance.

Lovely hikes can be made close to Pontresina. Some examples are:

• Murtel - Val Rosegg - Pontresina;
• the Bernina pass. You could cross a large part of the pass by starting at Pontresina or Morteratsch and ending up at Alp Grüm. The section from Ospizio Bernina to Alp Grüm is part of this route;
• Val Trupchun, which is in fact in the National Park, but not at a very high altitude;
• Piz Nair - Val Bever - Bever (part of this route was closed some years ago even in summer, due to snow, but an alternative is to start from Corviglia);
• Murtel - Furtschellas, which could be prolonged by descending to Sils Maria through Val Fex;
• Muottas Muragl - Fuorcla da Champagna - Val da Champagna - Samedan.

You could take a look at the Pontresina website as well; they have listed hiking tips that may appeal to you.

Hallo,

Thank you for the information. I am feeling more positive about visiting the region now.

Kind regards,

Hi WalkingGirl, I'm glad to hear that you feel a bit reassured. Have a beautiful stay in Pontresina!