Where to go for great winter walking in the Upper Engadine, one of Switzerland’s most beautiful Alpine areas:

The Engadine is without doubt one of the country’s most desirable vacation destination in the Alps. You find here – especially in the upper part – not only a breathtaking mountain panorama but also a lake landscape that leaves you in awe. You might have also heard of Saint Moritz, the most known town here. While it is no particular beauty, it is a glamorous and fashionable place, especially in wintertime. Then the rich and beautiful meet here. But that was not what drew my husband and me to this high Alpine valley. Instead, we were looking for some of the best winter walks that the Upper Engadine has to offer. And we succeeded! So I am now in the position to propose two great winter walks to you.

General

The Engadine is long, with lots of small towns along the route. You distinguish between the Upper and the Lower Engadine. The latter begins in Brail coming from Saint Moritz. It is narrower and without the big lakes of the Upper Engadine. I am talking here only about the Upper Engadine. Some bits of information about the Lower Engadine can be found in a former post of mine.

My husband and I stayed at different places in the past, mainly in the Upper Engadine. Our destination for winter vacations in the last two years was Zuoz, a marvelous historic village. Here we resided at the four-class superior Hotel Castell (see my post).

Not long ago, we also spent some time in Brail, in summer. This is the first village in the Lower Engadine after leaving the Upper Engadine. At the time, we chose Switzerland’s smallest five-star hotel for a short stay, IN LAIN Hotel Cadonau (my post). Quite some time ago, my husband and I also were in Pontresina where we lodged at the five-star Grand Hotel Kronenhof (see my review).

But most of times when heading to the Engadine, we opted for Sils Maria, a placid small town not far from Saint Moritz. And we did so in summer and winter. As to the hotel of our choice, it was always the grand old dame of the Waldhaus, towering high above Sils Maria amidst a larch forest. This was not any different on our recent Engadine stay. If you are looking for understated and relaxed luxury, then this five-star hotel is your best bet in the area. It has been family owned and managed since 1908, and it has been regularly updated over time. Check out my last post, where I went into this wonderful hotel in greater depth. In case you do not want to read everything, open the contents section and click only at the paragraphs you are interested in.

2 top winter walks around Sils Maria/Engadine

As mentioned, the Engadine is large, and you could easily find winter walks in the area that would keep you busy for weeks if not months. My husband and I wanted to do winter walks starting right from Hotel Waldhaus Sils Maria, where we were staying.

And there is quite a choice in this respect. We opted for two classics, albeit both a bit in a varied version. The first went into the splendid Fex Valley (Val Fex), the second along Lake Sils to Maloja and further to a small mountain lake. And these two trails are among the nicest ones we have ever done when it comes to winter walking! Here are the details.

1. Winter walk Engadine: Fex Valley (Val Fex) round trip including out to Alp Muot Selvas & back

based on 2 tours: Fex Valley round trip (out: Sils Maria – Hotel Waldhaus – Fex Crasta / back: Fex Crasta – canyon path – Sils Maria) & Sils to Fex Valley (from Fex Crasta out & back) / 7.4 km (4.6 mi) out to Alp Muot Selvas from Hotel Waldhaus, 294 m (965 ft) up, 72 m (236 ft) down, about a 4-hour walk in total

The walk starts either in Sils Maria’s center or at Hotel Waldhaus (if you should be a guest here). This hotel is ideally located right at the beginning of the Fex Valley (Val Fex).  When having passed the hotel, turn right from the tarmac road as soon as you have the chance. Then the trail leads along Lake Sils, high above on a hill – with great views of this –

for a while. It may be not so easy to find your way as there is a variety of paths amidst a beautiful larch forest. Just make sure that you do not walk down hill towards the lake. That is how it should work.

After some time, the path turns left and once you have crossed a tarmac road – and having left the forest behind you – you can be sure to be on your way.

Later on, there is a signpost for a viewpoint (Muotto da Güvè). My husband and did not do this as the weather was not good enough. Instead we went on towards Fex Crasta, a hamlet. Up to this point, follow the first tour (Fex Valley round trip, see above). From here, change to the other one (Sils to Fex Valley, see above).

Either make a short stop to have a look at the hamlet of Fex Crasta – do not miss the church –

or continue your way to Alp Muot Selvas, at the back of the Lex Valley. When doing the latter, you can enjoy great views of this Alpine valley along the route.

In our case, the weather got better and better, and so the vistas that constantly came at us! When having reached Fex Mountain Hotel & Restaurant, go further. After crossing the Fedacla river, the trail ascends a bit. After a while, you catch sight of the Alp Muot Selves,

an ideal place for a rest

before heading back. Up to here, we needed two and a quarter of an hour.

On your return way, walk until you get to Fex Crasta again. From here, you change to the other walk (Fex Valley round trip) and make your way back to Sils Maria’s center via the Schluchtweg (canyon path)

passing Fex Platta.

My husband and I got back to Hotel Waldhaus after a four-hour walk.

2. Winter walk Engadine: lakeside path along Lake Sils to Maloja & out to Lake Cavloc & back to Maloja

map of the area / Sils Maria – Maloja – Lake Cavloc – Maloja – bus to Sils Maria /10.5 km (6.5 mi) out to Alp da Cavloc from Hotel Waldhaus, 235 m (771 ft)  up, 168 m (551 ft) down, about a 3 3/4 -hour walk in total

Either start your walk from Sils Maria’s center or from Hotel Waldhaus (as we did). You can choose among two trails to Maloja. If Lake Sils is completely frozen, you can walk across the lake (6 km/3.7 mi). On our stay, this was not possible, so we took the lakeside path (7 km/4.3 mi). Along Lake Sils, you have great views of lake and mountains.

About half way to Maloja, you get to the pretty hamlet of Isola.

After about one hour and three quarters you reach the town of Maloja.

When reaching the town’s outskirts, you catch sight of a magnificent building right away. It is the Maloja Palace.

At one time in the past, it was one of the biggest and most modern hotels worldwide. Nowadays, only a small part of it is still used as a hotel. At this point, you have to decide whether to go to town for a pit stop first (a good address for this is Hotel Restaurant Schweizerhaus) or whether to immediately tackle the second part of your walk. In the first case, head towards the main road. In the latter case, go in the direction of the cemetery (Cimitero Maloja). From here, there is a trail signposted to Lake Cavloc (Lägh da Cavloc).

Allow about one hour to reach this picturesque mountain lake. First, you walk through a Maloja neighborhood before coming to a beginner’s ski lift.

Go further, pass the Salecina Vacation Center and cross the Orlegna river. Afterwards, there is a path crossing. Turn right into a wide path

that brings you up to Lake Cavloc through a forested area. Alternatively, turn left into a steep trail that merges with the wider path at some point (we did the latter on the way up and the former on the way down).

Once arrived at Lake Cavloc, my husband and I walked further alongside the lake, which is a nice thing to do. At a beautiful spot, there is Restaurant Cavloccio (closed in winter).

We continued until Alp da Cavloc

before returning to Maloja.

From here, you can take the bus (Maloja, Posta) to get back to Sils Maria. In total, we needed three hours and three quarters to finish the whole walk.

Date of visit: February 2023

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