Hike from Lake Pigniu to Andiast in the Surselva Region of Graubünden

Saturday October 9^th, 2021 – Lately we seem to be alternating between walks in the region of the Anterior Rhine and the Posterior Rhine, and now it’s back to the Anterior Rhine!

It also seems that lately many of our excursions start with fog… Which was again the case on our trip to Lake Pigniu, or “Lag da Pigniu” in Canton Graubünden near the Rhine Canyon, a beautiful stretch fondly known as the “Grand Canyon of Switzerland”. The last time we went through the canyon by train was in 2018, so it was time to come to this area again. (On our way to Ilanz in the early morning we saw very little because of the fog, but on the way back we still had some lovely evening sunshine).

Once upon a time we noticed a lake on a map, with nearby access by bus (one of those small buses which only runs twice a day and only till mid-October) and a relatively easy access on foot, and with a forecast for sunny weather for the day (albeit after 11 a.m.), this was the day we chose for this hike.

From the village of the same name as the lake where the bus run ends (only three of us on the bus, by the way), it’s a 45-minute walk to the dam (built in 1989), followed by an hour to walk the circumference of the lake. We were lucky that the fog cleared exactly when we got to the lake, and we were also lucky with the timing as we had just finished the walk around the lake when loads of people appeared. (Popular family destination, can also be accessed by car!)

Following the walk around the lake with its beautiful blue-green glacial water and fantastic mountain backdrop as well as some stunning waterfalls, we then continued out of the Pigniu Valley and into the Rhine Valley. We kept right on walking (about 4.5 hours in total) to the furthest bus stop we could, and then returned via the Rhine Canyon to Chur.

Interesting Historical Note: Behind Lake Pigniu is the Panixer Pass (also known as Pigniu Pass), a passage from Canton Glarus into Canton Graubünden which the Russian General Suvarov crossed with his troops in 1799 while fleeing from Napoleon. That year in October, the early winter made passage extremely difficult. The troops lost their way in the fog, and 1/3rd of his men died from starvation, fatigue, and falls down the mountain. Also, he lost all of his artillery and most of his horses. In 1999 a local artist was commissioned to do a painting on the dam to commemorate the crossing. After 20 years, the painting has unfortunately faded quite a bit...

There is some interesting information about this passage and of the possible origins of the Bündner dish called "Capuns": https://www.surselva.info/en/Nature/Lag-da-Pigniu

Heading up into the Pigniu Valley with the little bus, this view is across the valley to Andiast, which is the village we had planned as the end of our hike (because we walked back out of the valley on that side).

After arriving in Pigniu, the first stop is a look into this very old church. Church of St. Valentin, dedicated in 1465

Still some fog and low clouds as we inspect the village of Pigniu

The inside of the church had some very nice and probably refreshed frescoes

Russian General Suvorov crossed the Panixer Pass in 1799. (Also looted this village because his men were starving, so not very nice for them..)

Some curious little ones!

A look out of the valley, where the weather is really not very appealing!!

It only took us 45 minutes to get to the lake, not 1 hour as per this sign. This trail is part of the Via Suvorov Trail, which we have hiked in Glarus and in the Muotathal. Also part of the St.James Trail through Graubünden

It took us 45 minutes to walk to the lake from Pigniu, a little over an hour around the lake, then 90 minutes to Andiast. We still felt like walking, so we continued as far as we could until the next bus scheduled to descend to Ilanz.

As we head up to the lake, the clouds are slowly disappearing, and the dam appears

The Pigniu Dam is not very old, it was built in 1989

Painting by a local artist commemorating General Suvarov's crossing of the Panixer Pass in 1799. The painting was done in 1999 and is very faded.

When we got up to the lake, we decided to cross the dam first, and take the far side trail to the back of the lake, as there was sunshine there.

This side of the lake was still in shadow, so we walked back on this side later when the sun came there.

On this, the West side of the lake, the trail was a narrow mountain trail, very nice to walk. On the far side is a waterfall, and higher up that way would be the Panixer Pass

A zoomed view of the waterfall above which is the Panixer Pass, where General Suvorov descended in October 1799

A look back toward the dam and down the valley, where there is still lots of cloud/fog, whereas we now have sunshine at the back of the valley!

On this side of the lake were also some waterfalls, so we took a quick detour for a closer look.

Very cold up here next to the waterfall!

Heading back down to the lake again. These are the Pigniu Waterfalls

A look across Lake Pigniu from the very back. We took the wide road back on the other side, crossed the dam again, and walked out of the valley on this side.

More fantastic mountains and cliffs

A good place to stop for our picnic lunch. As we were finishing lunch, we could see lots of people coming along the trail on the other side, so we moved on.

Heading back to the dam. We now have sunshine on this side, and the other side is in shadow

Crossing the dam for the second time today!

A look down the Pigniu Valley. The clouds have finally cleared and it is beautiful and sunny now. Below the dam is a parking area, where people can drive to if they just want to walk around the lake (great for families)

A long forested section as we head out of the Pigniu Valley

Now we can see the village of Pigniu on the other side of the valley, where we started our hike

We followed this level road all the way out of the valley and then around the hillside to the right.

As we head out of the valley, a look back at the village of Pigniu where we started our hike, and the V-shaped section at the back where the lake is located.

Around the corner and we come to Andiast. We were planning to end our hike here.

A look down into the Surselva Valley from this mountain village of Andiast.

Church in Andiast.

View of Andiast from further below. When we got to the main square in Andiast, the bus was just leaving, but we felt like walking, so we continued on for another hour until the next bus passed by this way.

What our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. We were originally going to end the hike in Andiast, but decided to walk for another hour. But to get to the railway line further below would have taken too long. As it was, we walked for 15 kilometers on this hike.

After returning to Ilanz by bus from Waltensburg, we took the Rhätian Railway train back through the Rhine Canyon to Chur. By this time it was 4:30 p.m. and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of afternoon sunshine we still had in the gorge. 10,000 years ago there was a massive rock slide here (Flims rockslide, the biggest known landslide incident in the Alps, and the biggest worldwide whose effects are still visible), and the Rhine River has carved out some fantastic rock formations through the debris of that slide.

This is the Rhine Gorge, known also as the "Grand Canyon of Switzerland", or "Ruinaulta" in the local Romantsch language.

Riding the train through the Rhine Canyon. This is a section where there is no hiking trail nor a paved road. The only way to see it is from the train.