The Old Avers Road from Cresta to Innerferrera (Graubünden)

July 21 to 25, 2022: Five-Day vacation in Canton Graubünden (Rheinwald)

In September of last year we spent four days in a region we had bever been before: Rheinwald in Canton Graubünden, near the San Bernardino and Splügen Passes and the Italian border and part of the Beverin Nature Park. It is here that the Posterior Rhine (Hinterrhein) -- one of the two main sources of the Rhine River -- has its origin. We enjoyed our time there so much, especially as we had a really great accommodation in a very old but wonderfully renovated former traveler's inn, and we made it our plan to return. (Links to photos from the previous vacation can be found HERE bottom of the page).

The region offers alpine taxi service to various alpine pastures, saving us 600m of ascent each time. These were not available last September, so we chose to return in July when they were available, to access other parts of the area that we otherwise would not. Those taxis were the focus of this vacation.

We don't generally book accommodation far in advance, as we are then committed regardless of weather, but the studio apartment which we had rented last time had availability right during our vacation period, so we took the risk. It paid off because we had acceptable weather for five days of hiking, even with the current heat wave.

++++++++++++++++++

DAY 1 of 5, Thursday July 21 -- Old Avers Road

Travel day to Rheinwald, we could not get here early enough for the one taxi service which runs on Thursday (it turns out that the whole region accessed by this particular bus has been closed due to a pack of wolves called the Beverinrudel having killed some cows up there), so we returned to the Ferrera Valley and followed the Old Avers Road (built in 1895) or "Walserweg" Trail for 12 kilometers from Cresta to Innerferrera (at first it looked like we'd have to hike in fog or low clouds, but the day cleared up). It was a relatively short hike for us, 3.5 hours, following the Averser Rhine / Ferrera River. But after a 4-hour trip to get here, we were glad to head out to our accommodation in the quaint town of Nufenen, one of five villages in the Rheinwald Valley.

The highlight of this day was the "Punt di Val di Lei" bridge along the Old Avers Road which touches on a very short piece of the Italian border. As you stand on the bridge, you look up the Lei Valley which belongs to Italy, and the rest of the region all belongs to Switzerland. 

Heading up the Avers Valley, we were concerned about the weather and large amount of low cloud. This is what the village of Avers-Cresta (where we planned to start our hike) looked like at 09:45 as we headed up the valley by bus. I won't walk in the fog, so we simply rode the bus another 15 minutes up valley to the final stop at Juf, where the clouds were just lifting. We stayed on the bus for its trip back down the valley. 

By the time the bus returned to Cresta (10:10), the clouds were lifting here as well, so we started on our hike down-valley as planned

A little look at some of the houses in Avers-Cresta before starting on our hike along the Old Avers Road. (We chose to start here because last September we had walked along the Old Avers Road from Juf at the back of the valley, deviating up the mountain from here).  

From Cresta we followed the Old Avers Road (Trail no. 757) / Walserweg (Trail no.35) for 12 km to Innerferrera. 

Interesting information about the Old Avers Road (built in 1895). We walked it in the down-valley direction, having done two sections Juf-Cresta and Ausserferrera-RofflaGorge in September 2021. We actually wanted to walk the missing section from Cresta to Ausserferrera, but it was too long a stretch (5.5 hours)

The 12-km stretch along the Walserweg or Old Avers Road, from Cresta to Innerferrera, with the interesting spot along the Bridge at the Lei Valley, where we looked "into Italy"

A look down into the gorge and the Old Avers Road above, where we started on our walk. 

Walking along the Old Avers Road, built in 1895

Bridge crossing the Avers Rhine River

This rickety bridge was not actually part of the trail

On the opposite side of the gorge, a magnificent cement arch bridge forms part of the new road which leads to the back of the valley

This is the Lezi Bridge, part of the new road up the valley spanning the gorge. Since learning about the Swiss Civil Engineer Robert Maillart who pioneered the cement arch bridge, we love to admire them all over the place!

A look up the gorge from the Lezi Bridge. Our trail was mostly along the left side of the river, or the right side of this photo. 

A long downhill section through the forest and we get to the village of Cröt. Last year we took a mountain trail from Cresta and descended here at Cröt from the mountain on the right. Those photos are HERE. 

Village of Cröt

An interesting section as we continue to follow the river down-valley

The next village down-valley: Campsut

The post bus making another run up the valley to Juf, the final hamlet at the back of the valley and the highest-altitude year-round inhabited village in Europe

Another look up the valley as we head down

This is the new highway bridge. Beneath it along the old road is a bridge called "Punt di Val di Lei". The valley behind it belongs to Italy, but all the rest to Switzerland

Valle di Lei bridge on the border between Italy and Switzerland. Renovated in 2007.

Looking up the Valle di Lei into Italy. Only this valley belongs to Italy. We are still on the Swiss side. 

Fascinating that we are walking on a trail in Switzerland, and at this one single point we can look up into the Valle di Lei, which belongs to Italy. 

Valle di Lei bridge, built in 1895, renovated 2007

The cement bridge is a stunning construction

More bridges! At this point the river is now called Ferrera

A glimpse of the village of Innerferrera through the trees

We left the Walserweg trail near Innerferrera to cross this suspension bridge and approach Innerferrera from the right side of the river

Suspension bridges are great!

High above the Ferrera River

From Innerferrera it would have been another two hours to walk to Ausserferrera (the next town down-river) which was too much for us, so we stopped here to see if they had.... what else, ice cream. 

Ice cream sundaes at Hotel Alpenrose in Innerferrera. Urs was more than happy to finish mine as well. 

The bus can barely squeeze between the houses in the main square in Innerferrera

In September 2021 we did hike from Innerferrera to Ausserferrera but the valley bottom (the Old Avers Road) was in full shadow of the mountains already, so we took a higher route. At Ausserferrera we joined the Walserweg again down to the Roffla Gorge. Those photos are HERE

We took the bus down-valley to the Roffla Gorge, and the connecting bus up the Rheinwald Valley to our rented studio apartment in Nufenen. The black bus icons on this map are the alpine taxis which we want to try on this vacation (we managed three of them, it cost 10 Fr. for each ride). 

The village of Nufenen, where we stayed for four nights (in September 2021 we also stayed here for three nights). 

We stayed for four nights in a studio apartment in this 300-year-old renovated traveler's inn

Rheinwald Region in Switzerland