Hiking through the Prättigauer Moorlands between Stels and Pany

Sunday October 20, 2024 -- So few nice days lately, that we have to take advantage of what we can get. Even with clouds in the forecast. 

The plan for the day was a trip to the Prättigau region of Eastern Switzerland, near the border with Austria. As Urs has a problem with his foot and cannot walk right now, I did a hike on my own again, but he accompanied me on the trip to the village of Schiers, which is where we then parted ways: I took the small Postbus van on high winding roads to the end of the line in Stels (where we had once started a different hike back in July 2016, those photos are HERE), whereas he took a different bus up the Salginatobel Valley also on narrow winding roads to the small mountain hamlet of Schuders at the end of the line there. (This is a line neither of us had been on before). While I walked muddy mountain paths and soon lost my sunshine, he got to see the world-famous Salginatobel bridge, and much more beautiful fall colours than I did.

In the end it was another 10-kilometer hike for me, not particulary spectacular as the view of the valley all the way to Klosters and the snow-covered mountains was a bit drab, but on the bus ride back to Schiers (another small Postbus on narrow roads, which was so full that many had to stand but I got to sit next to the driver) we had the most beautiful sunshine on the lovely autumn-coloured forests, so I got the colour after all. 

The day started out with very nice sunny weather in the Rhine Valley where we changed trains in Landquart and headed into the Prättigau Valley. Those mountains also form the border with Austria here. 

Urs accompanied me to Schiers where I boarded the small van-bus at 11 a.m. for the long zigzag ride up to Stels where I started my hike, while he walked the streets of Schiers a bit while waiting for his own bus which was too leave an hour later 

Up on the mountain at the right you can see one curve of the road that our bus takes to get up to Stels. 

A look down the Prättigau valley as we head up the mountain. The town of Schiers is below on the left. 

At a bend in the road and a bus stop called "Fajauna Post", we get a view up into the Salginatobel ravine (the one heading to the left) and a glimpse of the Salginatobel bridge (a marvel of engineering) as well as the zigzag road which Urs traveled an hour later, right in the center of that hill. 

Looking down at one of the curves we took!

At 11:25 the bus reached the final stop at a farm near a restaurant, from where there are lots of hiking trails. My goal is the Stelsersee (small moor lake) before heading to Pany. Back in July of 2016 we did another hike starting from here, and ending in St.Antönien, also passing via Lake Stelsersee. Those photos are HERE. 

In the meantime, while I was headed up the mountain for the 25-minute bus ride from Schiers to Stels, Urs had a look around the town of Schiers while waiting for his bus, which left an hour after mine:

While waiting for his bus to leave for Schuders at noon, Urs walked around the streets of Schiers for a while. (He then took the small bus, the one in the middle, up to Schuders).

Urs knows how much I like to photograph the inside of churches, so he took these photos of the church in Schiers. An interesting feature of this church was the very large organ at the front in the choir area, instead of on the balcony above the entrance. 

Starting at the topmost bus stop of the Schiers-Stels bus line at 11:30, I first walked up to the Stelsersee Moor Lake, and then joined the Pany Round Trail no.699 to Pany, where I caught the 3:30 p.m. bus back to Schiers. This was an 11-km hike, and it took me only four hours for the 3½-hour hike. 

I took a detour right off the main trail (which was a paved road) and headed up a small hill, as I wanted to get a look down into the Salgina valley. 

A look down into the Salgina Valley. There is a cable car that takes you up the hillside on the left to the top of the tree-line, so that you can hike up to the top of that peak called Mt. Sassauna. Something that we definitely should do one day!

I took a little detour over the crest of a small hill (no official trail here) so that I could get a better look around the landscape than on the paved road below. 

As I got to the other end of the small hill, I got the first glimpse of the small mountain hamlet called Schuders, which is where Urs took a bus ride to about an hour later. (On the far side of the valley). 

Close-up of Schuders, where Urs is headed and where I have never been to! From that village you can walk down to the river at the valley bottom, and walk back to Schiers beneath the Salginatobel bridge. But at this time of year it is in dark shadow, and that is not what I wanted to do this day. That's why I didn't go there with him. 

From my vantage point across the valley, I can also see the zigzag road which Urs rode later. He said it was quite a harrowing experience, as the curves were tight and the road was very narrow!

(These are Urs' photos of the Salgiinatobel Bridge, when he crossed it by bus. He said the bus driver stopped so that he could get a good photo). The Salginatobel bridge, built in 1930,  is a milestone of bridge engineering. In 1991, the American Society of Civil Engineers designated it as a World Monument, and in 1999, the British Trade Journal "Bridge Design and Engineering" named it the most beautiful bridge of the 20th Century. 

Far at the back now are the vertical peaks which form the border with Austria. The massif on the right is called the Drusenfluh, and the large gap, a passage into Austria, is called the "Schweizertor", or "Swiss Gate". 

Back down off my "detour hill", I start out on my climb up to the moor lake (Stelsersee) through more wet moor landscape!

The entire moor here was filled with the autumn crocuses. 

Behind me on the other side of the Prättigau valley is the Furnerberg, another option I had considered for a walk this day, but the north side is all in shadow. We did a loop hike around the Furnerberg in November of 2020, so in similar conditions anyway. Those photos are HERE. 

After a break on a bench below here, I now get to the nature reserve which is the Stelsersee.

This here is an upper moor landscape of national importance. The lake looked much nicer when we saw it the last time in July 2016. At that time we were informed that this is the highest altitude water lily lake in Europe. (Here is a photo of what the water lily lake looked like in July 2016 --> HERE). 

This high moor is a protected nature reserve and dogs must be on leash and no one should go into the water because of rare plants and insects. Those people came with a dog off-leash which immediately sprang into the pond and had a great time there. When I spoke to them about it later, they said they didn't know that the dog had to be on-leash, although the signs are everywhere.... 

Even though this was not the direction I had planned to walk, I did a detour to the north so that I could see the mountains again, the ones which form the border with Austria. 

And down below again, I am looking down at the hamlet called Schuders.

Comparing the time of this photo with the time that Urs would have been in the village, we figured that he had walked to the little church just 10 minutes before I took this photo, and at exactly the time of this photo (12:55), he was chatting with the bus driver, and waiting for everyone to board for the 12:57 departure back to Schiers! (He had had 30 minutes to look around the village before the bus headed back). 

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Urs' photos of Schuders between 12:30 and 1 p.m.

Urs' photos of Schuders between 12:30 and 1 p.m.

Urs' photos of Schuders between 12:30 and 1 p.m.

Urs' photos of Schuders between 12:30 and 1 p.m.

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A final look at the Drusenfluh massif before making my way back to the Stelsersee.

Heading back to the little lake on the high moor, and from there down to the road, which I will now follow into the valley to the left, called the Buchner Tobel. Eventually I will pass over that clearing on the right. Originally there was a much larger lake here, remains from the retreating glaciers. 

Most of the trail along this next section and all the way to the suspension bridge was like this, wet and very muddy and hard to find a decent place to walk. In fact, there were signs recommending not to walk this trail when there was snow. 

The Grüsttobel suspension bridge was built in 2015 and is 72 meters long. Even though this part of the trail was still in the shadow of the mountain to the east (at 2 p.m.), it was an interesting bridge, and best of all, no other hikers around. There were signs indicating that access to the bridge was closed in winter.

It took me quite a while to get this photo to work out properly!

After the bridge, the trail was better to walk, drier and wider. 

On the other side of the valley I got some nice views to the west again. 

A good look at the hillside where the Stelsersee Moor Lake is located. 

From here I could also see where I had started my hike (in the circle on the left) and the little hill I walked over instead of following the paved road below it. 

From the road at the little lake, I had been following the themed trail no.699: "Pany Loop Trail", which also passes over the summit of the mountain here, a section I have not done. It is now 2:30 p.m., and it should take me a little over an hour to get to the bus in Pany, all downhill from here heading east. 

I've reached the clearing called Tratza, and this information panel explains that this entire hillside is actually also a high moorland of national importance, and one of the most attractive mulch and moor landscapes in Switzerland. (The landscape was influenced by the movement of the glaciers). 

The Tratza farm was also running a kind of restaurant (self-service) which seemed to be very popular this day! 

A few grazing cows still in the pastures up here!

VIDEO:

This late in the season, it is still nice to hear the cow bells!

As I rounded the corner and prepared for the descent to Pany, this is the first view I had up the valley toward Klosters. Such a shame that the sky is overcast and you cannot see the profile of the snow-covered peaks at the back. 

A large stretch of the descent to Pany was through the forest, so there were lots of different mushrooms again!

I passed at least a dozen people (or more) hiking up the mountain as I descended to Pany. I could only guess that they were all headed to the small farm restaurant at Tratza. 

View up the Prättigau Valley. This would look so much nicer if the sun was shining!

Without Urs to take photos, I have to find places to set up my camera for self-timed photos!

VIDEO:

For whatever reason, the sheep all decided to run away from me!

I got to Pany at 15:22, just enough time before the 15:29 bus departure to go have a look at the village church!

Canton Graubünden is primarily of Evangelical denomination (reformed) and their churches are much simpler and less ornate than the Catholic churches. There is often lots of wood, and very attractive wood-paneled ceilings. The date inscribed on the wall indicates that this church was built in 1705. 

Main street in Pany. The small bus to Schiers was already waiting on the right, and was already quite full! It looked like it was ready to drive away, which confused me, as there were still two minutes left before departure time!

What my hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. The red lines are the winding roads which the bus takes to these remote areas: The bus I took from Schiers to Stels at 11 a.m., and the bus that Urs took from Schiers to Schuders at noon.

The highlight of the day, I'd have to say, was the bus ride back down from Pany to Schiers, on a road much lower down on the hillside. There was lots of sunshine on the way back to Schiers, and the forests were glowing with fall colours. Because the bus was full (people getting on along the way had to stand in the small van), I was lucky to be able to sit in the passenger seat next to the driver (not usually possible), and had a perfect vantage point to admire and photograph the forests and the lovely villages we passed. By the time we got to Schiers at 3:45 p.m., that town was already in shadow. 

Beautiful fall colours in the forests on the bus ride between Pany and Schiers. 

Beautiful fall colours in the forests on the bus ride between Pany and Schiers. 

Bus ride through several lovely villages along the mountainside between Pany and Schiers. 

I was very lucky to have the best view from the passenger seat in the van-bus!

Exactly right here was a bus stop. Several people got on. AND these girls were intrigued...

What a neat old house. 

Beautiful fall colours in the forests on the bus ride between Pany and Schiers. 

Beautiful fall colours in the forests on the bus ride between Pany and Schiers. 

Beautiful fall colours in the forests on the bus ride between Pany and Schiers. 

Down at the valley bottom now at 3:45 p.m., and the town of Schiers is in the shadow of the mountains already. 

Back where we started at the train station in Schiers!

From the train station in Schiers, I get a good look at that winding road that I traveled earlier in the day, on the bus ride up to Stels. 

This map shows where Urs traveled to this day (he had 30 minutes in Schuders before the bus headed back to Schiers), and where I traveled to. 

These are all the hikes we have done in this region of the Prättigau mostly around the St.Antönien region, and right at the border with Austria. 

Our view of the mountains on the train ride back from Schiers to Landquart. 

Heading out of the gorge and near to Landquart we pass the vineyards of Malans. In May of 2020 we descended from those peaks down to Malans, having started in Seewis near Schiers in the Prättigau Valley. (Those photos are HERE)

Location of the Prättigau Region within Switzerland.