Winter Walk from Bargis High Valley to Flims

Thursday January 16, 2025 -- This day had a better forecast than Wednesday, so Urs switched his day off, and we headed to the popular vacation resort town of Flims in Canton Graubünden, to hike a high elevation winter trail which we knew about and had long wanted to visit. There is bus service in winter also, along a forestry road from Flims to this hidden upper valley called Bargis, as there are many kilometers of prepared cross-country ski trails as well as a 3-km loop trail for walkers. 

As the trip to get there is just over three hours, a 45-minute walk was much too short of an endeavour, but we knew that there were several other winter walking trails in the area, including one that descended from Bargis back down to Flims, and even though the snow conditions there weren't ideal (a lot of the snow has melted due to warmer termperatures), a large part of the trail was through the forest and on panoramic trails, so this is what we ended up doing. Plus we discovered an additional walking loop in Bargis, and spent more time up there than originally planned... with the most spectacular mountain backdrop and lots of sunshine.

Once we got to the paved roads, our walk beneath the Flimserstein Massif was pleasant enough, with plenty of sunshine, great visibility of the surrounding mountains, and few other pedestrians. Furthermore we were witness to the sound of several rock falls from the 700-meter vertical cliffs, although we never actually saw them. 

Back in Flims at 3 p.m., our trip back home was only two hours and 40 minutes. Any trip under three hours is worth it to us!

We got to Flims at 10:30 a.m. after leaving home at 7:45. From here we take another bus for a 20-minute ride to Bargis. 

The bus to Bargis was more than full, even the aisles were packed with people standing. Later, a large group of seniors passed us on the walking trail, and that was the reason that the bus was full. I was glad to get out here at the final stop at the Bargis Berghaus restaurant.... 

We started down the hill to the large open plateau, and were stunned by the magnificent backdrop. 

This flat and wide open pasture is great for cross-country skiing. No private cars are allowed up here, so people wanting to ski here also have to take the bus up here. 

The prepared walking trail had perfect snow conditions. 

As we headed out on the circuit trail, we looked back to the Bargis Berghaus, and the mountains that are further to the east. 

What a beautiful backdrop for this three-kilometer walk!

Passing a lovely mountain home along the way. (In summer these upper pastures are most likely used for grazing animals). 

Crossing the "river" at the back of the loop

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I love the "crunch" of the snow on the prepared trail

when snow conditions are perfect.

Heading back now on the other side of the loop. Once in a while a cross-country skier passes us. 

These houses are near the restaurant. 

Here we are getting back to the start of the loop, after walking for about 45 minutes. Up ahead we saw a couple of benches, and went up there to eat our sandwiches. 

We spent about 20 minutes here on the bench, enjoying our sandwiches, the sun, and the view. Also up here was a smaller walking loop, which we also followed before heading back to the bus stop. 

The blue tracks on this map are all the crosscountry ski trails up here, and the pink one with no.271 is the Bargis loop trail. It took about 45 minutes to walk the first loop trail. We walked up to a sunny bench for our picnic lunch, and then we discovered another smaller loop which we also walked, before we headed out of the valley. 

This was the view from our bench, and the start of the second loop we did after our lunch. By this time I was too warm in jeans with stockings, so I packed away the jeans and continued in my stockings.  

Close-up look at the hamlet of Bargis at the back part of the walking loop. 

On the south side of the plateau we could see a trail heading up that steep rock-face, which is actually a summer hiking trail which we would like to try some time!

Descending from the second loop, and heading back toward the restaurant at 12:30.

A final look up the valley (from the restaurant patio) before we head out on the second part of our walk at 12:45

After walking for almost four kilometers and spending just under two sunny hours in the beautiful upper Bargis Valley, we headed down the second winter trail toward Flims Dorf at 12:45, and got on the bus there at about 3:20 p.m. We passed through the mountain hamlet of Fidaz, where there is a cable-car used to transport milk from the upper pastures, 900 meters higher up!

The first half hour of the lower walk was through the forest on a nicely prepared snow-covered trail. 

On the way down to Flims, a large section of our walk was right next to this fabulous, virtually vertical rock face. This is called the Flimserstein, or "Flimser Rock". As we walked along the base of this massif, we heard several rock falls, but never actually saw the rocks. 

Up here is a mountain village called Fidaz. 

This beautiful house is called "Casa Martin Pign" 

Dates inscribed on the side of this house: 1697, 1654, and 1523!

Heading through the mountain village of Fidaz. We decided to continue on an upper winter trail instead of descending directly to the town of Flims. 

The cliff walls rise about 700 meters practically vertically from here. 

We inspected this cable-car station, called the "Milchseilbahn" which leads up to the high alpine meadows 900 meters up, but is currently only for cargo and transporting milk from the upper pastures, and needs to be renovated. But we read that they might be rebuilding it to include passage for regular pedestrians, which would be a great way to get up to new elevations we can't really reach on foot!

The pink signs show which winter trails you can walk! Here we are joining Trail no. 273, but will descend to Flims on the "35-minute" trail. 

More lovely houses along the way. 

From this high trail, we get this fabulous view over the rooftops of Fidaz, down to the junction of the two valleys where the Anterior Rhine River meets the Posterior Rhine River. The city you can see at the junction of those two valleys is Bonaduz. 

A placard informs us that there is a "historical" Via Ferrata route up the vertical cliff face. 

A hundred years ago, a via ferrata was created for tourists, but later fell into disrepair, and then was restructured in 2006-2007 to reflect what it originally looked like. 

The community of Flims "invites us" to enjoy a unique experience... which we probably would never do, although it's surely exciting!

Enjoying the sunshine and the view of the Graubünden Alps before we head down to Flims. 

A practical bench for a break. 

We were studying the mountains across the Rhine Valley from where we were sitting, and realized this valley across from here is the Safien Valley, where we have been many times. The first time we walked out of the valley along the center mountain range, and around the front to descend to Rhäzüns near the entrance to the next valley on the left, where the Posterior Rhine flows out of. (July 2016)

This is a huge collection of cow bells... most of which are quite small!

In Switzerland, cows must have access to the outdoors in winter. They can stay in the barn if they prefer, or go outside to enjoy the sunshine like we are doing!

Here we started on our final descent to Flims. 

Below is the town of Flims where we started our excursion and will catch a bus back to Chur. 

This is what our walk looks like on Google Satellite Maps. We took a bus to the Bargis upper valley, and spent two hours there and then walked down to Flims via Fidaz. 

Once we got to the main road in Flims, we had time to take a bus in the other direction to a part of town called Flims Waldhaus. While waiting for the bus there, I noticed those peaks up high... Those are the Tschingelhorns, which we have never seen from this side! 

Close-up of the beautiful Tschingelhorn peaks. They are in the center of the UNESCO Sardona Tectonic region. We have seen them several times from Elm on the other side. 

And this is what the town of Flims and the Flimserstein look like from the eastern side, as the bus heads back through the town to continue on to Chur. The Bargis side valley is on the right, and we walked parallel to the vertical cliffs from right to left. 

A better look of the side valley to the upper pasture of Bargis, and where we walked below the Flimserstein cliffs. 

The only other hikes we have done near Flims were in 2015, once via Lake Cauma to Trin, and once when we walked along the bottom of the Rhine Canyon. 

Location of Flims within Switzerland. This is near where the Posterior and Anterior Rhine Rivers (Hinterrhein, Vorderrhein) meet in Reichenau-Tamins. 

This photo from July 2016 when we walked out of the Safien Valley shows what Bargis and the Flimserstein cliffs look like from across the valley to the south.