From the Flüela Pass to the Dischma Valley via Grialetsch Valley (Graubünden)

Tuesday July 20, 2021 -- To make up for the lack of nice weather last week, Urs took Tuesday off this week and we did a two-day trip to Canton Graubünden. This time we were blessed with great weather, lots of sunshine, and the hikes we picked to do were at high enough elevations that we didn't feel the heat. (In fact, the first hike was rather cold...)

The main reason for the two-day trip was, once again, to be able to overnight near the start of a challenging hike which we could only access from locally (Wednesday's hike). But we always like to take advantage of the first day to do a "shorter" hike in the vicinity, which is this one I am describing. Last year we did a wonderful hike to the Jöri Lakes near the Flüela Pass (those photos can be viewed HERE), and while traveling to that destination by bus we discovered a side valley (Val Grialetsch) which gave us access to the Dischma Valley, which we had also discovered on the same trip last year (photos HERE)

According to our interactive hiking map, the hike from the Flüela Pass to the Dischma Valley was listed at 3 hours and 45 minutes. The total ascent of 500m over 12 kilometers should have been no issue for us, yet I found the hike quite tiring. Perhaps it's because the start of our hike at the Flüela pass was at an elevation of almost 2400m, and most of our hike was at 2700m, which means thinner air, colder when the sun is gone, and mostly several stretches where we had to make our way across piles of boulders that are quite common at these elevations. Or maybe it was simply because I hadn't slept well the night before.

Nevertheless, the landscape and views were incredible as usual, and the trail itself not particularly difficult to walk (except we had to go slowly as in a lot of places the large amounts of rain we've had have turned these trails into streams...). And the Dischma Valley was as beautiful as we remember, especially with the vast coverings of Alpine Roses (not appreciated by the farmers) and the large volume of water racing down the Dischma River. Best of all, we encountered only two other couples hiking up here, which gives you the sense that you own the world...

Our hotel was in Küblis in the Prättigau (1 hr. 50 minutes from the end of our hike, via Davos), right next to the train station, where we were able to spend a very quiet night and had easy access to the bus to St.Antönien the next morning. 

Here's where we got off the bus, at the Hostel at the Flüela Pass, Altitude 2382m (7820 feet). We came from Davos from the northwest, and are heading eastward down the valley. Starting Time = 10:30

Reading the trail markers, we were surprised that the locals had listed the time to Dürrboden (the end of our hike) as 3 hours and 15 minutes! Even the map had 3-3/4, and it definitely took longer. I guess they walk faster here!

A look back to the Flüela Hotel at the Flüela Pass

Heading South on a trail parallel to the pass road

A lot of sheep up here watching us carefully, to see whether they need to run away or not!

Several small lakes along the way

A bit of colour here and there. 

After 2 km along the pass road, our trail heads uphill to the entrance of the Grialetsch Valley, from where we are going to head southward

There is currently lots of water in the rivers and streams here!

Still some avalanche snow. A couple of weeks earlier might have been difficult to pass here. 

Heading up the hill away from the Flüela Pass road. Way in the back is where we had started.

Fantastic panorama view NW up the Flüela Valley. On the right is a mountain called Flüela Wisshorn, and right behind it are the Jöri Lakes which we discovered a year ago

To the east is the lower part of the Flüela Valley. The road goes down to Susch in the Lower Engadine Valley. Behind me on the right is the entrance to the Grialetsch Valley

The map shows how we followed the Flüela Pass Road, then headed South high above the Grialetsch Valley to the Grialetsch Hostel, then westward to the Dischma Valley. The farm at Dürrboden was the goal of our hike, and it definitely took four hours do do this hike. (A year ago we hiked for two hours out of the Dischma Valley from Dürrboden)

Panorama view of the Grialetsch Valley, which stretches North to South, then West, and connects the Flüela Valley with the Dischma Valley.

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The Grialetsch Valley

High up on the hill we spotted two chamois! Or rather, Urs spotted them, as he is good at that.

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Two chamois walking on the snow high on the hillside

Heading along the Grialetsch Valley we came across this small lake, where we had our picnic lunch. 

Picnic lunch and a rest stop at a small lake high above the Grialetsch Valley

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Finding our way across a water course

Behind us is the small lake on the left, and the mountains of the Flüela Valley

Also behind us is the Flüela Road which heads east 

Ahead of us the first of two large regions of fallen rock. These take longer to cross than regular trails. 

Crossing large regions of fallen rock

By this time there was some cloud cover, so I was glad for a small window of sunshine to photograph the back of this valley. The jagged peak on the right is called Piz Grialetsch, from which the valley gets its name. And the stretch of snow below the peaks is the Grialetsch Glacier

Getting to the Swiss Alpine Hostel of Grialetsch took us about three hours, not the two hours claimed on the trail marker at the Pass! But the 1-1/4 to Dürrboden from here is about correct. 

The Grialetsch Hostel is undergoing a full renovation and is closed this year, which might be the reason that no one else was on the trail. We might have stopped here for something to drink. 

Continuing on to the next pass, the Fuorcla da Grialetsch, where the descent into the Dischma Valley starts

A look back to the Grialetsch Glacier. Here we are on the pass called Fuorcla da Grialetsch, at 2537m altitude

We were originally going to catch the 15:30 bus at Dürrboden, but by now we knew we weren't going to make it, so we took a long break near this lake at the Grialetsch Pass.  

Marmots were scampering along the hillside!

At the back of the Dischma Valley is the Scaletta Glacier. It's really not very big. Will probably disappear in a few years. 

Near the Scaletta Glacier we noticed an avalanche, which had most definitely been caused by that large boulder leaving a track and stopping in the middle of the mountainside.

The back of the Dischma Valley

As we descend from higher elevations, we see more flowers and other vegetation

The entire hillside here was covered in alpine roses

Also, more marmots!

Finally, rounding a corner we get the first view of the Dischma Valley which stretches Northwest to Davos

Down below is the farm called Dürrboden, which is the end of our hike. It is the final bus stop at the back of this valley.

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The beautiful Dischma Valley and Dischma River

And a landscape covered in Alpine Roses

A look back up the Dischma Valley. On the right is the Scaletta Pass, which we plan to cross another year, and on the left is the Scaletta Glacier. The whole valley bottom here is covered in alpine roses, although the colour is hard to see on this photo

The farm at Dürrboden. We got here at 16:20, with 40 minutes to spare for the 17:00 bus to Davos. We were going to have French Fries and Ice Cream Sundaes, but they had neither, so we waited near the stream instead.

A final look to the back of the Dischma Valley as we crossed the river onto the farm

Waiting near the river for the 17:00 bus

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Waiting at the Dischma River for the 17:00 Bus

The turquoise line shows our hike from the Flüela Pass to Dürrboden in the Dischma Valley. Last year (2020) we walked to the Jöri Lakes and down the Fless Valley to the Flüela Pass Road, and we also walked along the Dischma Valley. 

From the bus, a look up the Dischma Valley. 

We spent the night in Küblis in the Prättigau for easy access to the hike we wanted to do the next day. Before retiring, we did a little walkthrough of the village

Village of Küblis, where we spent the night.

Our hotel was actually right at the train station, so we had only a minute to get to the bus the next day. Here is a Glacier Express run heading through Küblis

The area of the Flüela Pass and the village of Küblis where we spent the night. 

Jakobshorn Ridge and Dischma Valley Hikes, 2-in-1

Friday July 31, 2020 -- The last time we were in the Davos area was in 2017, where we discovered a beautiful Valley called the Sertig Valley. Flanking this valley to the East is Mt. Jakobshorn, locally known as "Davos' View Mountain". Along the mountain is a ridge that you can walk for about 90 minutes before descending either back into the Sertig Valley, or down the East side into the Dischma Valley. At that time I had decided, the next time we come back to this area, I want to walk that ridge trail. 

In some places in Switzerland, when you overnight in a hotel or B&B in the region, you get a special guest card for discounts on cable cars. So that was our plan for spending two nights in Davos.... we received a guest pass for discounts for two days. So on Friday we used our discount card for the cable car ride up to Mt. Jakobshorn and walked the ridge trail. As for which valley to descend to: The descent to the Sertig Valley was less high and steep, but Urs especially wanted to discover the Dischma Valley to the East, so we descended there. More importantly though, we wanted to go right to the back of the Dischma Valley, so we planned it perfectly to reach the valley bottom at Teufi just as a bus was heading up. 

Now, after 4 hours of walking -- including a very steep descent -- I would normally have called it a day. But after some unfortunate very dark clouds blocking the sun during the best part of our hike on the mountain ridge, the day had turned beautiful, and a nice cool wind blowing gave us a second burst of energy. So at the very back of the valley in Dürrboden we had something cool to drink, rested for an hour, and then walked the two hours back to Teufi along the old Via Valtellina mule trail, accompanied by the soothing sound of the Dischma River, an easy stroll for us. In the end it was a lot of sun exposure after all, and I was glad of a nice dinner in the cool dining room of the restaurant at Teufi, and a welcome shower at our B&B after a 20-minute bus ride out of the valley!

Highlight of the day: After our ridge hike, we were the only people on the wide open upper alp on the Dischma side, and got to enjoy loads and loads of marmots!

Heading up Mt. Jakobshorn on the first of two cable cars. Below is the main city of Davos, mostly catering to skiers in winter

Looking down the Landwasser Valley. The Sertig Valley is the first side valley to the left.

Going up the second section. Across the valley is Mt. Weissfluh, which is the site for our excursion on the third day.

Second section of the cable car up to Mt. Jakobshorn

Beautiful weather this early in the day (9:00) and lovely lighting up here on the mountain

View from the restaurant terrace at the summit station. Straight ahead is the Sertig Valley. In 2017 we walked out of that valley along the tree line, and then around the other side. On the left is the ridge we are walking this day

The times provided on the signs in this area are all a little tight. To get to Teufi takes at least 3 hours 30 minutes, especially on the steep descent.

Heading off onto the ridge. This is also a mountain bike paradise, and lots of bikes came up on the cable car as well. But they are all heading down into the Sertig Valley

My heart is soaring because the day looks promising and I love ridge trails like this one

View back to the Jakobshorn Summit Station where we started our hike. It's also possible to walk the ridge on the other side.

More and more clouds are covering the sky, and we have to use every break in the cloud cover for photos!

Heading South along the ridge

A zoomed view into the Sertig Valley

Panorama View to the South: Sertig Valley to the right, Dischma Valley to the left

View to the West

Large storm clouds forming. They were so dark we were sure it would raiin

Enjoying the ridge trail

Approaching the end of the ridge, the trail is now on the eastern side and we can see below the wide open alp where we are going to descend parallel to the stream. It's there we were hoping for sunshine, but it was not the case. This large upper alpine meadow is called Rüedisch Tälli.

Starting the descent from the Tällifurgga toward the Dischma Valley. Sunshine comes and goes. 

Descending this beautiful wide open upper alp, we unfortunately did not have the sunshine I had hoped for, but we were "beating the heat" and there were NO other people!

Filling up on fresh mountain water!

Highlight of our day: Lots of Marmots, even babies!

The baby kept running back and forth between the burrow and its mama! She didn't seem too concerned about our presence. 

Looking back at where we had descended, from above right. Finally, sunshine.

More marmots, all pretty close to the trail.

There was only one single farm on the entire hillside on the entire 700m descent. Till here it was good going. The rest of the 300m descent was on the steep road (on the left side) which was built to access this one single farm. 

The road from the Alp Rüedischtälli Farm descended in a zigzag, but was steep and annoying to descend on. Below is the road into the back of the Dischma Valley, which we traveled by bus later.

Always impressive how the trees grow on the boulders.

FINALLY, reached the valley bottom! We had almost 5 hours to complete what the trail markers claimed was a 3-hour hike, before the 13:45 bus (we started at 9 a.m.) and yet at this point, we still had to rush to make it to the bus stop in Teufi!

A quick look up valley before heading down valley another 10 minutes to the bus.

Crossing the bridge to the main road, here's a look down the Dischma Valley

Across the bridge and up to the restaurant at Teufi, where we later had dinner and where the bus stops on its way up the valley. We got here with barely 10 minutes to spare

Trail markers claimed this was a 3-hour hike, but it was at least 3.5 hours as drawn on the map, and closer to 4 hours to walk!!!

We were very happy to have caught the 13:45 bus up the Dischma Valley from Teufi, because the next one wasn't until 15:15. By 14:10 we were at the back of the valley (the bus took longer than normal because the road was so narrow, and passing all the bikes plus trying to cross with oncoming cars was difficult). After refreshments and an hour to rest poor tired feet, we took on our second hike of the day, a 2-hour walk down the valley back to Teufi, where we had dinner before taking another bus back out the valley to our B&B for our second night... (This trail, by the way, is part of the Via Valtellina, a 135-km long ancient mule trail for the transport of wine from the Veltlin in Italy to Montafon in Austria).

 

Heading up the Dischma Valley by bus, it's interesting to see where we came down from the mountain on the right

7 km up valley we come to the Dürrboden restaurant and final bus stop at the back of the Dischma Valley. The sign tells us that it should take 1-3/4 hours to walk back to Teufi. It took us about 2 hours with a break at the river in 

Taking a break to rest my feet for an hour before we start on our way down the valley

Looks like this used to be the place to spend the night back in the days when the Via Valtellina was used as a mule trail

A look to the back of the valley, to the Scaletta glacier upper left. The Scaletta Pass (Via Valtellina)  is just two hours from here on the right, and we are already planning our next passage!

The restaurant where we had a break. It's 15:15 and we're starting on our walk down the valley.

Starting on our way down the old mule trail, 7 km back to Teufi

A look bakc at the Scaletta Glacier and the restaurant

Some very black cows with some very mean-looking horns....

Always pleasant to walk where there is a river

Signs tell us that we are walking on both the Via Valtellina (no.30) and Grisons St.James Trail (no.43)

I could feel my scalp getting sunburned, so I wore a scarf for this part of the hike! There was a nice cool breeze blowing, though, so you did not feel the heat.

The hamlet called Am Rin, very pretty. We took a break by the river here.

Taking a refreshing break along the Dischma River at Am Rin

Another stop along the bus route: Gadmen

A bit of a wilder section down the valley

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Walking along the Dischma River

The terrain was so pretty that the walk was not at all boring

The 17:00 bus heading back down the valley. By this time we are almost at Teufi.

Back along the same stretch of river that we walked early in the afternoon!

Restaurant at Teufi where we sat in the cool back dining room by ourselves and enjoyed a healthy meal (here they call it a "Fitness Menu", only meat and salads)

Next door to the restaurant and across from the bus stop, this very pretty house.

The only other hikes we have done near here are in 2013 and 2017. This day two hikes: ca. 4 hours from Jakobshorn to Teufi and then ca. 2 hours from Dürrboden to Teufi

And back again at our B&B. 7 p.m. and we are ready for a shower and bed! The night before all the rooms were rented, but this night we were the only guests. Urs was fast asleep by 9 p.m, but surprisingly I could not sleep for a long time!