Via Engiadina

Beautifully decorated large Engadine houses line the cobbled streets of Ardez. Wide stone arches and oriels adorn the village, which is considered a model village for the Rhaeto-Romanic language and culture.

When you leave the village, you reach the first wooded area via a pasture. It is worth taking a look back here. The Felsberg ruins from the 12th century are located on a rocky outcrop. Behind the castle, the peaks of Piz Minger, Pisoc and Lavetscha tower above the Alp Laisch forest.

Beyond the forest, an attractive trail runs along the left side of the valley, high above Tasnan and into Val Tasna. On a narrow trail on a steep hillside, it leads partly uphill, across deep stony gullies. You cross the mountain stream at Alp Valmala and continue on the right side of the valley. The path now leads south and back out of the valley. Above the tree line, you continue upwards to the highest point of the route on Alp Laret. A superb view of the national park opens out here.

There is then a crossing on the southern hillside, on a trail running slightly downhill below Piz Minschun. The vegetation is sparse and huge boulders rise up on the steep slope. The varied path with a stunning view of the Lower Engadine takes you to the Ftan-Prui chairlift. This is where the tenth stage of the Via Engiadina begins. The alternative is a leisurely chairlift ride down into the valley to Ftan.