Sentiero Alpino Calanca

The hike begins opposite the hospice at the top of the San Bernandino Pass. You can reach this by postbus from Thusis or Bellinzona. The pass forms a key European watershed: To the north, the water flows via the Rhine into the North Sea, and to the south, into the Mediterranean Sea.

The path first runs alongside the Laghetto Moesola lake, through the landscape of mounds and hills formed during the Ice Age. To the south of the top of the pass, it crosses the road and takes you into the wide valley basin of Alp de Mucia, which is closed up by the Zapporthorn mountain in the west. You cross the main stream, which has carved deep into the rock plates, on a small bridge. A varied path takes you to the shoulder on the ridge, which sweeps down from Piz de Confin. Far below in the valley, you can already make out the large buildings in the tourist destination of San Bernadino.

After a brief descent, you climb slightly in a wide arc, crossing the ski lift and cable car systems of the former ski resort. You pass through a delightful landscape with shallow lakes, peppered with cotton grass, before reaching the saddle at 2,204 metres. After this, the path descends to the two picturesque lakes at the Pass di Passit. The narrow, well-marked path now takes you south-west through stonier terrain, up to the cleft of Pass de la Cruseta and its clearly visible cairn. From the top of the pass, you can see the Piz Pian Grand ahead of you.

After the ridge, chains help you descend the first steep rocky steps. A short, flat section with views down into the upper Calanca Valley takes you to the flanks of Piz d’Arbeola and to Bocca de Rogna. You can now enjoy a view of the Mesolcina Valley. A further brief descent leads you over boulders to offshoots of the ridge of the Piz Pian Grand and into the valley basin of Alp d’Arbeola, from where you climb the final 150 metres of elevation to the Rifugio Pian Grand. The two cosy self-catering huts are located on a summit above the small, shallow lake. They can accommodate around 20 hikers.