The Bernina Range is a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland and northern Italy that is considered to be part of the Rhaetian Alps within the Central Eastern Alps.
It is one of the highest ranges of the Alps, covered with many glaciers. Piz Bernina (4,049 m), its highest peak, is the most easterly four thousand-metre peak in the Alps. Though Bernina’s glaciers have retreated over the last centuries, the sheer extent of these rivers of ice remains a distinctive feature of the entire range.
I decided for this hiking loop (solo) having a few spare days at the beginning of July; beautiful scenery, lack of crowds (compared to Tour of Mont Blanc), and relative proximity to Prague were the key factors of this decision.
I also wanted to try my new ULA Epic backpack and generally aimed to go as light as possible, opting thus to mountain huts and not carrying much food. As the result, I hiked the whole 130km-long circuit in 5 days, averaging slightly less than 30km per day - quite a portion given the elevation, however still perfectly possible for an average hiker with some decent experience.
Surprisingly, this has been my first time in the Alps (in summer). Have to say I liked the area, though it may get crowded unpleasantly. The huts are often spectacularly located and the scenery tends to be breathtaking.
Still, however, I was missing something here: that true essence of the deep north, feels of vast wilderness, silence and wind as the only sound, solitude, and feelings of relying on just myself and my companions.
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I got up at 5:30 AM on Fri morning to start a gruelling car ride from Prague to the Swiss settlement of Maloja; 8-hours tiring ride mostly on Czech, German, Austrian and Swiss highways.
I never go by car when travelling to the deep north (Scandinavia), however this time the car option seemed to be the shortest, cheapest and the most flexible. Still, not much fun.
I arrived in Maloja parking lot shortly after 2PM, having lunch in Austria in a highway restaurant.
The plan for the rest of the day was straightforward – to hike as much as possible in the south-east direction, crossing the Passo del Muretto pass, and finishing the journey somewhere in Italy; camping (in a tent) seemed to be the choice for the starting day.
The landscape looked beautiful right from the very beginning: lush greenery, mountain streams, and peaks of the Bernina Alps.
There were people around, too: mostly day-trippers hiking to the beautiful Lake da Cavloc and back. From there onwards, however, I only met a pair of hikers or two; still, no one was going from the opposite site from Italy, and I quickly learned I will be among the first ones to cross the Passo del Muretto pass (2562 m) this year (on foot, naturally, not on skis).
It was a continuous decent ascent to the pass in a beautiful and varied landscape; higher up in the pass, the typical rocky barren terrain started to prevail with some larger patches of remaining snow.
With some effort, it wasn’t difficult to reach the pass. Having some rest, I quickly resumed hiking in the south-east direction towards Italy.
Further to the south, the views started to be more appealing, as snow and rocky landscape was replaced by green pastures and forests.
During the descent, the path unfolded down into the valley between Monte del Forno and Monte dell’Oro, heading towards Alpe dell’Oro (2010 m), giving a chance to admire the stunning view of the northern face of Monte Disgrazia.
In Alpe dell’Oro, I decided to camp on a green lawn at one of the houses; the Cicerone guidebook (“The Tour of the Bernina”) mentions that cheese is still prepared here in the traditional way, however at the beginning of July, I was in Alpe dell’Oro settlement completely alone.
The night was peaceful and without rain, although my favourite Norwegian yr.no weather forecast promised some (rather intensive) downpours – not only for the night, but also for the most of the upcoming day.
I got up very early, at 5AM; did some photographs, ate breakfast quickly, packed my sleeping bag, mattress and the tent, and set out on the trail. At the same time, it started to rain decently.
I am not fan of waterproofs; too heavy, consuming too much space in the backpack, and rarely used. Also, I quit carrying a raincoat (poncho) recently, more or less for the same reason. If there is a period of intensive rain, one is going to be wet anyway. If there is a safe and dry place at the end of the journey, the rain doesn’t matter that much. And if not – no one is forced to hike.
I knew I will spend the night in a hut, and that’s why I continued hiking in the constant rain, hoping for better weather later during the day.
From Alpe dell’Oro, I hiked to Alpe Fora, and then further to Alpe Entova. Here, I finally got some decent views and even sunshine, when the sun broke through grey clouds for a few brief moments.
In moments like this, one is very grateful even for a short period of sunlight; suddenly, everything looked much more optimistic. I continued hiking further in the direction towards Lago Palù.
It was a nice journey on mostly forest paths, and I entered the lovely building of Rifugio Lago Palù shortly before 12AM, quite right for lunch I was looking forward to. Venison on polenta was the clever choice I made – I really needed to get warm and get some energy as well.
Having lunch, I started to hike – or better say ascend – again.
It became sunny during the lunch break, and I wanted to reach my evening destination quickly – also to avoid other rainy moments that were forecast for the afternoon and evening.
The steep ascent to Bocchel del Torno pass (2203 m) was a pleasant challenge, however the following descent on ski slopes was rather dull. Then again, another ascent followed – through the small and nice settlement of Alpe Musella towards the mountain hut interestingly called Rifugio Carate Brianza.
I planned to spend the night in Rifugio Carate Brianza and was really looking forward to it – however, I didn’t count with the “Saturday effect” even at the shoulder of the summer season: the hut was full, and there were even people already agreed to sleep on the floor.
So, I was politely refused, and told to venture further up, to the spectacularly located Rifugio Marinelli Bombardieri.
So I did as I was told, a bit tired (I already hiked more than 25km with continuous ascents and descents) and enthusiastic at the same time.
The hut was opened for the summer season just recently; 1st July was the official date.
It was a snowy endeavour; luckily enough, there were foot tracks of the previous visitors visible in the snow . The landscape around looked awesome, barren, and beautiful, all in one – and for the first time in the Bernina range, I felt moods of solitude and isolation.
High mountain peaks, glaciers, half-frozen lakes, snow, and rocky terrain – it was a true mountainous wilderness, spectacularly illuminated by the evening sun.
It took me slightly more than an hour to reach the cliff-top building of Rifugio Marinelli Bombardieri, which is literally reaching the skies at the altitude of 2813m.
The dinner was simple but nice, and the (Peroni?) beer on tap excellent: they know how to please a tired Czech hiker ☺. I took a few evening photographs and after those four beers, I enjoyed a true good night’s sleep.
I woke up early, around 5AM. The skies were clear and promised a beautiful sunrise. I enjoyed my breakfast outside the hut, and took a few morning shots in various angles and directions.
Shortly after that, I set out on the trail in the adventurous direction towards the Vedretta di Caspoggio glacier.
It was a tough climb across big boulders and with a few traverses in the frozen snow; I knew a pair of hikers used this route a day ago coming from the opposite direction, and that was why I decided for this option even without crampons.
Still, it was a bit of a challenge on the slippery frozen terrain – however, the views from the Bocchetta di Caspoggio pass (2983m) were very much worth the effort.
The following descent to Rifugio Bignami was a fast snow-sliding activity.
It was interesting to exchange high peaks of the Bernina range for lush green valleys again – and also very much rewarding to enjoy the second breakfast of the day at the beautifully located Rifugio, with splendid views across the Lago di Alpe Gera dam.
Having had hearty breakfast, I decided to continue hiking after some hesitation.
Descent to the lake was followed by a long climb to the Passo Confinale pass (2600m). During the way, splendid views of Lago di Alpe Gera together with rustic stone buildings of l‘Alpe Gembrè former settlement were the highlights of this tiring endeavour (under midday sun).
From the Passo Confinale pass, I ventured back to Switzerland, hiking to the east in the broad valley of Val Poschiavina.
It was a fast descent, though rather long and in hot weather – and I was thankful for the water fountain in the small settlement of Somdoss. Here, I admired beautiful views of Poschiavo and other villages in the valley, together with blue waters of the Lago di Poschiavo lake.
The final stretch was rather long and boring traverse to Cavaglia settlement.
The woods I was hiking through were nice, however they obscured views and walking on an asphalt road for a major part of this section was not much attractive.
I did not catch the last train to Diavolezza (the last one still allowing me the cable car ride to the mountain top) by merely five minutes - instead of that, I decided to stay in the beautiful family-run Rifugio Cavaglia; with local homemade food and delicious (Italian) red wine, it was a delight.
Surprisingly, at the beginning of July, I was a solo guest that night; the season was yet about to start here.
Having enjoyed hearty breakfast, I set out on the trail during a beautiful morning, leaving the lovely settlement of Cavaglia behind.
The trail took me along the Cavagliasch river (with a nice waterfall) to the beautiful Lagh da Palü lake. Here, clouds started to obscure the views, continuously moving in and out of the valley.
I continued hiking on a footpath with many bends, gaining some altitude and finally reaching the spectacularly located train station of Alp Grüm.
The Alp Grüm railway station is a popular tourist stop, and herds of visitors from around the world admire both the views and the railway construction wonders.
I left the area in the direction of Sassal Masone hut, enjoying – clouds permitting – fine views of the Lagh da Palü lake below me. At the hut, I had a soup and a coke – in a white foggy darkness not unusual for mountain terrain of this altitude.
After lunch, I continued hiking along the Lago Bianco dam, finally turning to the west, using a narrow footpath towards the Laj de Diavolezza lake.
The views back to the valley became splendid, and, as expected at the beginning of July, there were also a few snowfields to cross.
I was not the first hiker here this season, thus I followed foot tracks of previous adventurers – sometimes it was rather steep ascent in the deep snow.
After some time and effort, I finally appeared at Diavolezza, admiring stunning views of the peaks and glaciers of the Bernina range.
The evening was beautiful at Diavolezza.
The opulent 3-course dinner (mandatory & included in the price of the stay) was a delight; instead of the digestive, I enjoyed a glass of red wine outside, admiring views in the setting sunlight and upcoming twilight. Beautiful place indeed, and truly unforgettable vista.
I got up early for yet another sunrise. Hard to compare what was more appealing here: whether sunset on the previous day, or sunrise during this beautiful yet cold morning.
The sunlight came from another direction, and I witnessed orange light turning to yellow on the high peaks of the Bernina range.
Previous day, I considered the option of crossing the Pers and Morteratsch glaciers, knowing there is a path created by guided tours; finally, I decided for the safer option of a fast descent to Diavolezza train station in the valley, and the subsequent short train ride.
I got off the train in the small Surovas station, and resumed hiking in the Roseg valley, following the nice forest footpath along the Ova da Roseg river.
I enjoyed couple of beers and a soup in the hotel Roseg – a beautiful place for a short stop.
Here I also met Martin, a Slovakian hiking, climbing and biking enthusiast, who is working here for a few months within a year – and also running Vetroplachmagazin.sk, a Slovakian outdoor sports online magazine.
From Roseg, I took a long mountain path towards the Fuorcla Surlej mountain hut.
The views of the Roseg valley were absolutely beautiful, and somehow reminded me of the Rapadalen valley in Sarek national park, Sweden.
It took me some effort the reach the pass and the mountain hut, however views of the surrounding landscape were really worth the effort.
Having quick lunch at the Fuorcla Surlej hut, I continued descending west, with a fine though cloudy views of Sils Maria settlement and lakes of Lej da Silvaplauna and Segl.
Here, wandering became a bit boring, especially when I finally descended to the lake level and had to hike five more dull kilometres to Maloja.
The only excitement was the moving dark cloud over Maloja that appeared exactly like in the Sils Maria movie (interesting film with Juliette Binoche I saw a year ago).
In Maloja, a bit tired and worn, and with afternoon rain coming, I finally reached the parking lot where I left my car. Changing clothes, a short rest, and a long car ride back to Prague followed.
It was a beautiful hike; kind of a speed-hike, I would say, since I was hiking all days long, with daily portion often close to thirty kilometres.
The landscape is beautiful and haunting in this part of the Alps, especially in high passes and closer to the centre of the Bernina mountain massif. The (often) spectacularly located huts are convenient albeit a bit expensive. The crowds were bearable at the beginning of July, though there was still (sometimes a lot of) snow on the tracks in higher areas.
Having completed the hike, I felt a bit tired, also mentally – however thankful for the chance to enjoy five days in this beautiful region in Italy and Switzerland.
Venison on polenta in Rifugio Lago Palù.
Rifugio Bignami & 2nd breakfast of the day.
Spaghetti in Cavaglia and chicken in Diavolezza.
Beer and soup in the Roseggletscher hotel.
And Frankfurter soup in Fuorcla Surlej.
What to say: I loved it! :-)
© 2026 Northern Adventures
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