When the little hut at Alp la Schera was built, the dam of Lago di Livigno probably did not yet exist, and nor did the lake with it, so the view from Alp la Schera was limited to an incredible but "empty" valley, cloaked in firs. Today, by contrast, the alp offers a spectacular view of the dead-straight Lago di Livigno, lined up almost perfectly in front of us. And since we are in relatively remote valleys, at Alp la Schera you will find remarkably few people and an unreal quiet.
We start walking from Car Park P5 (m 1795), which we find on the entertaining road linking Zernez with Val Venosta. If you are coming from Livigno, remember to check the opening times and tolls of the Munt la Schera tunnel.
We are already very high up, which makes this hike particularly suited to sultry days. The path immediately enters a fairy-tale forest (we are, after all, in the Swiss National Park), and we climb it on a steady gradient until we finally emerge, on the level, into the wide, panoramic pasture of Alp la Schera (m 2091, 1 hour). It is dotted by a single little hut, with a new bench and a small fountain.
You can stop right here, in this dazzling, quiet pasture with its view of Lago di Livigno, and with a telescope you can look for herds of deer on the opposite side of the valley.
For even wider views we can instead go up to the summit of Munt la Schera, a broad grassy hump with a lunar look, 500 metres higher (m 2580 approx., 1.30 hours up, 1 hour down). We return to the car by the same route (40 minutes).
If you want to lengthen the outing a little, from Munt la Schera you can opt for a long loop, continuing East along the panoramic ridge of Munt la Schera, then descending into the valley at Buffalora (m 1970), and walking gently downhill along the valley floor for about 6km beside the main road until you are back at P5, where we left the car.
