On this walk we take in a lake, a peak and a pass that all bear the name "Lunghin". It is a walk along a panoramic route and suitable for everyone (at least as far as the lake and the pass; the climb to Piz Lunghin is a little more demanding). The day could end right there, returning to the Maloja Pass along the same path used on the way up. For those with energy to spare, the walk can be extended to the picturesque village of Grevasalvas, a few kilometres further east, reached along a panoramic balcony path with wonderful views over the Lago di Sils and the Lago di Silvaplana and the outlying peaks of the Bernina group.
From the Maloja Pass to Lago Lunghin
We go over the Maloja Pass; a kilometre further on the Lago di Sils appears, with the houses of Cadlagh (m1799) on its shore. Past the village we find a small car park on the left, where we leave the car and start walking. The path climbs quickly, tracing a diagonal westwards across the meadows to meet the path that comes up directly from Maloja. To make the height gain easier, the route is broken up by numerous geometric hairpins.
Higher up the path, now at a moderate gradient, enters the short valley that holds Lago Lunghin, our first goal, further up. The lake sits on the edge of a high rocky balcony, of which for now we see only the buttresses. With one last steep pull, here we are at last at the lake (m2484, h1.45), which reveals itself only at the very end. Its clear waters, which look dark because the rock of its bed is dark, mirror the pyramid of Piz Lunghin on the left.
Piz Lunghin and Passo Lunghin
From the lake you can make a fine loop that takes us first to the summit of Piz Lunghin, then to Passo Lunghin, from where we return to the lake. So we take the path that climbs the southern side of the lake. Higher up the path forks: right to go straight to the pass, left to climb to the summit of the Piz. We choose the latter. The path, little more than a trace, scrambles up the northern flank of Piz Lunghin, cutting a steep traverse across a scree slope. And so we soon gain a small saddle on the Lunghin ridge, where we can finally look out over the Val Bregaglia. The summit is only a few dozen metres away, and we cover them on a narrow path with just a couple of slightly exposed moves.
There is hardly any need to say how far the view reaches from the summit of Piz Lunghin (m2780, h0.30). Below us, on the left, lies Lago Lunghin, with the whole zigzag path we used on the way up. Then Maloja with its winding hairpins, the Lago di Sils and the Lago di Silvaplana. Raising our eyes, we see many peaks of the Bernina and Disgrazia groups.
To reach Passo Lunghin we now have to go back down to the saddle, where instead of descending towards the lake we carry on along the ridge. We are soon at the pass (m2645, h0.15), famous for being one of those rare points where more than two watersheds meet. At Passo Lunghin three basins come together: that of the Danube (where the water flowing down from the pass towards Lago Lunghin ends up; final destination: the Black Sea), that of the Rhine (which collects the water flowing down towards the Septimer Pass; final destination: the North Sea), and finally our own Po (which collects the water flowing down from the pass towards the Val Bregaglia), which eventually reaches the Adriatic.
From Passo Lunghin we are back at Lago Lunghin in less than half an hour.
Traverse from Lago Lunghin to Grevasalvas
From Lago Lunghin we have two options. The first is to go back down to Cadlagh by the same path we came up. The second is, before returning to the valley, to make a long traverse at the foot of Piz Grevasalvas to the village of Grevasalvas, and from there head back to Cadlagh. If you choose this second option, take the narrow path that starts from the small stream flowing out of the lake (signposted Grevasalvas-Plaun da Lej). The traverse is a magnificent balcony over the Lago di Sils and the Lago di Silvaplana, especially colourful in the afternoon light; the landscape is pure Segantini, with Swiss cows, bright green meadows and glaciated peaks in the background.
At Grevasalvas (about m1950, h1.30) we can allow ourselves a short break. There is no shortage of tourists here, drawn by the characteristic architecture and the landscape surrounding what is known as "Heidi's village". It was here at Grevasalvas, in fact, that between 1974 and 1978 the film crews worked who shot two television series about the life of the lucky fairy-tale figure created by the Swiss writer Johanna Spyri.
To return to Cadlagh we recommend the dirt road that climbs from Grevasalvas to Blaunca (m2037) and then heads out across a broad plateau raised above the Lago di Sils. At the end of the plateau the dirt road, now a path, rejoins the path to Lago Lunghin that we took on the way up. A few minutes more and we are back at Cadlagh (h0.45).
