Hikes in Valle Spluga

The best hikes in Valle Spluga, from Lago d'Emet to Pian dei Cavalli and the Passo dello Spluga, with historic mule tracks and alpine lakes.

Valle Spluga climbs from Chiavenna to the pass that leads into Switzerland, and along the road side valleys and high plateaus open up that few hikers from Milan know, even though they are less than two and a half hours away.

Here you will find the Rifugio Bertacchi on Lago d'Emet, the Lago Bianco loop at Pian dei Cavalli, the Bivacco del Suretta from the Passo dello Spluga, the Sentiero del Cardinello on the old Via Spluga and the long Lago del Truzzo circuit in the Valle del Drogo.

Good to know about the Valle Spluga

The old Via Spluga is now also a waymarked trek of about 65 kilometres in four stages, from Thusis in Switzerland down to Chiavenna, with overnight stops at Andeer, Splügen and Isola. It follows the ancient trade route between the Rhine valley and Lombardy, on which, in the early nineteenth century, hundreds of laden mules passed every month, and its most feared section was precisely the Cardinello gorge, which has since been made safe. The season depends on the opening of the Splügen Pass, so roughly from June to September, and the Cardinello stage can be walked on its own, as in our hike, or as part of the full route.

The high plateaus of the Valle Spluga, such as the Pian dei Cavalli, are still summer pastures, and in several alpine valleys flocks are now protected by guardian dogs because of the wolf's return. The CAI suggests a few simple rules: make a wide detour around the flock, stay calm if the dogs bark and come closer, do not provoke them with sticks or sudden gestures, do not feed them and, if you are cycling, get off and walk away. If you are hiking with your own dog, keep it on a lead and do not pick it up.