Murtel - Fuorcla Surlej Walk 8057
Canton - Graubunden/Grisons - Upper Engadine
Author - Lou Johnson
Length - 2.5 km / 1.6 miles
Ascent - 80 metres / 264 feet
Descent - 25 metres / 83 feet
Time - 1.25 hours
Grade - easy
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A short walk through the rocky landscape beneath the northern face of Corvatsch. The route is easy to follow, offers superb views down to Silvaplana and provides a real mountain experience. The start is the Murtel station of the Corvatsch cable-car which starts in Surlej. Buses provide regular connections with other parts of the area.
Click thumbnails for larger images.
Exit Murtel station (2699 m) and take the signed path to Fuorcla Surlej with its refuge located in a superb position offering a wonderful mountain panorama especially to the south-east. The path is clear and obvious and you soon enter a rock strewn landscape with views to your left down towards Silvaplana and the valley some 900 metres below with its string of lakes shining in the sun. The walking is never difficult despite the terrain and quick progress is made to reach a path junction (2685 m) where the path comes up from the valley.
Turn right uphill following a series of zig-zags to a col from where a short descent leads you to the refuge at Fuorcla Surlej with its small lake offering a perfect place to sit and digest the view. The options are (a) return to Murtel station using the outward route, (b) continue on the direct path down to Val Roseg and onto Pontresina or (c) to continue south up the valley to the Coaz Hütte.
Suggested Maps
Oberengadin, Bergell-Puschlav, Wanderkarte - 1:50000
Recommended Books
Tour of Mont Blanc
An essential guidebook for walking the Tour of Mont Blanc. The 170km route typically takes 11 days to trek around the Mont Blanc massif. The TMB is recognised as one of the world's classic treks. The book describes both anti-clockwise and clockwise directions, with variants and information about huts, refuges and facilities en route.
Tour of the Matterhorn
A guide to the 145km Tour of the Matterhorn, described anti-clockwise from Zermatt and visits 6 valleys via Zinal, Arolla and Breuil, offering spectacular views of 25 peaks of over 4000m. The route also links up with the Chamonix to Zermatt walkers' Haute Route and the Tour of Monte Rosa. Includes two glacier crossings and takes 8 to 10 days.