Zernez Trail & Visitor Guide
Zernez · Switzerland · The Swiss National Park covers about 170 square kilometers in the canton of Graubünden (Grisons), in the Engadine valley near the Italian border.
Why Visit Zernez
Swiss National Park, accessible from the village of Zernez, was established in 1914 as the first national park in the Alps. The park covers 65 square miles of the Lower Engadin and has been left entirely to natural processes for over a century — no logging, grazing, or development. The result is a rewilded alpine landscape where ibex, chamois, marmots, bearded vultures, and golden eagles thrive. All visitors must stay on the 50 miles of marked trails.
Free Zernez Audio Guide with Roamee Pro
Roamee Pro offers a free, self-guided Zernez audio guide. It narrates trails, viewpoints, geology, and wildlife as you explore — Champlonch Trail, Il Fuorn to Stabelchod, Margunet viewpoint, plus quieter spots like Punt la Drossa to Il Fuorn and National Park Centre in Zernez. No guide, no schedule, works offline.
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Signature Trails
- Il Fuorn (P6) to Margunet via Val dal Botsch and Val StabelchodAbout 10 km loop · Moderate, about 5 hours with about 600 m ascent
Margunet pass (about 2,328 m) is a dependable spot to see ibex and chamois; the loop returns down Val Stabelchod past larch forest.
- Macun lakes from LavinAbout 19 km, point-to-point to Zernez · Strenuous, 7-8 hours, about 1,200 m ascent to roughly 2,600 m
A high cirque holding more than 20 small lakes; a full-day high-alpine crossing, snow-free only roughly July to September.
- Champlönch nature trail from Il Fuorn (P6)About 7 km · Easy to moderate, about 2.5 hours
Marked interpretive trail through Swiss stone pine and larch, with deer and marmot sightings.
- Alp Trupchun from S-chanf (Varusch)About 14 km round trip · Moderate, about 5 hours
The park's main wildlife valley — red deer herds during the autumn rut (September), plus ibex, chamois and marmots.
- Lai da Grimmels from Il Fuorn (P5/P6)About 8 km · Moderate, about 3 hours
A small mountain lake at about 2,000 m surrounded by pine forest, quieter than the Margunet loop.
Must-See in Zernez
- •Champlonch Trail — a 3-hour loop through open meadows with excellent ibex and chamois viewing
- •Il Fuorn to Stabelchod — a 2.5-hour walk through the park's core with marmot colonies and wildflower meadows
- •Margunet viewpoint — a 3.5-hour circuit to an overlook for spotting bearded vultures and red deer
- •Val Trupchun — a 4-hour hike into the park's most wildlife-rich valley, home to the largest ibex herd
Best Viewpoints
- •Margunet pass (about 2,328 m) for ibex and chamois and views over Val Stabelchod
- •Alp Trupchun for red deer herds during the September rut
- •Macun lakes cirque (about 2,600 m) for the high-alpine lake plateau
- •Il Fuorn / Ofenpass (Pass dal Fuorn) road for valley and forest views
- •God dal Fuorn viewpoint over the Spöl valley
Quieter Corners of Zernez
- •Punt la Drossa to Il Fuorn — a quiet 2-hour forest walk along the Spol River with fewer hikers
- •National Park Centre in Zernez — an interactive exhibition on 100+ years of rewilding with audiovisual installations
Wildlife You May See
Entrance Fee
Entry to the Swiss National Park is free; there is no entrance gate or admission fee. Parking at trailheads (P1–P10 along the Ofenpass road) is charged, and the Swiss National Park visitor center (Nationalparkzentrum) in Zernez charges roughly CHF 7 for adults.
Getting There
Zernez sits on the Engadine valley road and has its own train station on the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) Engadine line; it is about a 1-hour train ride from St. Moritz. By car it is about 70 km from Davos via the Flüela Pass (or the Vereina car-train tunnel) and lies at the western end of the Ofenpass (Pass dal Fuorn) road toward the Müstair valley and Italy.
Where to Stay
Zernez has hotels and guesthouses (e.g., Hotel Bär & Post, Hotel Filli) and is the main base for the park. Inside the park there is one lodging, Hotel Il Fuorn on the Ofenpass road; otherwise Engadine villages such as S-chanf and Scuol offer rooms. Camping is available in Zernez (Camping Cul). No overnight camping or fires are permitted inside the national park itself.
Best Time
Park trails are generally accessible from about mid-June to October once snow clears; higher routes (Macun, Margunet) are reliable only July-September. September is the time for the red deer rut in Val Trupchun. The park is closed to hikers in winter.
Safety
The main hazard is straying off-trail: the Swiss National Park enforces strict rules — visitors must stay on marked paths at all times, dogs are banned entirely, and leaving trails, picking plants, or disturbing wildlife is prohibited and fined. High routes like Macun and Margunet hold snow into early summer; check that the trail is open and carry layers, as weather at 2,300-2,600 m changes quickly.
Scenic Drives
- •Ofenpass / Pass dal Fuorn (about 2,149 m) from Zernez through the park to Müstair
- •Flüela Pass road between Zernez and Davos (open summer only)
- •Engadine valley road from Zernez toward Scuol and the Lower Engadine
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