Hiking the Senda Ruinaulta Trail from Laax, Staderas
The Senda Ruinaulta is a 10 km, 360 ascent/descent loop trail easily accessed from the Laax, Staderas bus stop. This loop goes through lovely forests by the Prau Tulertigt pond and lake Cauma, and then returns past some fantastic views of the Rhine gorge (sometimes called the Swiss Grand Canyon). If I were to do the hike again, I would hike the loop in the opposite direction and spend some time swimming at lake Cauma (entrance fee) at the end of the hike. It looked so inviting. Next time!
Detail Summary| Where: | Senda Ruinaulta, route 659 Canton Graubunden , Switzerland |
| Train/Bus: | Zürich HB -> Laax, Staderas – 1 hr 51 min |
| Car: | There is a parking lot at the Laax, Staderas bus stop. |
| What: | Senda Ruinaulta, route 659 Trail Map Yellow trail markers/ Red and white trail – Senda Route 659 |
| Skill: | Easy – About 2 hrs 45 min Length 10 km, Ascent 360 m, Descent 360 m |
| Cost | Free to hike Entry to Lake Cauma Adults – 19 CHF Children (6-17) 9.50 CHF |
Getting There
This is a loop trail that starts and ends at the parking lot at the Laax, Stadera bus stop. As soon as we hopped off the bus, we found out trail and were on our way:
Looking at the maps posted at the start of the trail, there are so many adventures to be had nearby.
The Trail
After leaving the parking lot, we were soon at a the decision point of which direction to hike the loop. We decided to take the branch to the left and head past the lakes first. It was almost noon and I thought a lakeside picnic lunch would be nice. It was, but if I were doing this trail again, I would hike it in the opposite direction. The trail signage would have been easier to follow as it was only marked in one direction, and ending the hike with a swim at Lake Cauma would also be really nice. Learn from my mistakes.
Still, our view of the Prau Tulertigt pond, made a perfect picnic break. After leaving the Prau Tulertigt pond, it was just a short hike further through the forest to Lake Cauma. The lake is surrounded by a fence and there is an entrance fee in the summer. We didn’t go in, but it would have been nice to see the lake without the fence in the way.
After leaving Lake Cauma, the trail continues through more forest and a few fields.
When we reached the “Il Spir” lookout tower, we were wowed by the views of the Rhine Gorge. The viewing platform is located on a spur off the loop at roughly the halfway point of the hike. If you are hiking the same direction we did, note that if you pass the restaurant at Conn, you’ve missed the turn off to the viewing platform. It is a real highlight of the hike and you don’t want to pass it by.
It was really neat to see the river from this perspective. One of my earliest posts for this blog was about Rafting the Vorderrhein from Ilanz to Reichenau, the same section of river we were now looking down on. After leaving the viewpoint, we passed the restaurant at Conn (first picture below) and then the trail began the climb along the ridge. Along the way, were many pretty views of the gorge.
With about 2 km left of the hike, we reached the highpoint, where there was a nice view back towards Flims. From there, it was just a gentle easy downhill walk back to the bus station where we started.
This was a beautiful hike and I highly recommend it.
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