The Heidbüel-Tgantieni-Höhenweg trail is a 6 km trail with 300 m ascent and 460 m decent that goes from the top of the Heidbüel gondola in Churwalden to the top of the Tgantieni chairlift in Lenzerheide. This hike is not overly long or overly steep but has big views and a nice restaurant along the way to stop for a drink or bite to eat. It’s a good choice if you want to hike but don’t want to spend the whole day on the trail. And if you want to add some variety to your day’s adventure, at the Pradaschier Adventure Park located next to the Heidbüel gondola valley station you can ride the longest (3.5 km) mountain coaster in Switzerland (which we did) or take the zip line (which we didn’t – way too terrifying).
Detail Summary
| Where: | Heidbüel to Tgantieni Canton Graubunden, Switzerland |
| Train: | Zürich HB -> Churwalden, Bergbahnen – 1 hr 44 mins Lenzerheide/Lai Val Sporz – > Zurich HB – 2 hr 34 min If you plan to return to the start of the hike either because you parked there or because you want to go back to ride the coaster: Lenzerheide/Lai Val Sporz -> Valbella Dorf – 15 minute walk Valbella Dorf -> Churwalden, Bergbahnen – 8 minutes |
| Car: | There is parking available at the Heidbüel and Tgantieni valley stations. as it is a one way hike you will need to public transport to the start or end of the hike. |
| What: | Heidbüel-Tgantieni-Höhenweg (SwissMobility) Red and White trail markers – green square Heidbüel-Tgantieni-Höhenweg route number 738 |
| Skill: | Easy- About 2 hrs Length 6 km, Ascent 300 m, Descent 460 m |
| Cost 2026: | Heidbüel gondola/ Tgantieni chairlift combo ticket Adult: 23 CHF Adult with half price card/GA: 11.50 CHF * The combo ticket only seems to be available on-site. Online it appears that you need to buy two separate tickets which costs a bit more. Mountain Coaster 1 ride with chairlift – Adult: 29.50 CHF 1 ride with chairlift – Adult with with half price card/GA: 23.00 CHF Note: They offer multi-ride tickets but they are not transferable. So, if you are buying for three people, you need three single tickets. If you are buying a ticket for yourself to ride 3 times, then the multi-ride ticket is the way to go. |
Additional Info
| Heidbüel-Tgantieni-Höhenweg (SwissMobility) Trail Map (SwissMobiity) Pradaschier Adventure Park Lenzerheide Tourism info |
Getting There
This is a point-to-point hike, so best done with public transportation. This hike starts at the top of the Heidbüel gondola in Churwalden. The Heidbüel gondola valley station is located a short walk from the Churwalden, Bergbahnen bus stop. For this hike you want the Heidbüel gondola/ Tgantieni chairlift combo ticket which can be purchases at the Heidbüel gondola.
Right next to the Heidbüel gondola valley station is the Pradaschier Adventure Park. We didn’t realize it was there until we saw the coaster while we were riding up the gondola. It looked like a lot of fun so we made a plan to come back to ride the coaster after the hike. (See the section at the end of the post for more information about the coaster.)
When we reached the top, we found our trail, and after a quick look back at the gondola station we were on our way.
The Trail
This trail started off with a dip down past a restaurant. We considered stopping but only the self-service kiosk was open so we decided to keep walking. We had sandwiches packed for a picnic anyway.
After only hiking for about thirty minutes, we came to a bench with a fantastic view of the valley and Heid lake – the perfect spot for our picnic lunch (picture two below).
The trail was wide and fairly easy to walk although we needed to keep an eye out for mountain bikers. This is a very popular biking area. And, of course, we had to watch our step because this area is also a cow pasture.
About ninety minutes into the hike, we saw the restaurant just past the cows in picture one below. We weren’t particularly hungry but a refreshing drink with a view (and a dessert to share) is always nice.
After the restaurant, it was basically all down hill to the end.
When we reached the Tgantieni hotel in picture three above, we knew we were pretty much at the end of the hike.
Getting Back
When we reached Tgantieni, we hopped on the chairlift and headed down to the valley.
This was a short but sweet hike. We decided we had plenty of time to take the bus back to ride the coaster.
Riding the Pradaschier Mountain Coaster
After walking from the Tgantieni valley station to the Valbella Dorf bus station (abut 15 minutes) we caught the next bus back to Churwalden, Bergbahnen (about 10 minutes). This time, instead of going left to go to the Heidbüel gondola we went right to go to the Pradaschier Adventure Park. At the ticket kiosk, it said there was a 50 minute wait to ride the coaster. We weren’t in any hurry so we decided to go ahead and buy tickets. After leaving our backpacks (they are not allowed on the coaster) on the rack at the entrance to the chairlift, we got on the lift and rode up to the top getting a good preview of the coaster along the way. The wait in the line for the coaster was indeed 50 minutes, but eventually it was our turn.
This was a fun coaster, but maybe not worth the 50 minute wait. It is a good ride though and far less scary than the zip line which looked to have almost no wait at all.
If you want to do the coaster, but don’t want to backtrack after the hike, I suggest you ride the coaster before the hike or do the hike in the opposite direction to end at Heidbüel.
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