Margunet

We begin our hike at Parking Lot 8. Another option is the entry at P9. We hurry to get away from P8 and the road. During the season, there is heavy traffic here, which often does not comply with the legally prescribed speed limits. To protect pedestrians, so-called chicanes have been installed at all critical entrances and exits along this road, preventing especially children from running from the hiking trails into traffic and endangering themselves. After just a few minutes, the disturbance from traffic noise diminishes. We can slowly focus on our hike.

After a flower-rich clearing, we walk through a uniform mountain pine forest, which was last radically logged about 150 years ago. Since then, the forest has grown back, and many trees have reached their lifespan and are dying off. Due to the dry climate, dead trees remain standing for decades, and fallen trees decay slowly. This creates, at first glance, a chaotic forest scene that unsettles many people. Good observers discover bundles of small trees at the base of the mountain pines, whose bluish-green needles are supple and soft: larches from unrecovered larch nut caches of the nutcracker. Once again, the forest opens into a circular clearing.

From the path, we see that the vegetation is not completely closed. A look through binoculars reveals that charcoal has been made here, a form of wood utilization that was often practiced here in the past. This example clearly shows us that wounds from use in nature have still not healed after 100 years. In this forest area, we occasionally hear begging young sparrowhawks in summer. We also often encounter tits. Sometimes, a noisy flock of crossbills flies over the extensive forest, squirrels scamper through the tangle of gray-brown branches, or they chatter angrily behind a tree. When we approach Alp Stabelchod, caution is advised. In the tiered edge of the pine forest, deer or roe deer often graze. Chamois also seek the rich food supply of the alp. We step onto the open alpine pasture and first overlook the marmot burrows. Then we scan the sky to see if a Bearded Vulture might already be spotted from here.

Across the partially lush alp, we hike to the Stabelchod hut. For many short park visitors, the hike ends here. The alpine hut serves as a base for park rangers. It is not accessible to visitors. Right next to the rest spot to the northeast lie the foundations of the former alpine buildings, which collapsed decades ago and were replaced by today's hut.

Our path continues into the narrowing gorge of Val da Stabelchod, along the rushing stream, which we cross on a wooden bridge. Slightly below the bridge, on the opposite side, remnants of glacial mills can be seen in the rocks, which did not withstand the millennia-long abrasion by water and debris and broke apart. In a short zigzag, we overcome a rock nose and then cross a tributary and later again the Ova da Stabelchod. Slowly, we leave the zone of upright mountain pine behind and reach the larch fields.

The view widens surprisingly. We briefly scan the sky again so as not to miss any possibly flying Bearded Vultures. The huge debris cones stand out, along with the strange, pointed dolomite towers that look like menhirs. A nature trail sign points to the Bearded Vulture nest. Between 1991 and 2007, a total of 26 young Bearded Vultures were released here. Along a murmuring brook, we step onto the broad avalanche slope, where the Val da Stabelchod rest area is set up. There, we take a break. On the Murteras da Stabelchod, the alpine meadows on the west slope of Piz Nair, deer often rest or chamois graze. Not infrequently, eagles or Bearded Vultures circle here.

It is often difficult to tear yourself away from this excellent observation point. Yet we climb higher on a long zigzag path past edelweiss mats and deep-blue Clusius gentians, fluttering day butterflies, or chirping grasshoppers. A wild flock of alpine choughs shoots by in rapid flight, trying to snatch something edible from the tourists. Now we reach Margunet at 2328 m, the highest point of our route. The panorama is impressive. It is worthwhile to bring a map at a scale of 1:100,000 here to be able to name the mountain peaks in the wider area. With some patience, hikers can spot chamois, sometimes entire herds with mothers and kids, performing acrobatic leaps.

After a break, we first turn north, then west and descend into the Val dal Botsch. We quickly lose altitude and approach the valley floor, where we cross the Ova da Val dal Botsch. Here, the path branches off that leads via Fuorcla Val dal Botsch into Val Plavna and Mingèr. In the bizarre rocks on the left side of the valley, we can often observe chamois.

We then climb over huge debris cones, washed down by mudflows from the extensive scree slopes. After the marmot colony at the Val dal Botsch rest area was deserted for years, animals have resettled that survive despite the exposed location. After crossing the larch belt, we enter especially beautiful stands of upright mountain pine with a dense ground vegetation that accompanies us until we reach P7 (not a post bus stop!). From there, we either hike back to P8 or P9 or, as recommended, cross the Ofen Pass road and choose the path westward towards Il Fuorn.

After a short descent, we cross a beautiful bridge over the Ova dal Fuorn and find ourselves after a short distance on the bank of the rushing brook in a moist mixed forest of pines, spruces, and larches, a striking contrast to the mountain pine forest that has accompanied us so far. After a short distance, we reach the edge of the meadows of the Ofenberg estate. Our gaze sticks to a large, strangely barren area on the southern slope of Piz dal Fuorn, a gap in the God da Simi. This is a forest fire area that occurred due to negligence in 1951. Since the fire, this plot has been scientifically studied, with special interest in why it has not grown in with trees over half a century. After examining this slowly healing human intervention in the park’s nature, we complete the last stretch and reach our destination, Il Fuorn.

The Ofen Pass is a genuine bird migration route. In the large trough between Munt la Schera and Piz dal Fuorn, birds migrate between the Münstertal and the Engadin. The experienced observer does not miss the often juvenile golden eagles circling on the southern flank of Piz dal Fuorn or the many songbirds that rest and seek food in the forest edges of the Ofenberg estate. Hikers with a special interest in birdlife should therefore pay particular attention here.

Return: By post bus from Parking Lot 8 or Il Fuorn. Caution: Parking Lots 7 and 9 are not post bus stops!