Morteratsch station to the Morteratsch Glacier – Melting Giants
Morteratsch station to the Morteratsch Glacier – Melting Giants
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2,918
hikers
Morteratsch station to the Morteratsch Glacier – Melting Giants
02:46
7.64km
370m
Hiking
This tour takes you to the foot of the Morteratsch glacier in the canton of Graubünden. Along the way, information boards show you how far the glacier used to reach.
It starts at Morteratsch train station at the beginning of the valley. The famous Bernina Express stops here and a hotel with a restaurant invites you to stop off before or after the tour. 160 years ago the glacier still reached as far as the train station. Now you follow the wide gravel path towards the glacier. You hike at a leisurely incline through the beautiful valley and repeatedly pass signs with dates as far as where the ice reached back then. In the period from 1900 to 2010 alone, the glacier retreated over two kilometers.
After around two and a half kilometers, the wide gravel path ends and you cross a rushing glacier stream over a wooden bridge. A stony, steep mountain path leads you to a hill and to the end of the glacier. Here you can enjoy the wonderful view of the ice and the mighty mountains. You hike back along the same path.
Last updated: June 10, 2024
Tips
Includes a segment that is highly dangerous
A part of this route comprises highly technical, difficult, or hazardous terrain. Specialist equipment and prior experience is required.
After 3.05 km for 1.56 km
Waypoints
Start point
Train Station
Get Directions
2.12 km
Morteratsch Glacier Valley
Highlight • Natural Monument
Translated by Google •
Tip by
2.80 km
Bridge Over the Morteratsch Glacier Stream
Highlight • Bridge
Translated by Google •
Tip by
3.80 km
Morteratsch Glacier Tongue
Highlight • Natural Monument
Translated by Google •
Tip by
7.64 km
End point
Train Station
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
6.06 km
1.56 km
< 100 m
Surfaces
5.97 km
1.53 km
< 100 m
< 100 m
< 100 m
< 100 m
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Elevation
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Weather
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Monday 11 May
1°C
-4°C
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This route was planned by komoot.
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Trail Reviews
Tragic how this glacier retreats, we were there last fall and it looks completely different today 😥
A gift for my parents—back to the place where they took us hiking 34 years ago. Beautiful! It's thought-provoking how much of the glacier has disappeared since then. 🫣
It feels like your giving tribute to a living creature. Amazing walk up to Glacier ends. More information asap on waterwind.it
A walk for two in postcard weather, warm in the sun, cold in the wind.
From the Moteratsch train station we hiked a wide path almost to the Moteratsch glacier. Unfortunately, you can no longer get to the glacier tongue wif 6 years ago. Again and again there are boards with the year on it, where the glacier was in which year. Very nice interesting path, unfortunately, but a real hiking highway with a lot of people.
What is impressive, or should we say "depressing" on this hike is to see how much of the once mighty Morteratsch glacier has since disappeared. This is indicated by steles along the path, which indicate a year and the position of the glacier in that year. We had our lunch picnic at a place where we would have been in the middle of the ice in 2015. The first stele, with the year 1860, is located just behind the Morteratsch train station. At the beginning the steles are spaced 20 years apart, but by the end they are only 5 years apart.