Over the Pass da Casnil

The blue and white marked hiking trail leads past small lakes, over rock and scree ridges, loose gravel and rock slabs. From the Casnil Sud pass, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the impressive north face of the Cima dal Cantun and the entire glaciated Forno basin. If you're lucky, you might even spot a few ibex. Good surefootedness is required, but chains and climbing aids are provided at the most difficult points on the descent. The chains are fitted at the beginning of summer.

If you want to take more time, you can combine the route with overnight stays in the Albigna or Forno huts.

The tour is part of the Sentiero Alpino Bregaglia. From summer 2026, all Bergell SAC huts will once again be connected by a trail.

It is advisable to set off on the first ride of the Albigna cable car - the timetable starts at 7.00 am - or to spend the night in the Albigna hut. From the mountain station, climb up the right-hand side of the mighty dam wall, cross it and reach the meadows on the other side. A marked path begins here, leading up a long, sloping ascent to the Albigna hut (2336 m).
Beyond the hut, the path climbs over a grassy hump towards Piz dal Päl and Piz Balzet to a beautiful plateau with pools of water. Turn towards the summit of Piz Casnil and follow the path that stays on the right side of a pronounced rocky ridge. A section between the small lakes and the Casnil pass requires some caution, but is equipped with handholds and footholds. The marked trail leads to the southern pass crossing (Pass da Casnil Sud) at 2940 m.

From the pass, the trail then descends over loose gravel (still snow-covered early in summer, take an ice axe if necessary) into a wide scree basin. At the end of this, the trail turns left and you soon reach the passage under the foothills of the Piz Casnil east ridge, which is secured with chains and iron footholds. Good surefootedness is required here. Less experienced climbers can use a climbing harness with via ferrata set for additional safety. The trail continues down over rocky slabs into the Forno Valley and on via Plan Canin, past Lake Cavloc and down to Maloja. Depending on your mood, you can either circle the lake on the left on a smaller path or follow the road to the Salecina meeting center (behind the Orlegna bridge), where a path branches off to the right, leads through the buildings and on to Maloja.