Stage 1: Rhine hike Tomasee - Oberalppass

Oberalppass: The Oberalppass - called "Alpsu" in the Romansh language - is the connection between Disentis in the canton of Graubünden and Andermatt in the canton of Uri. The highest point of the pass road is at 2,044 m above sea level. The pass road measures 32 kilometers from Disentis to Andermatt. In the Middle Ages, the pass enabled the people of Bündner to access the pig and goat markets in the cantons of Uri and Ticino.

With the construction of the current road in the years 1862/63, traffic over the Oberalp experienced a great boost. The romance of the stagecoach arose. The coaches only disappeared in 1925, when the automobile was introduced in Graubünden. The road is only passable during the summer.

Lai da Tuma/Tomasee: At the Rhine source begins the 1,230-kilometer-long journey of the Rhine. Much of what happens here influences its course. For this reason, the inhabitants of the municipality of Tujetsch - on whose territory the Rhine source lies - take care of their natural wonder. The mighty Vorderrhein glacier covered the entire Surselva during the last ice age. The glacier-shaped mountain landscape of the Oberalppass is the source area of the Vorderrhein. The ice flow has long since melted, leaving behind a firn hollow, in which the Lai da Tuma, at the foot of Piz Badus, is nestled. A jewel among the Swiss mountain lakes at 2,345 m above sea level - unique in its beauty, magic, and significance.

In July, alpine roses and the sweetly scented Turk's cap lily bloom along the roadside.

Overnight guests with a guest card can travel by train between Disentis and Oberalppass free of charge.

The hiking trail is marked white-red: mountain hiking trail, trekking scale, T2

At the beginning of the route we hike along the pass road for 10 minutes downhill. We cross a small stream and then follow the high path southwards into the Val Maighels. At point 2056 we turn right and it goes up in zigzags. At first, we still hike over alpine pastures, a little later the path becomes steeper and rocky. Once we have passed the last hairpin bends, we reach the lake. The return journey follows the same route.