Plaun la Greina - a rewarding classic. A two day hike from Vrin to Campo Blenio

November 11th 1986 was a good day for the Greina high plateau. The project to build a dam and flood this unique high plateau was abandoned due to “economic reasons”. Well, it wasn’t just “economic reasons”, the protesting Swiss, nature loving population (including me) sure helped too to save this unique and beautiful landscape.

We walked the Greina in two days from Vrin:
Day 1: Vrin – Cons – Sogn Giusep – Puzzatsch – Tegia Sut (Alp Diesrut) – Pass Diesrut – Camona (P. 2194) – Carpet La Greina – Camona Piz Terri CAS
Day 2: Camona Piz Terri CAS – P. 2163 – P. 2263 – Passo della Greina / Passo Crap – Capanna Scaletta – Pian Geiret – Alpe di Camadra di dentro – Alpe di Camadra di fuori – Daigra – Cozzera – Campo Blenio

From Vrin we walked along the street to Cons, Sogn Giusep and Puzzatsch. For us this was kind of the warm-up and it is actually pretty interesting to see these little villages at the end of the Val Lumnezia. If you don’t feel like walking this part, there is the possibility to take an Bus Alpin all the way to Puzzatsch and start the hike there and cut down the hiking time for about 1 hour.

From Puzzatsch to Pass Diesrut it is all uphill, about 1000 meters – sometimes pretty steep. The hiking time of 2 ¾ hours to the Terrihütte which is indicated on the signpost in Puzzatsch is rather optimistic and might be pushing the limits for some groups, it definitely did for ours.

From the Diesrut pass down to the bridge at the end of the Plaun la Greina it is pretty steep, but the view of the Greina high plateau is extremely rewarding. The marked path from the bridge at P. 2194 to the Terri hut is the most difficult part of the hike, sometimes a little exposed and very steep, I would say a T3+, almost a T4. The Terri hut is newly renovated and offers more comfort that I’ve seen in many huts. Nowadays you can have beer on tap, a shower (5 Fr.) and even pay with your postcard or credit card… The staff is very friendly and you can be sure you’re not alone spending the night there.

On the second day we walked to the Plaun La Greina via P. 2163 – P. 2263. On the way to Passo della Greina we desperately tried to find crystals which can be found often here, but didn’t find any good ones. Only at our lunch break near Capanna Scaletta we found a real nice one “by accident”.

The hike down from the pass to Campo Blenio is rather easy but all downhill. Also, it is very scenic with lots of waterfalls, sheep and other attractions. Again if you don’t feel like walking all the way, during the summer there is the possibility to catch an Bus Alpin already at P. 2012 near Pian Geiret. The hiking times on Ticino side indicated on the sign posts not only are rather optimistic as well, but also somewhat confusing. At some point it said 2 ¾ hour to Campo Blenio and after walking for almost 20 minutes, all of a sudden a sign claimed it would be 3 hours and 10.

We arrived in Campo Blenio almost an hour before the bus came (there are only a few per day) and so we walked to the one and only restaurant (Trattoria Genziana) about 500m further towards Olivone. Luckily the bus stops there too and we didn’t have to walk all the way back to the bus stop in Campo Blenio.


A few additional remarks:

This two day hike can be done with kids easily, especially if one shortens the hike with the Bus Alpin.

The Greina is kind of a victim of its own success. These days there are 3 big and modern huts in the area (Camona da Terri CAS, Rifugio Motterascio CAS and Capanna Scaletta) and all of them seem to be pretty packed during the high season. Also, the buses which take you very close to the Greina don’t really help to keep it a lonely place. Nevertheless, even if you have to share this beauty with lots of other hikers, it is still worth visiting this unique landscape.

The last time I walked the Plaun la Greina was before the “big boom”, more than 15 years ago. We then walked the other way around from Campo Blenio to Vrin and spent the night in the Capanna Scaletta. Then the Capanna was a small little hut and we were the only ones spending the night. Today Capanna Scaletta is a very big modern hut and is even expanded. Chances are little that you’ll be the only one. The old hut from then (see this picture) is actually today’s “Winterraum” only.

An interesting link to an excerpt of the book Die Greina - ein Symbol / Herbert Maeder