Gateway to the Grosses Walsertal Biosphere Park

Start: Bofel

End: Ludescherberg

Bofel, the starting point of the tour, is located directly on the road at the entrance to the Grosses Walsertal  halfway in between Ludesch and Raggal. At the edge of the forest, the compacted winter hiking route runs uphill, largely following the course of a historic trail. This is where the old Raggal road formed the gateway from Ludesch to the Grosses Walsertal until 1925. In this section, the pristine character of this old cultural landscape has remained intact, making you aware of the rare value of a non-built up landscape that is well looked after and preserved. In Falazera, where you leave the mountain forest, you will come across the former Rössle inn, once a preferred rest for carters traveling with their horse sleights during winter time. From here, take a cleared and hardly motorized village road further uphill to Ludescherberg where you reach an old Walser settlement. Even though it consisted of a handful of mountain farms only, the residents in 1840 built a small church and in 1847 a school of their own. Unless these hillsides are further developed, the saying of “small is beautiful” will hopefully still be valid in times to come.
Hikers today sing the praises of Ludescherberg mainly for its sun-exposed location and the glorious lookouts. From a bird’s eye view atop, you can make out the entire Walgau area between the Rätikon massif and the Walserkamm ridge. The panorama extends right into the Rhine valley and the Swiss mountains.

Taking the same route to return, you will be looking towards the Grosses Walsertal and absorb enticingly scenic views of its sunny side with the Walserkamm ridge on the horizon.