Welcome to Val Cama
The Fondazione Alp de Lagh welcomes you together with the Ulrich family on the Alp de Lagh
Storm disaster in Misox on Friday, 21 June 2024
Because of the storm, the path to Val Cama is currently impassable and will remain so until further notice. The upper part of the path was practically completely washed away and destroyed. Fortunately, the Alp de Lagh was spared
Call for donations
The restoration of the path will be very costly. In addition, the Alpine family is on the Alp and will suffer a loss of income due to the loss of tourism. If the access cannot be restored by autumn, the animals will have to be brought down to the valley by helicopter, which also means high costs.
The Fondazione Alp de Lagh is dependent on financial support and is grateful for any donations to the account: CH35 8080 8004 8089 6139 3 Raiffeisen Moesano
With the note: "Restoration of Sentiero" or "Support for Alpine operations"
Welcome
Dear hikers and friends of Val Cama,
We always expect many guests in our beautiful valley.
In order to enable a good coexistence with the alpine staff, we ask you to
Keeping dogs on a leash and placing tents on the pastures
refrain from.
This allows the Ulrich family and their employees to prepare the alpine products in the best possible way and
Welcome you with joy!
Thank you very much!
And for the sake of nature: please take your rubbish home with you!
The Val Cama and the surrounding valleys are still an "insider tip" for hikers, mountaineers and nature lovers. One of the largest forest reserves in Switzerland has now been created in this area. The valley lies south of the main Alpine ridge in the Italian-speaking Misox (canton of Graubünden) and belongs to the municipalities of Grono and Cama. It can only be reached on foot.
An attractive attraction is the "Lagh de Cama", which is surrounded by a mighty amphitheater of mountain ranges. The "Alp de Lagh" is located directly on the lake. It is known for its cheese specialties made from goat's and cow's milk, which are matured in natural stone cellars.
Alp de Lagh offers accommodation and meals during the summer season. More information here.
Location
The Val Cama is located in Switzerland, south of the main Alpine ridge in the canton of Graubünden. It is a
Side valley of the Misox.
The Misox extends from the San
Bernardino Pass to the Ticino border, just before Bellizona.
The Moesa flows through the Misox, which flows into the Ticino
border flows into the Ticino.
Italian is spoken in Misox. The Val Cama belongs to the municipal area of Grono and Cama.
See map below
gettingthere
By public transport
Take the train to Bellinzona or Chur/Thusis. Buses run to Cama every hour from both towns.
In Cama, at the "Municipio" stop, "Via Trambacqua" branches off diagonally opposite.
The path then leads straight across the Moesa and over the motorway to the hamlet of Ogreda. Here, at the edge of the forest, there is a spacious car park where the hiking trail into the Val Cama begins.
By car
Those coming from San Bernardino take the
Take the "Lostallo" motorway exit. From here, continue out of the valley to Cama. In the middle of the village, diagonally opposite the "Della Posta" restaurant, the "Via Trambacqua" branches off to the left from the main road.
The path then leads over the Moesa straight over the
Highway to the hamlet of Ogreda. Here is the
At the edge of the forest there is a spacious car park, where the hiking trail into Val Cama begins.
If you are coming from Bellinzona , take the motorway exit
"Grono Nord" up the valley to Cama.
Approximately in the centre of the village near the Ristorante "Della Posta" the "Via Trambacqua" branches off to the right from the main road.
Then follow the instructions above to the parking lot in the hamlet of Ogreda.
History of Val Cama
First historical records from 1384
The municipalities of Cama and Verdabbio (fraction of Grono, since the merger in 2017) have long been in dispute over the Val Cama.
In 1384 a written agreement was signed
This included that Verdabbio would become part of the
Val Cama got. In return, Cama got good fields and
Vineyards in the valley floor of the Misox. In the 16th and 17th centuries
In the 19th century there were repeated conflicts over the
Border demarcation. Apart from minor changes
but these have been retained.
The municipal boundary was defined by means of a dry stone wall. A special feature is that the boundary in the
further course through the lake.
Human activity in earlier times
Above all, the numerous alpine buildings are evidence of the presence of man in the Val Cama. It is documented that in 1577 "Nicolao da Valdort" with the help of his brothers
Alpine buildings at Lagh de Cama. The inhabitants
of Verdabbio, the middle of the 17th century saw the
remote Alp Broieta.
Diverse use of the valley
» Forests: Old documents show that mountain wood from the Val Cama was sold as early as 1504. Very
This wood was probably already used for the construction of the
Stone bridge over the Moesa, which was replaced in 1978 by a
was destroyed by flood.
» Yellow Gentian: Between 1862 and 1865 roots
of the yellow gentian in Val Cama for the production of schnapps
The municipality of Cama granted a
professional distillers are allowed to do so.
» Tree resin: It is known that in 1862 the municipality of Cama sold the right to produce resin in the forest of
Besarden extracted tree resin from spruce and pine trees. The resin was used for making wooden barrels and cords. It was also in demand by pharmacists.
» Charcoal: In the 19th century, the era of
Charcoal production (charcoal burning) began. Today one finds
in the Val Cama, flat surfaces in unexpected places. Here
Dead wood, which was swept away by avalanches,
Charcoal has the advantage over wood that it
It burns without flames and generates more heat, and it is also easier to transport into the valley.