Trail of Pioneers

Parc Ela - Experience humankind’s and nature’s pioneering achievements in the Albula Valley. The natural forest reserve by Graubünden’s geographical center, the rocky pinnacle of Crap Furò, is the highlight.

Starting in Surava, the tour heads towards Alvaneu-Bad and then back again to the starting point. There are frequent viewpoints along the way overlooking the lower Albula Valley and the valley’s opposite side.
One of the highlights is the natural forest reserve surrounding Crap Furò, where nature, and only nature, has been in charge since 2008. It is illegal to cut down trees around here and so the forest can develop freely: Plants and animals benefit from this. On the Trail of Pioneers, you will experience forest conditions which can hardly be found anywhere else in a small-scale area such as this in Switzerland. Geology, erosion, local glacier and forest history, scientific data collection and the climate have been important contributing factors.