Piz Quattervals
3,165 m
Switzerland
Also known as Piz QuatervalsAlso known as
Piz Quatervals
- Elevation
- 3,165 m
- Prominence
- 471 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: T4+ (hikr.org reports (2009), in good conditions) · T5+ to T6 depending on the line through the summit scree (hikr.org report (2012))
The only permitted route up the highest peak entirely within the Swiss National Park: a hut walk from Zernez to the Chamanna Cluozza (1,882 m), then a white-blue-white alpine route up the Valletta side valley and steep, loose scree and rock to the north-west ridge. T5, 1,450 m and about 5 hours up from the hut.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 16.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,170 m
- −482 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,165 m
- Time Up
- 10h 14m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 7h 59m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Day one is the national park's route 07 from Zernez station (1,471 m): through the village towards the Ofen Pass, over the wooden bridge and up through forest to the Fops viewpoint (about 2,120 m), then down through mountain pine, across the Ova da Cluozza and up to the Chamanna Cluozza (1,882 m), in about 3½ hours (T2+). The hut is the only staffed accommodation in the park and must be booked; overnight stays elsewhere in the park are forbidden. From the hut, route 04 leaves at Plan Valletta and enters the Valletta side valley on a marked path. Two steps of moderately steep scree lead to a flatter basin at about 2,470 m; above about 2,500–2,700 m the path fades and the park leaves the detailed line to the climber. The usual objective is the north-west ridge, reached by one of two steep scree couloirs at the angle of repose, where every step slides and parties above knock stones down; the exit onto the ridge over rock slabs (test holds) is the crux. The ridge itself is easy, with small steps that can be climbed direct or bypassed on the right, to the summit cross. Allow about 5 hours from the hut (the park's figure; a 2012 party took exactly 4 hours). Descend the same way (the park gives 7½ hours for the round trip from the hut), then return to Zernez or cross the Murtersattel to the Ofen Pass road. The park describes the route as demanding, for experienced alpine walkers only; snow on the flank brings avalanche risk, and in high and late summer the mountain is prone to rockfall. Only this line is permitted: all other approaches to the summit are prohibited under park rules.
Start
Zernez1,473 m
- Rhaetian Railway to Zernez (every 30 minutes); the hut path starts from the station. Alternatively PostBus to Vallun Chafuol (P3) on the Ofen Pass road for the Murtersattel approach.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zernez → Chamanna Cluozza | 8.1 | 775 | 363 | 4h 19m |
| 2 | Chamanna Cluozza → Piz Quattervals | 8.2 | 1,399 | 120 | 5h 56m |
Waypoints
- Station: Zernez1,473 m
- Hut: Chamanna Cluozza1,885 m
- Summit: Piz Quattervals3,165 m
Key Passages
- Scree steps into the Valletta
- Steep scree couloir to the north-west ridge
- Slab exit onto the ridge
- Short steps on the north-west ridge
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
At 3,165 m the highest peak entirely inside the Swiss National Park, climbed by a single permitted route: a walk-in to the Chamanna Cluozza and a demanding T5 ascent up loose scree and rock from the Valletta.
Piz Quattervals rises between four valleys (the name means 'four valleys'): Val Cluozza, Valletta, Val Sassa and Val Müschauns, south-west of Zernez in the Lower Engadine. It is the highest summit lying wholly within the Swiss National Park, Switzerland's strictest nature reserve, and apart from Munt la Schera the only mountain wholly inside the park that visitors may climb. Its east, south and west sides are crumbling dolomite walls; the north side is a long slope of scree and broken rock.
The park's rules shape the climb. Leaving marked routes is forbidden, presence in the park is allowed only between dawn and dusk, and the summit may be climbed only from Val Cluozza through the Valletta. The only overnight option is the Chamanna Cluozza, 3½–4 hours on foot from Zernez or the Ofen Pass road, so the ascent is a two- or three-day trip. The reward is solitude, ibex, chamois and red deer, and a summit view over a landscape left to itself for more than a century.
Technically the route is a scramble rather than a climb, but the terrain above 2,700 m is steep, loose and unmarked in detail, and the park classifies it as an alpine route for experienced mountain walkers.
Climbing Notes
Plan a two-day trip at least: walk from Zernez to the Chamanna Cluozza (3½ hours) on day one, climb the peak and return to the hut (about 7½ hours) on day two, then walk out on day three or continue over the Murtersattel or the Fuorcla Val Sassa. Breakfast at the hut is served no earlier than dawn because of the park's daytime-only rule, so you cannot start in the dark.
You need fitness for 1,450 m of ascent on scree, confidence on loose steep ground, and route-finding skills above 2,500 m where the path fades. Wear a helmet in the couloirs, especially if other parties are above. Choose a dry, snow-free day: snow on the north flank brings avalanche risk, and wet slabs make the ridge exit treacherous. Afternoon thunderstorms are common, so aim to be off the summit by midday.
Dogs are not allowed in the park, even on a lead, and nothing (stones, plants, wood) may be taken. A hut sleeping-bag liner is obligatory at the Chamanna Cluozza.
History
The first ascent was made on 7 July 1848 by the forester and surveyor Johann Wilhelm Coaz with the botanist Johann Luzius Krättli and a guide. The second known ascent was on 7 August 1871 by Douglas Freshfield and François Devouassoud. Val Cluozza was the first valley placed under protection by the commune of Zernez in 1909, and the Chamanna Cluozza remains the only staffed hut in the park.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut closed; no summit route
- Feb
- Winter; hut closed
- Mar
- Winter; hut closed
- Apr
- Winter; hut closed
- May
- Snow; hut closed
- Jun
- Hut opens early June (4 June in 2026); snow in the couloirs; the park lists the route from July
- Jul
- Best once the north flank is free of snow; afternoon storms
- Aug
- Dry scree but higher rockfall risk in high summer
- Sep
- Rockfall-prone late summer; red deer rut from mid-September makes the hut busy
- Oct
- Hut closes mid-October (17 October in 2026); early snow
- Nov
- Winter; hut closed
- Dec
- Winter; hut closed
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Book the Chamanna Cluozza (61 places, national-park hut) through nationalpark.ch or cluozza@nationalpark.ch, +41 81 856 12 35. It is often full in high summer and during the red deer rut from mid-September.
- Fees
- Overnight fees at the Chamanna Cluozza
- Rules
- Swiss National Park: Piz Quattervals may only be climbed from Val Cluozza through the Valletta (route 04); all other routes are prohibited
- Swiss National Park: marked paths and posted rest areas may not be left; presence in the park only from civil dawn to civil dusk; no camping or bivouacking
- Swiss National Park: no dogs (not even on a lead), no fires, no bathing, no bicycles; nothing may be taken (plants, animals, stones, wood)
- Hut sleeping-bag liners are obligatory at the Chamanna Cluozza
- Getting There
Zernez
Zurich (ZRH); Engadin Airport Samedan for general aviation
- Rhaetian Railway to Zernez (half-hourly); the path to the Chamanna Cluozza starts in the village (route 07, 3½ hours)
- PostBus hourly along the Ofen Pass road to Vallun Chafuol (P3) for the alternative approach over the Murtersattel (route 08)
- Limited parking at Zernez station and by the wooden bridge at the village exit towards the Ofen Pass
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Remoteness
- Avalanche
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,882 m
Chamanna CluozzaHutStaffedBooking required
61 beds · Early June to mid-October (expected 4 June – 17 October 2026)