Ausserferrera: Mountain Scenery, Hiking and Cultural Heritage

Ausserferrera is a district of the municipality of Ferrera in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and was an independent municipality until the end of 2007. The village lies in Val Ferrera on the Averser Rhine, known in Romansh as Ragn da Ferrera. Mountain scenery, hiking trails and local history offer different ways to shape a stay.

Location and scenery

Ausserferrera lies at 1,316 metres above sea level. The local area extends on the left side of the valley up to the 2,855-metre-high Hüreli and on the right up to the 3,060-metre-high Piz Grisch. The village consists mainly of old wooden houses. The settlement of Cresta lies on a terrace 350 metres above the village and is inhabited only in summer. Forest covers 20 percent of the local area, 29 percent is used for agriculture and 50 percent is considered unproductive. The rock faces near Ausserferrera consist of Penninic rocks of the Suretta nappe, particularly Rofna gneiss, a porphyritic gneiss.

Hiking and the history of the trails

The hike to Alp Nursera and through the Schwarzwald starts at the Ausserferrera postbus stop. On the hike, a mine tunnel can be visited on a guided tour. This links the trail with a guided insight into the history of mining.

Another route leads from Ausserferrera to Sufers via the Ragn da Ferrera, the Averser Rhine, in the direction of Alp Nursera. Its highest point is just over 2,000 metres; the hike offers views into Val Schons as far as the Haldensteiner Calanda. It descends through the Göriwald to Lake Sufnersee and ends in Sufers. Both Ausserferrera and Sufers can be reached by postbus from Andeer.

The difference can help you choose your route: the hike to Alp Nursera combines the trail with a guided visit to a mine tunnel, while the route to Sufers is defined by its high point, views into Val Schons and the path through the Göriwald to Lake Sufnersee.

The Alte Averserstrasse was built in 1895 and made passable again for hikers. The section towards Ausserferrera features carefully restored natural-stone bridges.

Mining and church architecture

The historic Schmelzi Ausserferrera smelting works are located near Ausserferrera and are open to the public. The disused mines and their visible historical remains are preserved there. Cresta is home to an old, listed church in a scenic location. Because of the straight-sided window slits in the apse and the corbelled portal lintel, Erwin Poeschel dated the Protestant branch church in Cresta to the late Romanesque period after 1200.

Magic Wood bouldering area

The Magic Wood bouldering area lies entirely in the forest along the Ragn da Ferrera. It is approximately 250 metres wide and 500 metres long; access is via a bridge.

Discover more destinations: Splügen, Innerferrera, Tschappina, Nufenen, Scharans, Fürstenau, Trans, Paspels

See the overview of the wider region: Hinterrhein.