The Ruinaulta or Rheinschlucht is a large canyon in the Canton of Grisons in Switzerland. It was formed approximately 10,000 years ago. when a landslide brought millions of tonnes of debris into the valley, creating this canyon area. The term Ruinaulta refers to this high heap of rubble (the literal meaning), while the name Rheinschlucht translates from German as Rhine Gorge.

The Rheinschlucht gets its name because the Rhine river now runs through the gorge. Over long periods of time, the Rhine has been eroding away at the material deposited during the landslide.

The Rheinschlucht is a wonderful place to hike, offering everything from easy, mostly level terrain on the floor of the gorge to very difficult hiking (and climbing in some areas) with steep gradients that are not for the faint of heart.

Don’t feel like hiking? You cannot access the Rheinschlucht by car. However, you can access it via bike and train; a train line runs through the gorge. There are three train stations along the northern border of the “park” area (one each on the western and eastern edges along with a central one), meaning that there is no need to do a circular hike if you don’t mind taking a train journey that lasts only a few minutes from one station to the other.

Here are some more photos from the area:

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