Adula Alps

The Adula Alps, also known as the West Graubünden and Misox Alps, are a western Alpine mountain group, the part of the Lepontine Alps from the Lukmanier and St Gotthard Passes to the Splügen Pass.

The Swiss side of the Adula Alps

They lie mostly in Switzerland, in the Cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Uri, and partly in Italy, in the province of Sondrio in Lombardy, stretching south to Lake Como. They form subsection 10B of the Alps, according to the Partizione delle Alpi, and subsection 10 III, according to the unified orographic classification of the Alps by Sergio Marazzi (SOIUSA).

A string of mountains of the Adula stand on the international border between Switzerland and Italy, including Pizzo Tambò, Piz di Pian, Cima de Pian Guarnei (Pizzo Quadro), Cime di Val Loga, Piz Tamborello, Piz della Forcola, Pizzaccio, and Cima dello Stagn, while Pizzo Ferré is near the border on the Italian side.

The mountain guides of the Swiss Alpine Club do not lead climbers in groups for the Adula Alps, but attach parts of them to other sections.<ref>"Bündner Alpen, Bd. 2, Vom Lukmanier zum Domleschg by Manfred Hunziker", outline at hikr.org/books, accessed 3 October 2023 (in German)</ref>

Looking west from the Gotthard Pass into the Adula Alps

The highest peak is the Rheinwaldhorn (Template:Convert), which in Italian is called the Adula, giving the range its name.<ref>Kev Reynolds, The Swiss Alps (2014), p. 286</ref>

The main valleys are Val Malvaglia, which drains into the lower Blenio Valley, and three others draining south out of the Adula Alps, which are, from west to east, Val Calanca, Valle Mesolcina, and Valle Spluga (or San Giacomo).<ref>Kev Reynolds, Walking in the Alps: A comprehensive guide (2011), p. 222 </ref>

The creation of an Adula National Park was planned by Switzerland for sixteen years, from 2000. It would have become only the second in the country, after the Swiss National Park, but in November 2016 the inhabitants voted against it.<ref>Franca Siegfried, "Poor communication torpedoes a second national park", Horizons, 05/09/2019, accessed 2 October 2023</ref><ref>Annina Helena Michel, André Bruggmann, "Conflicting Discourses: Understanding the Rejection of a Swiss National Park Project Using Data Analysis Triangulation" in Mountain Research and Development 39(1) (June 2019), R24-R36</ref>

Towns and villages

In Uri

• Andermatt

In Graubünden

• Disentis or Mustér
• Trun or Truns
• Ilanz
• Bonaduz
• Thusis
• Andeer
• Splügen or Spluga
• Hinterrhein
• San Bernardino
• Mesocco
• Obersaxen
• Rossa
• Roveredo

• Arbedo-Castione
• Vrin
• Vals
• Thalkirch
• Safien

In Ticino

• Osogna
• Biasca
• Malvaglia
• Olivone
• Lumino

In Lombardy

• Livo

Peaks

The Rheinwaldhorn (left) seen from near Vals

The Guferhorn, or Zervreila, with Zervreilasee at its foot

The following peaks of the Adela Alps are sorted by height in metres (m) above sea level, called Meter über Meer (m ü. M.) in Switzerland:

• Rheinwaldhorn (3,402 m)
• Güferhorn (3,379 m)
• Pizzo Tambò (3,279 m)
• Grauhorn (3,260 m)
• Läntahorn (3,237 m)
• Vogelberg (3,218 m)
• Piz Medel (3,210 m)
• Pizzo di Cassimoi (3,129 m)
• Scopi (3,190 m)
• Cima di Camadra (3,172 m)
• Cima Rossa (3,161 m)
• Piz di Pian (3,158 m)
• Zapporthorn (3,152 m)
• Piz Terri (3,149 m)
• Fanellhorn (3,124 m)
• Piz Scharboda (3,122 m)
• Pizzo Ferré (3,103 m)
• Bruschghorn (3,056 m)
• Furggeltihorn (3,043 m)
• Plattenberg (3,041 m)
• Alperschällihorn (3,036 m)
• Frunthorn (3,030 m)
• Piz Corbet (3,025 m)
• Cima de Pian Guarnei (3,015 m)
• Piz Uffiern (Tujetsch) (3,013 m)
• Cime di Val Loga (3,004 m)
• Piz Beverin (2,997 m)
• Piz de la Lumbreida (2,983 m)
• Teurihorn (2,973 m)
• Torent Alto (2,948 m)
• Piz Tomül (2,946 m)
• Einshorn (2,944 m)
• Zervreilahorn (2,898 m)
• Pizzo Tamborello (2,858 m)
• Pizzo di Claro (2,727 m)
• Pizzo Paglia (2,593 m)
• Piz Titschal (2,550 m)
• Pizzo Cavregasco (2,535 m)
• Cima dello Stagn (2,380 m)
• Sosto (2,221 m)

Lakes

In Switzerland

• Sufnersee, reservoir dating from 1962, surface area Template:Convert<ref>"Swiss Dams: Sufers", Swiss Committee on Dams, accessed 3 October 2023</ref>
• Zervreilasee, reservoir dating from 1957<ref>"Geschichte", kwz.ch, accessed 3 October 2023 (in German)</ref>
• Lago di Luzzone, reservoir dating from 1963, surface area Template:Convert<ref>"Swiss Dams: Luzzone", Swiss Committee on Dams, 25/09/2008, accessed 3 October 2023</ref>

In Italy

• Lake Como, a glacial lake with an area of Template:Convert.

Mountain huts

The Adulahuette of the Swiss Alpine Club

The Capanna Quarnei of the Società Alpinistica Bassa Blenio

• Camona da Medel, 2524 m
• Capanna Adula of the UTOE, 2393 m
• Zapporthütte, at 2276 m on the Zapporthorn
• Capanna Scaletta, Blenio, 2,205 m
• Capanna Scaradra, Blenio, 2,173 m
• Capanna Motterascio, Ghirone, 2,172 m
• Camona da Terri, 2,170 m
• Capanna Quarnei, Malvaglia, 2,107 m
• Adulahuette of the SAC, 2,012 m
• Länta-Hütte, at 2,090 m on the Läntahorn
• Medelserhütte, on the Piz Medel
• Capanna Buffalora, Rossa, 2,078 m
• Capanna di Cava, Biasca, 2,066 m
• Rifugio Biasagn, Biasca, 2,023 m
• Capanna Brogoldone, Lumino, 1,904 m
• Capanna Bovarina, Campo Blenio, 1,870 m
• Capanna Como, at Livo, Lombardy, 1,790 m
• Capanna Dötra, 1,748 m, on Sosto

References

• William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge, Climbers' guides : Adula Alps of the Lepontine Range (T. Fisher Unwin, 1893)
• John Ball, The Alpine Guide, Central Alps (London: 1866)
• Philip Lake, Howard Knox, W. A. B. Coolidge, "Alps" in Hugh Chisholm, ed., Encyclopædia Britannica 11th ed. (Cambridge University Press, 1911)
• Michael Anderson, Mittel Switzerland (Lepontine, Ticino and Adula Alps) (West Col Productions, 1974, Template:ISBN)