With the coming of autumn, days get shorter and temperatures drop. Nights can be frosty and the first snows fall in the higher regions. Footpaths may be frozen in places, and walkers should go carefully. Before setting out on walks in the higher regions, please enquire about walking conditions at the National Park Centre.
The annual highlight in the National Park is the red deer rut, when hundreds of stags can be heard roaring.
Alongside the magnificent display of the golden larches, the roar of the rutting stags in autumn is the highlight of the year within the area of the National Park. From mid-September to about 5th October, red deer congregate in their traditional rutting areas such as the Val Trupchun. Many visitors come to witness this impressive event.
The golden larches set the Engadine countryside alight in autumn – Nature’s firework display.
The flamboyant autumnal gold of the larches signals the end of the summer and the onset of nature’s long hibernation.
The larch needles turn golden in October before dropping to the ground in the first half of November. They can be seen at their best in mid-October, when their colour is often intensified in the glow of the afternoon light.
Here in Val Cluozza (see photo above), at an altitude of 2000m, the larches change their colour in mid-October. Heavy frosts at night and windy weather hasten the fall of the needles.