Lenzerheide is a high, wide valley south of Chur, a broad saddle of meadow, forest and small lakes at about 1,475 metres. The twin villages of Lenzerheide and Valbella have fuel, cafes and shops, and Chur, a little more than fourteen kilometres north, has everything else.
The road from Chur climbs through Churwalden in a series of generous hairpins, with long views down the Rhine valley, then crosses the low watershed above the Heidsee, the lake at the heart of the resort. This pass is not high, just over fifteen hundred metres, but it feels like a proper mountain crossing. The bends are broad and well banked, the surface is smooth and the gradient is comfortable. On the southern side the road drops through Parpan and Lantsch towards Tiefencastel, the junction of the Julier and Albula routes.
The valley was once a quiet farming district, and its Romansh and German names sit side by side. Tourism arrived with the railways and the first hotels in the nineteenth century, and now Lenzerheide is a big ski resort, with lifts rising on both sides of the valley. In summer the slopes are full of mountain bikers, and the roads can be busy with cyclists as well as cars. The Heidsee is good for a swim on a warm day, though the water stays cold, and a path runs round its shore.
Weather in the high valley can be fickle, with morning mist, afternoon showers and sudden sunshine, and even in summer you should have a jacket within reach. The best time for a ride is early in the day, when the bends are clear and the light is soft. Autumn is lovely, with larches turning gold along the slopes, and the air smells of woodsmoke and cut grass.