Hike in Short
| Metric | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 21 km (13 miles) |
| Altimeters | 1,060m |
| Time | 7h30m |
| Type | Roundtrip |
| Part of | Alpenpässen-weg (Route 6) Etappe 5 |
| Start Location | Campo Blenio, Ticino (you will need a car to get here) |
| End Location | Campo (Blenio), Ticino |
| Physical difficulty | medium |
| Technical difficulty | difficult |
Hiking Map
Hike Report
Away from the most popular hiking regions lays the climb to the Greina plateau (“Piangerett” in Italian) and the Capanna Scaletta SAC hut in Ticino. Originally, the trip was planned as a round-trip starting in the north-eastern part of Ticino. As the layer of snow was larger than anticipated, however, we chose the safer option and turned around. Nonetheless, the valley offered amazing view of the autumn coloured valley. While the last part of the climb gets quite steep the first 8 kilometers offer both an off-road and a paved option.
The hike starts and finishes at the village Campo Blenio, roughly half an hour drive away from the south exit of the Gotthard Tunnel. At the start location of the map there is a large parking space, which is free of charge. The trail starts off with a barely noticeable incline, that guides you through a small forest and along grass fields. From there you reach the paved street, which weaves all the way up, just before the last climb to the SAC hut. While the road offers a very comfortable walk, there are also sections with separate hiking trails. These parts lead mainly over grass-paths with occasional small water streams that need to be crossed. It might therefore be somewhat slippery during rainy days.
At the beginning of the valley, the path offers a constant view of the river flowing below, which created a beautiful autumn sfeer. Especially in contrast to the mountains peaking up on either side. If you look closely, you will already be able to see the SAC hut from here and get an idea of where you will be going. Around the middel of the incline, the river bank becomes less prominent and gets replaced by waterfalls and more open grassland.
The last part of the hike starts at the end of the road. From there you will leave the fields and reach a stony plateau encircled by mountains. After crossing the water again, the steepest part of this hike awaits you with a curvy narrow path. As we did the hike in November, the path got snow-covered from here onwards. The first peak right above the Capanna Scaletta SAC hut offers a great place for a lunch break with an amazing view of the valley. While we decided to turn around, you have the option to following the Alpenpässe Weg (Route 6) via Crap La Crush to go back Capanna Motterascio and then via Lago di Luzzone back to Campo Blenio.
Video Journal
For more drone and hike videos, you can go Videos.