piemont-trekking

Val Grande national park - sheer wilderness

Discover the largest wilderness area of Italy! Two valleys surrounded by precipitous mountains, completely abandoned since many decades. Nature reconquers everything and covers every trace of civilization - but the signs are still discernible. Walk through apparently unspoiled forests and mountains and discover at the same time the traces of history! Enjoy the infinite silence and remoteness of this wild scenery!

Whether getting in touch with the untamed nature on a day trip or immerging completely into the overwhelming silence of endless forests and wild valleys on several day hikes: everything is possible for everybody, beginner or pro.

Here you will find some of the most fascinating tours. But remember, you can always send me a request for an individual hike too. I will be glad to arrange a personalized plan for your adventure without any additional costs.

day trips

walk on the wild side with light daypack

Easy hike: Pian Cavallone

Panorama hike with great views of Lake Maggiore and the deep gorges of the national park. Dispite of the easy and secure paths we will get in touch with the unspoiled nature and the rich history of Val Grande. In summer there is the possibility to have a break at a cozy mountain hut. Anyway we will visit a tipical shelter, too, where we can enjoy an italian coffee high above the steep valleys.                    more pictures

+ 700m (maximum, less possible), March - November                                                                        send request

Medium hike: Monte Faiè and Corte Buè

Great panoramas of five insubria lakes from a superb viewpoint high above the Lake Maggiore and immersion in the dark forests of the national park. A round trip full of nature and history: old mule tracks, abandoned stone houses, traces of a forgotten culture. Complete silence and solitariness on tracks buried in oblivion.                                                                                                                more pictures

+ 810m, March - November                                                                                                                    send request

Medium hike: Lago di Marmo

Getting in touch with the isolated "caldera" of the northern Val Grande: fantastic round trip to some of the most fascinating viewpoints of the national park. We will visit two tipical shelters (a modern one and a more rustic one), the "marble lake" with its natural vein of the precious rock and a peak from which we are able to overpeer almost all of Val Grande.                                                                         more pictures 

+ 980m (without summit + 860m), May - November                                                                             send request

Ambitious hike: Pra d'Gatt

A whole world of abandoned mountain pastures in incredible surroundings: steep and rough slopes where nowadays only chamois and eagles take refuge. Once the rural poor wrangeled their cows and goats up to isolated huts: we can still follow their tracks which are mostly fallen in oblivion. At the same time we can enjoy marvellous views of the Ossola valley and Monte Rosa.                                              more pictures

+ 1040m, all-season                                                                                                                             send request

several day hikes

full immersion in the silent and lonesome wilderness of the national park with large and heavy rucksack

required equipment and other infos

Medium hike: Crossing the national park (3 days)

There is only one more or less well maintained path that crosses the northern part of the national park which is cut off from the outside world. Although we have to carry all our stuff and sleep in spartan bivouacs on wooden floor, this trip offers the possibility to visit the wilderness of Val Grande also for "normal" hikers.                                                                                                                                  more pictures

day 1 + 1150m, - 60m / day 2 + 950m, - 1060m / day 3 + 50m, - 1560m, May - November                 send request

Ambitious hike: Route of the partisans (3 days)

When the fascists began to persecute the resistance in june 1944, the partisans had to flee across the southern part of Val Grande. We follow their route from the hills nearby the Lake Maggiore across country (and several valleys and mountains) to the Swiss border, passing many historic battlefields and hiding places. A trekking full of history - and nature!

day 1 + 1300m, - 830m / day 2 + 890m, - 440m / day 3 + 850m, - 1310m, June - October                send request

Ambitious hike: Northern crossing of the national park (4 days)

One of the most beautiful and varied routes of Val Grande. Three completely different kinds of bivouacs, amazing views, endless forests, roaring torrents, rocky ridges... and as always a lot of history! We follow narrow paths across the rarely frequented northern part of the national park         more pictures

enjoying incomparable panoramas of the "caldera".                                                                       send request

day 1 + 1270m, - 70m / day 2 + 620m, - 650m / day 3 + 1270m, - 1400m / day 4 + 165m, - 920m, May - November

Ambitious hike: Wild crossing of the national park (4 days)

This trekking takes place on the most adventurous trails of the northern part of Val Grande visiting rarely frequented side valleys and immerging into completely unspoiled nature. However, the paths are still marked and sporadically maintained. They pass not only the most beautiful                more pictures

but also the largest former mountain pasture of the region.                                                      send request

day 1 + 1560m, - 50m / day 2 + 650m, - 1420m / day 3 + 1330m, - 740m / day 4 + 720m, - 1460m, June - Nov.

Challenging hike: To the most famous bivouac (2 days)

There is only one official route that leads to one of the most famous places of the national park, Bocchetta di Campo. But with a guide you don't have to go back the same way you came... A small and sometimes exposed path spirals through the vertical walls between Scaredi and the Monte Pedum and offers the possibility for a round trip with an overnight stay at this renowned place.      more pictures

day 1 + 1110m, - 370m / day 2 + 340m, - 1080 m, June - October                                                     send request

Challenging hike: Complete wilderness (4 days)

Most of the old and abandonded paths have completely disappeared but there are still some of them, often covered by the proliferating vegetation, that are yet walkable. They pass precipitous terrain and are often discontinuous - only for skilled hikers! On our trip we will immerge into                more pictures

total wilderness and sleep in old farmhouses: an unique experience!                                     send request

day 1 + 1710m, - 420m / day 2 + 850m, - 670m / day 3 + 920m, - 940m / day 4 + 580m, - 1730m, June - October

Or just send me your request for an individually planed tour. No surcharge... but even more exciting!