Via Alta Valle Maggia
A wild, near-empty high traverse above Ticino's Valle Maggia — steep climbs by the dozen, an alpe that feeds you well, and a chained block ridge to the Madom da Sgiof that's far more fun than fearsome.
Alone high above the Valle Maggia
The Via Alta Vallemaggia is one of the wildest and most solitary high routes in Ticino — a multi-day ridge traverse high above the Valle Maggia, where you can go for days barely meeting another soul. From Cimetta (cable car up from Locarno) it works through an endless run of steep climbs and traverses; the trails are narrow and sometimes really very steep, but the panorama is grand.
The crux is the block ridge before the Madom da Sgiof, officially T5−: a few scrambling moves, but chains and good footholds take most of the sting out of it, and it isn’t really exposed — it’s a whole lot of fun instead. You sleep at the alp huts or in a tent. The self-catering hut at Alpe Masnée sells cheap, hearty food (spaghetti, sauce, tuna, coffee), and the beautifully set Alpe Cuasca, in the old Ticino stone-house style, is worth it too.
Tip: water is the big theme — there are long dry stretches between the springs, so fill up generously. You don’t need to lug whole meals, though; the alp huts feed you well. And on the descent, leave time for the turquoise pools above La Valle: a first-rate spot for a swim.
How it went for me
Day 1
It all starts at Cimetta. With 2 litres of water and a load of snacks in the pack, off we go — today the first two stages of the Via Alta Vallemaggia are on the menu. It’s 30°C in Zürich and Locarno today, and it’s hot up here too, but there’s a fresh breeze and now and then a cloud drifts past, which makes the climb enormously easier.
Or rather the climbs (my Garmin says 22 of them in total). The trails are narrow and steep, sometimes really very steep. But it’s worth it: the landscape is gorgeous and the panorama grand. On the way up to the Madom we spot a dead snake (bird of prey?).
It carries on with great traverses and a few scrambling spots. Lunch on the Mött di Pegor, then onward to the Refugio Alpe Masnée, where we arrive around six in the evening, tired and very thirsty (there’s no water anywhere along the way). But here there’s water and plenty of food too — we’d brought our own, but you really don’t need to carry anything. The self-catering hut sells very cheap spaghetti, tomato sauce, tuna, coffee + Bialetti, and so on.
In any case, we find a beautiful spot to camp above the hut. Merlin spots a wren trilling away at the top of its voice, and a chamois shows itself too, while the sky slowly turns pink — does it get any better?
Oh right, the crux. Before the Madom da Sgiof it goes over a block ridge with a few scrambling spots, officially T5−. And maybe that’s fair, even though I’ve done T4 that felt harder. Chains and footholds help enormously, and it’s not really exposed. But it’s a whole lot of fun!
Day 2
Despite a gorgeous sunrise, the start was rather modest. I slept pretty badly (the altitude? My legs? The heavy dew on the tent wall? The full moon?) and was accordingly in a bad mood and low on energy.
We’d actually meant to walk the third stage today and then head down, but we decide to descend already at the Alpe Cuasca. By the way, the alpe is also a self-catering hut (4–6 people would surely fit in the loft), beautifully set and in the old Ticino stone-house style. And there’s food here too — you could definitely come back to this place.
It took us about 3.5 hours to get here, much longer than the posted time (which is a bit unrealistic unless you really run through the stepped terrain). There are still a few snowfields, but nothing to worry about.
Anyway, from here we head down towards the valley and towards Giumaglio. What a good decision: half an hour later an adder hisses angrily at us as it slowly climbs onto the low branches of a bush — we’d clearly disturbed it sunbathing.
Speaking of sun, it really is hot here. Luckily, above La Valle we find gorgeous pools where we take a break and a long, ice-cold dip (Olli only half in) and stretch out on the rocks until we’re dry — so good!! Spirits shoot up to 100. It’s genuinely wild here; we haven’t met a soul since yesterday morning, and this river flows and carves exactly as it pleases, creating these beautiful basins filled with turquoise water.
Shame it’s still a long way down to the valley — it would make such a lovely day trip to the pools.
On down to Giumaglio, through beech and sweet-chestnut forests, where we pass old ruined Ticino stone houses. What happened here? Wikipedia says people emigrated to California in the ’50s (I wonder whether they were any happier there than in this wild valley?).
In the afternoon we arrive in the valley, tired, sun-tanned and happy. What a beautiful tour :)