Gran Paradiso 5 easy and suitable excursions to all in the Piedmontese side of the oldest national park in Italy that this year is 100 years old. To celebrate Centenary of the Gran Paradiso National ParkThroughout the summer, events and events are planned, as well as knowledge of the rich natural heritage, the history and culture of local communities that populate the five valleys of the park, of which you can find here the complete calendar.
Established in 1922 to protect the wilderness area around the summit of the Gran Paradiso, the only summit beyond 4,000 meters entirely in Italian territory, the Gran Paradiso National Park is crossed by a dense network of hiking routes constituted by the ancient royal mule trackers, created in the second half of the 800, when this area was the hunting reserve Savoia.
At the time the paths were used to communicate among themselves the Real Houses of Caccia, built in altitude and intended to accommodate the King Vittorio Emanuele II during his long summer hunting trips, while today are highly appreciated routes by hikers and lovers of hiking in the mountains.
If in winter it is very reduced the possibility to walk and walk on these routes, during the beautiful season the Gran Paradiso National Park, with its spectacular mountains, the alpine lakes, the prairies, the alpine pastures and the paths to be covered on foot, by bike or mountain-bike, are ideal for practicing a little sport, find refrigeration from the afa of the plain and breathe in full lungs pure air.
Personally, I particularly love Valle Orco, in the top Canavese, where for years I spend part of my summer holidays hiking through woods and valleys. Here are my 5 favorite itineraries, along roads and paths easily accessible, but that give spectacular views. Guaranteed!
Index of Article
Gran Paradiso 5 easy excursions in the national park
1. Ring of Lake Ceresole
An easy and suitable itinerary for everyone, but offering highly suggestive views. The very popular Ring of Lake Ceresole It is a path of about 8 km total, mixed asphalt and dirt, that runs along the water mirror formed by the large dam. Sunny for most of the day, in the afternoon it winds in the shadow of the larches of the right bank. It is also easily accessible by children, for which some equipped play areas are available.
You can start from Pian della Balma or the Villa di Ceresole Reale, where you can rent bicycles. Much of the route is on the floor and is maintained at an altitude of about 1,600 m asl, with some sloped stretches near the dam and the beautiful Dresden waterfall.
For the most trained who wanted to stretch the excursion, from the right gold bank of the Lake Ceresole Reale, near Villa Poma, there is a path that after a ten minute walk you cross and leads on one side towards the Passo della Crocetta and on the other towards Lake Dresden and the Rifugio Leonesi.
2. Vallone di Piantonetto
The fascinating Vallone di Piantonetto is the scenery of one of the most beautiful – and little jokes – walks that can be done on the Piedmont side of the Gran Paradiso National Park.
The valley branches off from the Orco Valley near Rosone: a series of hairpin bends and you will find yourself in a wild alpine environment of suggestive beauty, a natural amphitheatre route from a stream and dotted with groves, huts and pastures, surrounded by imposing peaks, destination of climbers from all over the world.
You can get by car to the town of Ghiglieri, where there is the fish incubator that carries out actions of protection of the aquatic ecosystems of the Park, and then continue the walk along the road and the cross-country trails to the town of San Giacomo.
3. Lake Teleccio – Rifugio Pontese
If you are ready for a more challenging hike, go back in the car all the way Vallone di Piantonetto, along a road that at times is very impervious, until reaching the imposing dam and the Lake Teleccio, which will surprise you with its amazing aquamarine green color.
Leave the car in the large parking lot, take the path that surrounds the left golden bank of the lake and then climbs towards the refuge Pontese. The ascent is not particularly difficult and once you arrive at the refuge there will be a spectacular view of the Becchi della Tribolazione and the Torre del Gran San Pietro. With a pinch of luck you can also spot some stumps or raptors flying on the rocky ridges.
You can stay at the Rifugio Pontese (2200 m) to refresh yourself with a polenta dish or a cutter of local meats and cheeses and, if desired, also overnight. The most trained can then continue the hike to the Pian delle Muande and return to the Lake Teleccio along the AVC (Alta Via Canavesana) through the Colle dei Becchi and the Alpe Fumietto.
4. Walking through the clouds at the Nivolet plateau
Undoubtedly the most sought-after hiking destination of Gran Paradiso National Park, the Nivolet plateau, crossed by the wide meanderings of the Dora del Nivolet, ponds and peatlands, is one of the highest-altitude wetlands in Europe. It extends from the upper Valle Orco to the upper Valsavaranche, on the Valdostano side, at an average altitude of about 2420 meters.
It is reached from the Piedmontese side by Ceresole Reale, through Colle del Nivolet (2600 m), following the state road all curved in the 1950s or the paths that wind through the high altitude prairies.
From the parking lot near Lake Serrù (2275 m), you climb to Lake Agnel (2295 m), then to Lake Losere (2430 m); past the Colle del Nivolet (2600 m) near the Rifugio Città di Chivasso, you descend towards the plateau with the lakes Nivolet (2532 m) and the refuge Savoia.
From here you can not only admire the summit of Gran Paradiso (4061 m) in all its majesty, but also to spot stambecchi, chamois, foxes, hermets, to have close encounters with hares and marmots and perhaps also have the luck to observe the vaults of the real eagle or the gipeto.
Of course, the whole itinerary is definitely challenging: from the Villa di Ceresole Reale hamlet to Piano del Nivolet are 16 km away, for a total of 1,030 m of altitude. The good news is that, in addition to walking or car, it can also be traveled by bike, bike, e-bike (they hire in the country).
Or you can climb to the Nivolet with the comfortable shuttles of the GTT that in the summer Sundays of July and August, when the last 6 km of the state number 50 that leads from Royal Ceresole to the 2,500 m of the Nivolet Hill are closed to private traffic, they are the only authorized motor vehicle to circulate between the parking of Lake Serrù and the Colle del Nivolet.
An excellent solution, for those who do not want to struggle or for those who move with small children, to climb up to altitude and enjoy without stress, without noise and without exhaust gas the wonderful views of Gran Paradiso National Park.
5. Tour of Lake Serrù
An easy walk in altitude, the Lake Serrù winds practically on the floor in front of the highest peaks of the upper valley bordering the French park of Vanoise.
Leaving the car at the parking lot under the dam, you reach the path that runs along the lake basin of Serrù at an altitude of 2,275 m. revealing fantastic views over peaks, valleys and glaciers that are the kingdom of ungulates and raptors, while in the prairies surrounding the water mirror ring the marble.
The most trained can go up to the huts of the homonymous mountain pasture above to enjoy the majestic panorama that embraces the Valle Orco in its totality.
