Via Alta Vallemaggia

Foto: Marco Volken
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From larch trees to palm trees: The title may seem rather banal, but the final stage of the Via Alta takes you on a truly fascinating journey through the different Alpine vegetation zones to discover a veritable high-elevation botanical garden. 

The landscape starts off with larch trees, typically found at high altitudes, with their charming combination of tenacity and discreet gracefulness; just a few hours later you will come across tall, elegant birch trees, contorted beech trees—shaped by their fate, stoically standing the test of time—huge ancient sweet chestnut trees, and many other species, each with its own unique characteristics. The journey ends with a landscape featuring Asian palm trees, which are steadily moving into low-altitude woodlands. In Ponte Brolla, the gateway to the Maggia Valley, you can admire the gorge that channels the water of the entire catchment area of the Via Alta. Your long journey ends here, at 250 metres above sea level: Time to celebrate the completion of an Alpine adventure like no other!

Technical Data

  • Stage length

    10,3 km

  • Height difference ascent

    300 m

  • Height difference descent

    1600 m

  • Maximum height

    1559 m

  • Duration

    04:00 h

  • Difficulty

    T3–

Attention! The walking times indicated refer to walking time without breaks and are calculated on the basis of parameters defined by Swiss Hiking Federation and experience. The actual walking times will therefore generally be higher, especially for longer stages.

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